Spider-Man Review

Spider-Man

Release Date: 6th June 2002 - Australia

Production Companies

Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)
Marvel Enterprises
Laura Ziskin Productions

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 121 minutes


Budget: $140,000,000

Box Office Gross: $825,025,036 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Peter Parker is an ordinary teenager who, on a high school field trip, gets accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider and discovers his superhuman abilities. When his uncle gets killed during a robbery, young Peter learns that "with great power comes great responsibility" and vows to avenge his death by using his powers for good. Becoming the extraordinary vigilante he deems himself "Spider-Man", he begins to rid the crime in all the streets before entering into a conflict with a dangerous supervillain known as the "Green Goblin".

Cast

Tobey Maguire - Peter
Parker/Spider-Man

Willem Dafoe - Norman
Osborn/Green Goblin

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 Fargus

Bill Nunn - Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson
Jack Betts - Henry Balkan

Michael Papajohn - Carjacker
Elizabeth Banks - Betty Brant
Ron Perkins - Dr. Stromm
Stanley Anderson - General
Slocum

Randy Savage - Bonesaw
McGraw

K.K. Dodds - Simkins
Ted Raimi - Hoffman

John Paxton - Houseman

Tim DeZarn - Phillip Watson

Taylor Gilbert - Madeline Watson
Bruce Campbell - Ring Announcer (Cameo)
Lucy Lawless - Punk Rock Girl (Cameo)
Jim Norton - Surly Truck Driver (Cameo)
Stan Lee - Man in Fair (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew
Director - Sam Raimi
Based on the Marvel Comic

Book/Executive Producer/
Consultant - Stan Lee
Based on the Marvel Comic Book - Steve Ditko

Screenplay - David Koepp

Associate Producer/Production Manager - Steven P. Saeta
Executive Producer - Avi Arad

Producers - Ian Bryce and Laura Ziskin

Co-Producer - Grant Curtis

Casting Directors - Francine Maisler

and Lynn Kressell

Spider Wrangler - Steven R. Kutcher (Uncredited)

Production Designer - Neil Spisak

Conceptual Artists - James Carson

and Warren Manser

Illustrators - Wil Rees, Harald Belker

and Jim Martin
Supervising Art Director - Steve Arnold
Art Directors - Tony Fanning
and Stella Vaccaro

Art Director: New York Unit - Scott P. Murphy

Assistant Art Directors - François Audouy

and Lori Rowbotham
Set Decorator - Karen O'Hara

Set Decorator: New York Unit - DebraSchutt

Property Master - Robin L. Miller

Costume Designer - James Acheson

Additional Suit and Mask Design - Alec Gillis

and Tom Woodruff Jr.

Director of Photography - Don Burgess

Second Unit Director of Photography -

Christopher Faloona

Production Coordinator - Candice D. Campos

First Assistant Director - Eric Heffron

Second Assistant Director - Michael J. Moore

Second Second Assistant Director - Jeff Shiffman

Second Assistant Director: Second Unit -

Nick Satriano

Second Unit Directors - Doug Lefler
and Jeffrey Lynch
Second Unit Director (Uncredited)/Stunt

Coordinator - Jeff Habberstad

Location Manager: New York Unit - John Fedynich

Special Effects Supervisor - John Fraizer

Project Coordinator: Amalgamated Dynamics,

Inc. - Yuri Everson

Mold Department Supervisor: Amalgamated

Dynamics, Inc. - Steve Frakes

Mechanical Supervisor: Amalgamated Dynamics,

Inc. - David Penikas

Visual Effects Designer - John Dykstra

Visual Effects Supervisor - Scott Stokdyk
Visual Effects Supervisor: SPI - Karen E. Goulekas

Visual Effects Supervisor: Digiscope -

Brad Kuehn

Visual Effects Supervisor: Pixel Magic -

Ray McIntyre Jr.

Senior Visual Effects Producer - Lydia Bottegoni

Visual Effects Executive Producer: SPI -

Jenny Fulle

Visual Effects Editor: SPI - Kevin J. Jolly

Digital Effects Supervisor: Digiscope - Dion Hatch

Digital Effects Producer: SPI - Carey Smith

Digital Production Manager: SPI - Chris Juen

Senior Concept Designer: SPI - Martin A. Kline

Conceptual Artists: SPI - Michael Scheffe

and John Bevelheimer

CG Character Animation Supervisor: SPI -

Anthony LaMolinara

CG Supervisors: SPI - Daniel Eaton,

Kee-Suk 'Ken' Hahn and Peter Nofz

Effects Animation Leads: SPI - Theo Vandernoot

and Daniel Kramer

CG Character Animation Leads: SPI -

Spencer Cook and Bill Diaz

Motion Control Supervisor: SPI - Gregory Nic Nicholson

Editors - Arthur Coburn and Bob Murawski

Assistant Editors - Jody Fedele, Paul Hart

and A. Michelle Page

Sound Design and Supervision - Susan Dudeck

and Stephen Hunter Flick

Sound Designers - Steven Ticknor,

Martin Lopez and Charles Maynes

Re-Recording Mixers - Kevin O'Connell

and Greg P. Russell

Foley Artists - Gary A. Hecker and

Matthew Dettman

Sound Mixer - Ed Novick

Music - Danny Elfman


Awards

2003 Academy Awards
Best Sound - Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell
and Ed Novick (Nominated)
Best Visual Effects - John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk,
Anthony LaMolinara and John Fraizer (Nominated)

Review

While the 2000 X-Men film was the catalyst for a new wave of comic book movies, Sam Raimi continued the craze with his Spider-Man trilogy. Extremely faithful to the Marvel comic book series, the 2002 adaptation of SPIDER-MAN may seem like a great superhero movie to my standards. It's good but flawed. However, the film appealed to comic book fans and was sometimes heartwarming and funny. It does a great job of balancing between fun action and character growth. While Tobey Maguire was a good pick for Spider-Man, he didn't do a standout performance. Willem Dafoe did a terrific performance as the Green Goblin that chills viewers in their spines. The effects were dated, and this is a noticeable disadvantage for a movie that relies heavily on good-quality CGI and special effects. The score by Danny Elfman is spectacular and captures the film's mood.

SPIDER-MAN was an action-packed, entertaining start of a trilogy and is worth adding to your collection. I look forward to seeing the reboot of The Amazing Spider-Man, which I will be reviewing and have high hopes for this film.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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