On September 26, Sam Raimi’s groundbreaking Spider-Man trilogy will be re-released in theaters, bringing these iconic blockbusters back into the spotlight. These three films will be screened across two weekends in late September and early October, with an extended 4K cut of Spider-Man 2.1 being shown in theaters for the first time.
This cinematic event will allow fans to return to the movies that helped set the stage for superhero blockbusters to dominate cinemas in the 21st century. But how have they held up today?
Most modern comic book movies are difficult to distinguish from one another without any visual or narrative quirks. However, like Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy and James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy films, Raimi’s Spider-Man movies stood out due to the director’s distinctive cinematic and narrative style. These Spider-Man films weren’t just more Marvel fare; they truly looked and felt like Raimi’s movies.
Since the Spider-Man trilogy, the superhero genre has evolved, which means not every aspect of Raimi’s Spider-Man movies has aged well. However, even after Sony released multiple films centered around Andrew Garfield, Tom Holland, and Shameik Moore’s Spider-Men, Raimi’s movies still hold up, setting themselves apart from many other comic book adaptations.
Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man is still top-tier
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Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man remains one of the most beloved interpretations of the character in media. Many audiences grew up watching Maguire’s Peter Parker on the big screen, so his performance remains highly regarded by fans. Putting nostalgia aside, Maguire succeeded in playing Peter Parker as the endearing, kind-hearted wallflower seen in the comics.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is arguably the superior version of the character in cinema, given how well he balanced Peter Parker’s youthful but awkward energy with Spider-Man’s wisecracking, quip-throwing persona. Raimi’s Spider-Man films infuse Peter’s stories with a great deal of heart, bringing genuine humanity to his superhero saga. Peter truly seemed like an ordinary guy struggling to juggle his responsibilities with school, work, family, friends, and crime-fighting.
Spider-Man 2 shines especially bright in this regard. As Peter lost his powers due to his subconscious desire to live a normal life, the film showed how human he really is. The montage of Peter getting his life back on track, set to Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, is one of the most endearing and relatable sequences ever seen in a superhero movie. As Peter sacrifices his dream for the greater good, audiences are reminded why Spider-Man is such a fantastic hero.
A mixed bag of supporting characters
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The Spider-Man trilogy has a rich cast of iconic characters from the comics. Kirsten Dunst delivered a terrific performance as Mary Jane, her love interest, and her chemistry with Maguire was spectacular. Yet Mary Jane seemed relegated to a damsel in distress for Peter to rescue from the villains in all three films. Many of the trilogy’s female characters are screaming their heads off at the sight of whatever supervillain is rampaging through the city.
As for Harry Osborn, James Franco’s clunky acting occasionally soured the character. However, Harry’s journey from Peter’s friend to his bitter adversary tied the trilogy together with compelling drama, reaching a heartbreaking climax in the franchise’s third film.
Meanwhile, J.K. Simmons knocked it out of the park playing the Daily Bugle’s leader, J. Jonah Jameson, with his quick wit and rapid-fire delivery. After such an iconic performance, it’s difficult to envision anyone portraying the character. It’s no wonder that Simmons was hired to reprise his role in the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series and in the MCU’s Spider-Man movies.
Many of the villains are diabolically great
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Most of the villains in Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy ranked highly among the best comic book antagonists to grace the screen. In particular, Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Sandman were so iconic that they were brought back to fight the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s web-slinger in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Willem Dafoe portrayed the Goblin as such a delightfully wicked and fearsome adversary to Spider-Man. Despite being hidden behind a Power Rangers-esque costume, Dafoe invoked plenty of fear with his iconic cackle and destructive personality. Even after his death in Spider-Man, the Goblin’s impact can still be felt throughout Raimi’s trilogy, particularly through his son, Harry.
Meanwhile, Alfred Molina played such a beautifully tragic villain in Doc Ock, who lost his wife and career to a tragic lab accident, all while his AI tentacles had taken control of his mind. Thomas Haden Church brought just as much pathos to the role of Sandman. In contrast to the trilogy’s other villains, Sandman was portrayed as a desperate yet misunderstood thief trying to provide for his daughter, rather than a purely evil figure.
Spider-Man 3 still had a serious villain problem, in that there were too many to handle. The Venom symbiote was shoehorned into the story as a meteorite flies in out of nowhere carrying the alien ooze. The Venom plotline clashes with the more grounded storylines in the movie involving Harry, Sandman, and Eddie Brock. Ultimately, the movie didn’t spend enough time fleshing its villains.
Raimi can be forgiven for this, as producer Avi Arad reportedly insisted that he include the fan-favorite Venom in the film. However, as shown in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game, the film arguably could’ve worked better had Harry become Venom instead of Eddie Brock, who wasn’t as menacing or compelling as the trilogy’s other villains.
The campy tone worked for the most part
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As displayed in James Gunn’s Superman, campy superhero movies can still succeed in modern cinema when executed right. The campiness of the Spider-Man films was a product of their time, as Hollywood was still learning how to take superhero movies seriously. At the same time, the trilogy’s camp is also a significant part of Raimi’s distinctive storytelling style, as evident in his Evil Dead films.
Several campy moments did, however, go over the top due to some hammy dialogue and performances. In Spider-Man 3, there are multiple cringeworthy moments when Peter is meant to show off his dark side. These scenes are hard to take seriously.
While the film portrayed him as an aggressive, insufferable jerk, it also showed him breaking out some goofy dance moves and firing finger guns at women. This gave rise to the infamous “Emo Peter” meme, which was hilariously spoofed in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Despite this, the trilogy strikes a balance between camp and some profoundly heartfelt scenes. Such moments include Peter’s romantic monologue to MJ in the first film, his imaginary conversation with Uncle Ben in Spider-Man 2, and the subway passengers helping him during his fight with Doc Ock.
The action and visuals got better over time
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Since Raimi’s first Spider-Man film in 2002, some of the visual effects — including Peter leaping over rooftops and bouncing on parade floats to the Goblin’s bombs vaporizing people and turning them into CGI skeletons — do not hold up today. The visuals improved tremendously with the trilogy’s second film, with Peter’s battle against Doc Ock on a moving train being a realistic and detailed spectacle.
Overall, the action in all three movies — from Peter’s brutal final battle against the Green Goblin to his last fight against Harry in Spider-Man 3 — was top-tier. The thrilling spectacle of the duo’s tag-team battle against Sandman and Venom contributed to the trilogy’s successful conclusion.
Like many beloved movies, Raimi’s Spider-Man films had their fair share of pros and cons. Some of the franchise’s characters, campy moments, and visual effects fail in today’s superhero landscape.
However, Raimi’s thrilling and heartfelt saga showcased the superhero genre’s blockbuster potential, setting examples for the many other comic book movies that followed in its footsteps. Now that the trilogy is back in theaters, audiences can see how far superhero cinema has come.
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