| SPIDER-MAN (2002) |
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| THE STUFF THAT SUMMER MOVIES ARE MADE OF! |
| a movie review by Luc-Rock Paquin |
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I've always been taught that there are four seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Well, the movie industry has five. They are: Winter (January and February), Spring (March and April), Summer (May to August), Fall (September to just before the American Thanksgiving) and finally "Holiday" (from Thanksgiving to the first weekend of January). The summer movie season used to begin on Memorial Day weekend, but in an effort to stretch this most lucrative season, the studios have begun releasing their blockbusters in the first weekend of May. Such is the case for Spider-Man (please note the hyphen!).
In case you're too young to know (I never thought I would say this!), Spider-Man is one of the comic book characters created by Stan Lee in the early 60's (he also created The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, and X-Men, among others). The basic premise of the comic book was that Peter Parker, a normal high-school student, gains arachnid-like powers when he is bitten by a nuclear-irradiated spider. When his uncle is killed by a burglar, Parker vows to protect his fellow human beings. Thus, he becomes that "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man".
Sam Raimi is becoming quite an expert in the superhero genre |
Director Sam Raimi (A Simple Plan, The Evil Dead Series, Darkman) and writer David Koepp (Panic Room, Carlito's Way, Stir of Echoes) felt that the 40-year old story needed to be updated for the 21st century. I know that some die-hard fans will say that this is blasphemy, but I believe that the changes were necessary to bring the story in a contemporary setting. So, it is now a genetically-modified spider that bites Parker, and not one affected by radiation. Raimi also changed something very fundamental about Parker: while the original character had mechanical wrist guns that fired synthetic spider web, the updated character is able to do this through natural means. After all, what's the point of being genetically modified, right? It's interesting to note that this idea apparently came from James Cameron, who was originally lined up to direct, but later abandoned the idea when the film was the object of a legal battle between studios.
There are many humourus scenes in the movie |
The opening of Spider-Man marked the beginning of the summer movie season this year. Well, this movie is what summer movies are all about. Spider-Man is a fun, entertaining, funny, thrilling, larger-than-life movie. It is not only an excellent example of a summer movie, but also of a superhero movie. In two hours, Raimi properly introduces the characters, explains how the hero and the villain obtain their super-powers and develops an engaging story. Raimi also manages to entertain while still respecting the spirit of the character, a balance that has been hard to reach for other directors (Tim Burton's Batman was too dark for a lot of people and Bryan Singer's X-Men lacked a solid story).
In order to appreciate the movie, you have to suspend disbelief |
However, I should warn you that in order to appreciate this movie, you have to be in a special frame of mind. Let's not forget that this is a superhero story, not a Merchant-Ivory production. Accordingly, you have to suspend disbelief and enjoy the movie for its purpose: pure entertainment. As such, Raimi can get away with fuzzy logic (why would a spider bite alter Parker's genetic code?) and some exaggerated characters (such as the hilarious newspaper editor).
One of the things I appreciated most was the fact that Koepp and Raimi have achieved a brilliant mix of comedy, action and drama. The scenes where Parker discovers his powers are hilarious and the rest of the story is sprinkled with an appropriate amount of comedic material.
The Spider-Man costume sometimes looks too cartoonish |
As expected, the movie is filled with impressive special effects. I particularly enjoyed a scene where Parker gets involved in a fight at school and he realizes that he has such fast reflexes that events around him seem to happen in slow motion. Most of the other special effects are extremely well done, but I was somewhat disappointed by some of the early scenes where Spider-Man swings from building to building, because he sometimes looks like a doll with limbs flailing about. I also found that the cartoonish aspect of the costume was uneven throughout the movie; it looked too much like a drawing in several scenes, but it gets better later on. But those are very minor details and, as a whole, the special effects are spectacular.
The movie is also very strong in terms of artistic direction and production design. I loved the whole look and feel of the Oscorp corporation buildings, which reminded me of the dark and ominous sets of Tim Burton's Batman. I was however bothered by the enormous amount of product placement that took place. In fact, the movie was involved in a legal battle because the filmmakers digitally altered a Samsung billboard in Times Square (Samsung is a competitor of Sony, which owns Columbia Pictures).
Then 25-year old Maguire plays the teenage Peter Parker... |
While a lot of actors begin their careers in mindless commercial movies and are later desperate to prove they can act in independent or more artistic films, Tobey Maguire has done the opposite. After several roles in critically acclaimed movies (such as Wonder Boys, The Ice Storm, and Pleasantville), Maguire has made the transition to a megaproduction action movie with ease. Raimi needed a young actor (babyfaced Maguire was 25 when they were shooting the movie) and he took a big risk on Maguire, but the gamble has paid off. Maguire seems comfortable in his role and the result is an enjoyable performance.
Willem Dafoe is intense as always |
To offset the youthful Maguire, Willem Dafoe (Platoon, Mississippi Burning, The English Patient) was cast as the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn by day). Dafoe is an intense actor and it's obvious that he took the role very seriously. He plays both of his characters in a different way and nowhere is this more evident than in a scene where he is having a conversation with himself, switching back and forth between the evil Green Goblin and the rich snob Norman Osborn. He not only uses a different voice (something that Maguire has not done for some reason), but he also adopts an entirely different demeanor for each character.
Kirsten Dunst's performance is sub-par, as is her character |
The role of Mary Jane Watson, Parker's object of affection, is played by the young and talented Kirsten Dunst (The Virgin Suicides, Interview with the Vampire, Crazy/Beautiful). Dunst started acting in commercials at the age of 3 and made her feature film debut in Woody Allen's New York Stories at age 7, but has recently been stuck doing mostly teenage comedies. While she usually delivers strong performances, I found her acting to be in "cruise control" mode during most of the movie and sometimes robot-like, such as in the last scene, where all her emotions seem forced. In her defense, I have to point out that her character was very shallow (she falls in love with FOUR different people) and didn't give her much wiggle room.
Finally, the role of Harry Osborn, Parker's friend and Norman's troubled teenager son is played by James Franco (Deuces Wild, Whatever It Takes), who originally auditioned for the role of Peter Parker. Fortunately, the casting directors were wise enough to recognize that Franco lacked the acting experience (and star power) to carry the title role, but he does, however, play the role of Harry in a convincing enough manner.
Overall, I'm glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised by Spider-Man. I have learned a long time ago not to build high expectations of summer movies, but this particular movie delivered on the entertainment front, without making many compromises on the artistic front. I highly recommend Spider-Man, and I suggest you pay a little extra to see it in one of the many higher-end cinemas.
P.S. If you stay until the end of the closing credits, you'll get to hear a very special song!
Reviewed on May 4, 2002
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Directed by
Sam Raimi
Written by
Stan Lee
Steve Ditko
David Koepp
Cast
Tobey Maguire
Willem Dafoe
Kirsten Dunst
James Franco
J.K. Simmons
Michael Papajohn
Randy Poffo
Joe Manganiello
Rosemary Harris
Ted Raimi
Cliff Robertson
Bill Nunn
Bruce Campbell
Stan Lee
Produced by
Avi Arad
Ian Bryce
Grant Curtis
Heidi Fugeman
Stan Lee
Laura Ziskin
Music
Danny Elfman
Cinematography
Don Burgess
Film Editing
Arthur Coburn
Bob Murawski
Casting
Lynn Kressel
Francine Maisler
Production Design
Neil Spisak
Art Direction
Tony Fanning
Scott P. Murphy
Set Decoration
Karen O'Hara
Costume Design
James Acheson
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