It has taken me until my fifth Franchise Friday to get to one that I can say I enjoy every single film in the franchise. The franchise in question is Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy. Now, I think we all know that ‘Spider-Man 3’ is not a good film, but it doesn’t stop me from enjoying it. Or, at least, it didn’t stop me from enjoying it. I haven’t seen any of these films in quite a while and it is entirely possible that my love for the trilogy could be misplaced upon re-watch. I doubt it, but who knows? Let’s find out!
Spider-Man (2002)
I think nostalgia probably plays a big part in my love of this film because re-watching it it definitely has some problems. For one the CGI effects have aged like fine milk. The film actually does a pretty decent job of blending practical effects with the CGI which allows the film to hide some of the flaws in the effects, but other times it is pretty inexcusable in how bad they look. The most obvious moments of this is at the parade scene with the CGI balloons which are laughably bad. I have always hated them damn balloons and the older myself and the film get they only get worse. Fortunately, the practical effects in the film are great and still really hold up. Another ‘issue’ of the film is that it is really goofy. I put issue in quotations because I know it is something some people bring up when criticising the film. I personally fucking love the goof. That’s half the reason the film is as fun as it. And there is no arguing how fun this film is, but it also has a lot of heart and that comes from so great performances. I really like Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. I know people say he isn’t like the comic and whatever, but I don’t read comics, so it doesn’t bother me. I really like Kirsten Dunst in the film, and the same goes for James Franco. Obviously, J.K. Simmons is perfect as J. Jonah Jameson and steals every scene he is in. He almost steals the entire film, but he is just outshone by Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin. Yeah, he is chewing the scenery in every scene but that is why his performance is so good. He is a ton of fun in this film and he is the reason I have always held this film above the second which most people tend to think is the better film, and maybe I will feel the same after re-watching it. Overall, this film may not have aged all that well but it is still a huge amount of fun and I love it.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Okay, off the bat I ended up watching an extended addition of this film that I had never seen before nor even knew existed. It adds about 8 minutes of film which just extended scenes or add little cut-aways which aren’t necessary. It doesn’t ruin it or make it any better, so the additions are truly a waste of time. Just thought I would mention it for clarity. Having not seen either of these films for such a long time I didn’t quite remember how big the jump in quality of the special effects were. Whereas the first film’s special effects have aged horrendously the effects in this film have aged really well. There are a couple moments where it does look a bit off but for the most part it still looks great. In fact, the film on all technical levels has improved on the first film. It is shot better, some of the odd editing decisions have gone (although not all of them), and it looks better on the whole. It also has the best scene in either film, which is of course the scene in the hospital where the Dr. Octopus slaughters the doctors. In this scene Sam Raimi goes full ‘Evil Dead’ (1981) and it is a blast. It is full of moments that wouldn’t look out of place in horror while having an air of brutality. As an introduction to our villain it is excellent. I also couldn’t do this without mentioning the train fight scene. It is a ton of fun with great, creative action and genuine threat and emotion. It is the best of what these films have to offer in terms of action, but there are several really fun action scenes in this film. There is also a lot of heart to the film. The narrative pushes on from the first well, expanding on what it had previously set up while providing new threats and issues for our characters to deal with. Again, all the actors are great in their roles. I think James Franco is better in this film as he is now allowed to be a bit more or an arsehole and it suits his acting style a bit better. Alfred Molina comes in as Dr. Otto Octavius and he is great. He puts in a really sympathetic, intimidating, and fun role as the villain of the piece and he is a great follow up to my boy Dafoe. On the whole I would have to say that this film is better than the first one and I fully understand why people say this is the best of the three, but I still prefer the first one. I can’t help it; I just love Green Goblin and I think that is truly the reason I hold that film above the others. It is really close to call, but it is still the first one for me. I think we can all agree, of course, that the third film is the worst. Or is it….?
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Yeah it is. Sorry to keep you on tenterhooks like that, but it is clearly the worst. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it and I actually think it gets quite a bad rap. It is a bit of a mess, mostly caused by studio interference forcing Venom into the film. His whole presence in the film feels out of place and leads to the worst parts of the film. I don’t really blame Topher Grace although he is also really poor in the role. The action is also no way near as fun, although it is still decent. Maybe it is a lack of emotional investment, based on having to watch Peter and Mary-Jane have relationship issues again, but there is just something about them which I just can’t get involved with. They also look a lot worse, especially the first fight between Peter and Harry which has not held up very well at all. But there is also stuff to like about this film. I think all the Sandman stuff is great. His character isn’t incredible, but all the set-pieces involving him are where the film really shines. This is especially true in the scene in which he turns into Sandman for the first time which is a beautiful scene. It is beautifully animated and gets across so much emotion with no dialogue and just its visuals. Also, Iv am going to say it, I love emo Peter Parker. Yes, its goofy as all hell but when have these films not been goofy. It is also absolute comedy gold. Now, whether the film meant for it to be comedic or not is up for debate, but those scenes are massively entertaining and make this easily the funniest of the three films. I don’t know, there is just something about this film that I continue to enjoy. Maybe it is nostalgia, but I also genuinely think that this film is entertaining and not half as bad as people say it is.
Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy is brilliant. I am not huge into superhero films in general, but these three films all have a special place in my heart, and that includes the third one. One thing I haven’t mentioned is the Danny Elfman score which is brilliant throughout all three films and it would be a crime not to mention it. And I will end this by saying these films are top tier Spider-Man. Don’t come at me with Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland because you’d be wrong. Tobey Maguire is where it is at and I won’t hear otherwise.