Spider-Man (2002)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers (WGA):

Stan Lee (Marvel comic book) and
Steve Ditko (Marvel comic book) ...

Release Date:

3 May 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

With great power comes great responsibility.

Plot:

When bitten by a genetically modified spider, a nerdy, shy, and awkward high school student gains spider-like abilities that he eventually must use to fight evil as a superhero after tragedy befalls his family.

Plot Keywords:

Spider | Superhero | High School | Newspaper | Spider Bite

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 40 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 25

2:30 PM

TNT

Cast

Tobey Maguire	...	Spider-Man / Peter Parker
Willem Dafoe	...	Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
Kirsten Dunst	...	Mary Jane Watson
James Franco	...	Harry Osborn
Cliff Robertson	...	Ben Parker
Rosemary Harris	...	May Parker
J.K. Simmons	...	J. Jonah Jameson
Joe Manganiello	...	Flash Thompson
Gerry Becker	...	Maximilian Fargas
Bill Nunn	...	Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson
Jack Betts	...	Henry Balkan
Stanley Anderson	...	General Slocum
Ron Perkins	...	Dr. Mendell Stromm
Michael Papajohn	...	Carjacker
K.K. Dodds	...	Simkins

Also Known As:

Spider-Man: The Motion Picture (USA) (working title)
Spiderman (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for stylized violence and action.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #37531) | India:U | Italy:T | Malaysia:U | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Austria:10 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Ireland:12 | Mexico:A | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | Taiwan:PG-12 | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2002)

Filming Locations:

4th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The owners of the billboards that surround Times Square attempted to sue Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Marvel Enterprises, and the other companies involved with the production of Spider-Man for "digitally superimposing advertisements for other companies over their billboard space in the film." The suit was thrown out by a federal judge in New York.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the World Unity Festival, Peter Parker/Spiderman saves two people from a falling piece of the balcony with webbing. There is one shot where the camera pans down from the piece to the people, and it appears that they would have been hit right away. However, the time it takes Peter to see them, launch his webbing and pull indicates that the piece was farther up than it appeared. They should have been hit.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Peter Parker: [voiceover] Who am I? You sure you want to know? The story of my life is not for the faint of heart. If somebody said it was a happy little tale... if somebody told you I was just your average ordinary guy, not a care in the world... somebody lied.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Making the Amazing (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hero

What I was hoping for and more.

Usually when there is a big summer movie I am looking forward to, I wait and wait and then the movie comes out and it is a big disappointment. I really looked forward to the American Godzilla movie and by golly it was a huge disappointment. Then I really looked forward to Star Wars episode 1 and although it was not the disappointment Godzilla was, it was still a disappointment. Spider-man however was everything I was hoping it to be. In fact, it has to be considered one of the best comic book adaptations ever. It actually took parts of the comic book and incorporated it into the movie. Unlike most comic book movies where the story doesn't come from any of the comic books. Sure there are some departures such as the organic web shooters, but this is acceptable seeing as how watching Peter Parker learning he has them makes for some humorous scenes. The entire cast did a great job capturing the characters they were playing and there are some great fights as well. This is also a departure from most comic book movies where there is really no good fight at all between the heroes and villains.