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Spider-Man is a superhero film released in 2002 and directed by Sam Raimi. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst and Cliff Robertson. It is an adaptation of the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. Focusing on Spider-Man's fight against his first major enemy (the Green Goblin), the motion picture portrays the superhero's origins.

Spider-Man has the second highest opening weekend box office tally in United States history, earning more than US$114 million; topped only by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (US$135 Million). The film was also the first movie to make more than US$100 million in one weekend. As of July 2006, five other films have done so: (Shrek 2 in 2004, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005, X-Men: The Last Stand and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in 2006). The film was once in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the Highest Box Office Gross in a single day, taking in US$43.6 million on its second day of release. That record has since been broken. The film has spawned two sequels, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

Plot

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Template:Spoilers

Protagonist Peter Parker is an intellectually precocious but socially inept teenager, too shy to approach Mary Jane Watson (M.J.), the girl next-door with whom he is smitten. His only friend is Harry Osborn, and even their friendship is tainted with jealousy by the fact that Harry's successful industrialist and scientist father, Norman Osborn, favors the brilliant Peter over Harry himself. The orphaned Parker lives in New York City, in the Forest Hills neighborhood of the borough of Queens with his loving and elderly Aunt May and Uncle Ben.

On a student tour of a college's genetics laboratory (with exterior scenes shot at New York City's Columbia University), an experimental spider bioengineered with various enhanced traits (i.e. jumping, webbing and reflexes) bites Peter. The venom causes Peter to fall ill and he barely arrives home before collapsing into bed. After a difficult night's sleep as the venom alters his genetic makeup, he wakes up seemingly unharmed. However, Peter finds that his body has changed dramatically. Over the course of an amazing first day, Peter discovers he has acquired perfect vision and muscle tone, that he has enhanced strength and agility, the ability to fire strands of strong webbing from his wrists, a "spider-sense" that gives him a psychic warning of danger, and the ability to extend a mass of minute barbs from his skin allowing him to adhere to surfaces. While he glories in these new abilities, which allow him to fend off bullies like Eugene "Flash" Thompson and jump from rooftop to rooftop with ease, Aunt May and Uncle Ben become concerned for their nephew's new strange and secretive behavior.

On what Uncle Ben thinks is a trip to the library, he confronts Peter about it and stresses to him that with maturity and power come great responsibility. Peter snaps at him and secretly heads off to his true destination, a sports arena promising a $3,000 prize to anyone who can last three minutes in the ring with wrestler Bonesaw McGraw (Randy Savage). Peter intends to use the earnings to buy a car and impress Mary Jane. With some difficulty, Peter defeats the wrestler and is cheered as the "amazing Spider-Man." However, Peter is cheated by the fight promoter and, in retaliation, does not stop a criminal who steals the gate money.

Walking to the library with some satisfaction, he finds that his uncle has been shot. As Ben dies in front of him, Peter hears that a carjacker is accused of the crime. Quickly donning his simplistic costume, Peter runs off pursue the carjacker, webslinging for the first time. When he finally finds and confronts the carjacker in an abandoned warehouse, he learns to his horror that the man is the same criminal he could have stopped earlier. During their altercation, Peter easily maintains the upperhand until the terrified carjacker accidentally falls out of a window to his death. After fleeing the scene, Peter sits on a rooftop, wracked with guilt and grief over the death of his uncle.

Months later, after graduation from high school, Peter decides to live up to his uncle's words, "with great power, comes great responsibility," by becoming a superhero fighting crime all over the city. He eventually learns a way to make it pay by supplying photographs of his alter-ego to the curmudgeonly Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson, who has a continual need for Spider-Man photos though he villifies the vigilante in his paper.

Norman Osborn experiences his own dramatic transformation. To save his company from losing a vital military contract from General Slocum, he subjects himself to a dangerous test of an experimental treatment. It increases his strength and intelligence, but also drives him insane, creating a new, malevolent personality murdering anyone standing in his way. Using his company's prototype armor — a personal flight device called a glider and a green facemask from his collection — Norman lashes out as a figure later dubbed "the Green Goblin".

After killing Dr. Mendel Stromm and attacking OsCorp's rivals Quest Aerospace, killing General Slocum, the Goblin makes his first public appearance at the World Unity Festival held in Times Square where Oscorp board executives are viewing the festival on a balcony. Harry and Mary Jane are also present when the Goblin collapses the balcony by using a pumpkin bomb. MJ is caught up in the mayhem when the balcony begins to break away, dragging her with it. Spider-Man shows up, chases away the Goblin and rescues MJ.

While Peter mourns the fact that he seems to have lost MJ to Harry, the Goblin tempts him, after abducting him as Spider-Man, to join with him against an ungrateful world that hates him. Spider-Man refuses and the insulted Goblin vows revenge. On Thanksgiving, in a later confrontation, the Green Goblin cuts Spider-Man on the wrist. When Harry, MJ, Aunt May, Peter and Norman all gather for Thanksgiving dinner, Norman notices the cut on Peter's wrist and deduces that Peter is Spider-Man. He then begins to strike at Peter's loved ones — first attacking Aunt May, who ends up hospitalized, and next Mary Jane. Later, Harry discovers that Mary Jane has fallen for Peter, and grows bitter.

In a climax on the Queensboro Bridge, the Goblin tells Spider-Man to choose whether to save the kidnapped MJ or a tram car full of children. Spider-Man, with some help from New York City by-standers, manages to save both. The Goblin, enraged at being thwarted, drags Spider-Man to an abandoned building on Roosevelt Island, below the bridge.

The Goblin engages in a ferocious duel with Spider-Man in brutal hand-to-hand combat, with Spider-Man losing badly, initially. The Goblin nearly destroys Spider-Man, but at the moment where Spider-Man is about to be killed, the Goblin commits the fatal mistake of threatening to kill Mary Jane. This enrages Spider-Man enough to summon the strength to retaliate, mercilessly pounding the Green Goblin into defeat. Peter relents from striking the killing blow however, as he sees Norman's personality regain control and pleads him to stop his attack and help him regain his sanity. Yet the Goblin's personality, manipulating Norman subconsciously, sets a sneak attack on Spider-Man, using the Goblin-glider's remote control. Warned by his Spider-Sense, Peter barely avoids the charging glider hurtling in to spear him in the back. When he dodges, it fatally impales Norman, killing him quickly by internally bleeding him in the thighs but giving him enough time to beg Peter not to tell Harry the truth.

Peter honors Norman's request and doesn't tell Harry the truth about his father. Harry swears vengeance against Spider-Man when he sees him with his father's body. During Norman's funeral, Mary Jane confesses to Peter that she loves him, but Peter, who isn't quite sure what is in his future, tells her he can't be more than friends. Template:Endspoilers

Production

Originally, Carolco Pictures was to distribute the movie but went bankrupt before it could secure the rights.

After the terrorist attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, Sony recalled teaser posters which showed a close-up of Spider-Man's face with the New York skyline (including, prominently, the World Trade Center towers) reflected in his eyes. Not all the posters were recovered, however, and the ones still at large are now highly prized collector's items. The movie's original trailer, released in 2001, featured a group of bank robbers on their getaway in a helicopter, which Spider-Man catches in a giant spider-web between the two towers of the World Trade Center. The trailer was pulled after the events of September 11, 2001 attacks and can be found on the internet. In addition, the movie was originally supposed to include a shot of Peter walking by the World Trade Center, but this was cut out because the crew didn't get a chance to film it.

Several Spider-Man costumes were created at a cost of up to $100,000 each. Four were stolen from the set in early April 2001 and Columbia Pictures posted a $25,000 reward for their return. The costumes were not returned.

The genetically modified spider that bit Peter Parker was not a black widow spider but a Steatoda grossa spider, which was chosen by Steven R. Kutcher. While the spider was anesthetized, Jens Schnabel painted it red and blue in order to give the impression that its colors had inspired Peter's costume design. The jumping spider that Peter attempts to take a picture of is an Avondale spider, the same type used in the film Arachnophobia.

Cast

• Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man: Peter Parker is a high school kid, who, on a class field trip, gets bitten by a genetically modified spider. The bite gives him the abilities of a spider and he uses them to become Spider-Man.
• Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin: Norman Osborn is the CEO of Oscorp; while testing a strength enhancer, goes insane and becomes the Green Goblin.
• Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson: Mary Jane Watson is the girl next door that Peter has a crush on.
• James Franco as Harry Osborn: Harry Osborn is the son of Norman Osborn and best friend to Peter Parker.
• Cliff Robertson as Ben Parker: Ben Parker is the husband to May Parker and uncle of Peter Parker. He is killed during a struggle with a carjacker. Peter lives by his Uncle's words of wisdom, "With great power comes great responsibility."
• Rosemary Harris as May Parker: May Parker is the aunt of Peter Parker and the widow of Ben Parker.
• J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson: J. Jonah Jameson is the chief editor of the Daily Bugle. He carries a personal vendetta against Spider-Man who he considers a criminal.
• Joe Manganiello as Flash Thompson: Flash Thompson is the boyfriend of Mary Jane. He likes to bully Peter around.
• Gerry Becker as Max Fargas: Max Fargas is a scientist for Oscorp. He is killed by Norman Osborn after giving the strengh enhancer to him.
• Bill Nunn as Joseph "Robbie" Robertson: "Robbie" Robertson is an employee of the Daily Bugle, and friend to many of his coworkers. He believes in Spider-Man despite his boss's resentments about the vigilante superhero.
• Elizabeth Banks as Betty Brant: Betty Brant is the secretary to J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle.
• Stanley Anderson as General Slocum: General Slocum plans to take away Oscorp's government contracts, and succeeds. He is later killed by Norman Osborn upon his Goblin transformation.
• Ted Raimi as Hoffman: Hoffman is an employee of the Daily Bugle who is frequently harassed by his boss J. Jonah Jameson.
• Bruce Campbell as Ring Announcer: Gives Spider-Man his name.
• Randy Savage as Bonesaw McGraw: Wrestler that Spider-Man defeats for prize money.
• Michael Papajohn as Carjacker: Robs the wrestling manager that stiffs Peter, and later is the suspect in the murder of Ben Parker.

Critical reaction

Some comic-book fans aired complaints about the change made to Spider-Man's webs. In the comic books, Peter Parker invents a mechanical web-shooting device, while in the movie he produces his webbing naturally. Sam Raimi explained that "the only thing I could not relate to with Peter was him being a genius". Raimi further went on to point out it was easier and more natural for Parker to 'evolve' the webbing, rather than a kid designing something 3M and other synthetic designers have not managed or created since the birth of plastic.

The film was a hit, grossing US$403,706,375 in its theatrical run in North America, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year, and the first to deny a Star Wars film (Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones) from being number one for a calendar year. It is the seventh highest grossing film of all time. Its $114,844,116 opening weekend set a record, and the movie became the first to earn more than $100 million in a weekend. It had an equally successful home-video release. Maguire, previously known as a character actor, became a major star.

According to court documents, Marvel Comics tried to use "Hollywood accounting" to deprive Stan Lee of due royalties from the films, claiming the film's "earnings" were not profits. Lee successfully sued in 2002.

The most famous scene in the film and one which immediately entered popular culture is the 'upside down kiss' scene where Spider-Man, after saving Mary Jane from a gang of thugs, has a romantic kiss in the rain with her as he hangs upside down from the wall. This iconic image had been utilized in the comics for many years without generating the same kind of response.

Popular culture references

Relationship to comics

The sketches Peter Parker does of his costume in the movie were actually done by Phil Jimenez, a sequential artist with a long career working for both Marvel and DC Comics. One of the designs is actually Stingray, another Marvel character.

When Jameson's subordinates are trying to tell him about Spider-Man, one of them says, "Eddie's been trying to get a picture of him for weeks." This is apparently a reference to Eddie Brock, who in the comics is a reporter for a rival newspaper to Peter Parker and ultimately, after his pulitzer-prize winning story is denounced as lies, becomes Venom. Eddie wasn't seen in the movie, but will be played by Topher Grace in the third.

The climax of the film is loosely based on The Amazing Spider-Man #121-122, in which the Goblin kidnaps girlfriend Gwen Stacy and suspends her over a bridge. Gwen is killed by the fall and the Goblin is later impaled by his own glider. The main differences in the movie is that the damsel in distress is Mary Jane and she survives (and that Peter caught her with a strand of webbing in the comics).

An arc of Ultimate Spider-Man, called "Hollywood", was inspired by the sequel of this movie.

References in other films

When trying to shoot web from a building top Peter says "Up up and away web" a reference to Superman. Peter also says "Shazam" a reference to Captain Marvel. Directly afterwards when swinging Peter says "Tally ho!" This is the same line used in Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness, when Ash (Bruce Campbell) swings on a rope during a fight sequence in the battle at the castle, which is itself a reference to Errol Flynn's swashbuckling roles.

Director Sam Raimi's 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, also known as The Classic, appears in the movie as Uncle Ben's car. This car has appeared in all Raimi's films, even disguised as a wagon in his Western film The Quick and the Dead.

When the Goblin attacks at the World Unity Festival, Peter Parker runs down the street ripping his shirt to reveal his Spider-suit underneath as a homage to Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie. This shot is also used in the film's sequel Spider-Man 2.

The smoke in the lab during Norman Osborn's transformation scene was originally white but was then digitally altered to green. Director Raimi wanted to use real green smoke, but went with the CG effect when prop designers could not create a colored smoke that was non-toxic.

An actor was originally hired to portray Eddie Brock and did an entire scene involving Peter coming into the Daily Bugle. This was removed however, most likely because Sony planned to portray Eddie in future movies with an actor who would be set in stone.

Dr. Virgil Swan's Home/Mansion in the TV show Smallville is Norman Osborn's Home/Mansion in this film.

Music

Original Score

The film's original score was composed by Danny Elfman. The score combines traditional orchestration, ethnic percussion and electronic elements. A CD release of the score came out on Sony's label.

1. Main Title
2. Transformations
3. Costume Montage
4. Revenge
5. First Web
6. Something's Different
7. City Montage
8. Alone
9. Parade Attack
10. Specter Of The Goblin
11. Revelation
12. Getting Through
13. Final Confrontation
14. Farewell
15. End Credits

Original Soundtrack

A CD containing several songs was also released.

1. "Theme From Spider Man"
2. "Hero" - Chad Kroeger (feat. Josey Scott)
3. "What We're All About" - Sum 41
4. "Learn To Crawl" - Black Lab
5. "Somebody Else" - Bleu
6. "Bug Bites" - Alien Ant Farm
7. "Blind" - Default
8. "Bother" - Corey Taylor
9. "Shelter" - Greenwheel
10. "When It Started" - The Strokes
11. "Hate To Say I Told You So" - The Hives
12. "Invisible Man" - Theory of a Deadman
13. "Undercover" - Pete Yorn
14. "My Nutmeg Phantasy" - Macy Gray (feat. Angie Stone and Mos Def)
15. "I - IV - V" - Injected
16. "She Was My Girl" - Jerry Cantrell
17. "Main Titles" - Danny Elfman
18. "Farewell" - Danny Elfman
19. "Theme from Spiderman" - Aerosmith

As a tribute to film, "Weird Al" Yankovic's album Poodle Hat contains the song "Ode to a Superhero"; in which he takes the plot of this film but recites it to the tune of Billy Joel's "Piano Man".

References

1. http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/records/index.html#weekend
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/2458083.stm
3. "Danny Elfman's Original Motion Picture Score". Sony. 2002-06-04. Retrieved 2006-11-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. "Music From and Inspired By". Sony. 2002-04-30. Retrieved 2006-11-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Spider-Man on Marvel.com
• Spider-Man Movie Network
• Spider-Man at IMDb
• Spider-Man director Sam Raimi interview
• Spider-Man movies
• Movie Tour Guide.com - Maps and directions to Spider-man Filming Locations
• Original trailer (pre-September 11)
• Complete list of actors who turned down roles in Spider-Man

Template:Sony Imageworks Films

• 2002 films
• Films directed by Sam Raimi
• American films
• English-language films
• Spider-Man films
• Hugo Award Nominee for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form