Spiderman

DVD, Spiderman (2002), film

Some films let you down. You love them, you buy them, you keep them. You watch them. And somehow they aren't as good as when you last watched them. But sometimes a film can live up to itself on repeated viewings and this was rammed home when I watched this film recently. I sat down to watch it having seen it a good few times, and I didn't expect to be as engaged, excited and thrilled as I was, and that's a testament to how good this film is. It reconfirmed itself as my favourite superhero film, and most importantly it brought back the feelings I had when I first saw this at the cinema almost exactly ten years ago - it made me want more. Back then this was the film that revitalised the genre, earning a wad of cash and being a bona fide intelligent blockbuster that was more about the characters than the bangs and crashes (though it has plenty of them as well).

Back in the day I was left to speculate on the stories to come; what villains might be used; how Harry would find out Spiderman's true identity; and whether Mary Jane had really guessed the hero's face as hinted at in the final scene. Though it is the final scene I must comment on it right now as being the summing up of what makes this film for me: the story is all about an everyman who suddenly finds himself coping with amazing new abilities, but it's just as much about a superhuman dealing with bereavement, the battles within, and his own desires. It doesn't end as expected with the hero, having done battle and succeeded, claiming his prize of the girl and happily waltzing off into the sunset. Instead he walks towards camera, leaves blowing desolately across his path, away from sunsets, and away from what he wants for his life because he has learned to accept the responsibility and duty his life seems cut out for. Winning out against evil isn't the straightforward satisfaction it can be in more simplistic films - because of who the villain is, Peter is horrified with the turn of events, and though he wasn't responsible for the death of the Green Goblin, he regrets what happened. He is a true hero.

I love the style used, which is to begin and end the film with Peter talking to the audience as if he's telling a story and now he's ready for the rest of his life, whatever that may bring. It leaves the film feeling complete, and yet sets up the sequel(s) to come, and I only wish they had lived up to this one. 'Spiderman 2,' though some see it as the best of the three, suffers from repeating many of the best things about this film, and the villain isn't quite as engaging as Willem Defoe's perfect portrayal of the Green Goblin. It's good, but it most definitely is more of the same. 'Spiderman 3' was the film that sank the franchise and is the reason for the unnecessary reboot happening this year. A fourth film might have returned to the roots of what made the first two films work, but at least number 3 used the same actors, even if it was a plodding, sluggish action film that was all surface and no depth, bogged down in continuity and over-indulgence in baddies, without remembering to add dimensionality to them.

But enough about what went wrong in the future - that wasn't this film's fault. I love that so much is set up to be played out, even down to the mention of Dr. Connors firing him, though I was disappointed we never got to see the man turn into the Lizard in a future film. What this film has in abundance are little references and subtle moments that keep almost every scene enjoyable and vibrant. The setup for the big entrance of the title character is funny - we've seen Peter designing the suit and all he's actually come up with is a red top with a spider stenciled on, balaclava (which somehow brings out the maximum amount of emotion and naivety in Peter's eyes thanks to the great performance of Tobey Maguire), and blue trousers. Then he's too busy arguing about how the announcer got his name wrong to make the most of his big intro. It's one of the scenes that endears Parker to us - he's not an adult like Batman, Superman and others, he's an inexperienced teenager, but through doing right he manages to wend his way to hero status.

There are things I don't like about the film, but they are few: the CGI holds up well, with only small moments such as his run across rooftops that sometimes don't look like human movements. There's also the strange choice to have the board members disintegrate to skeletons which then crumble after Goblin throws a pumpkin grenade. Maybe they were trying to keep the rating down, but still have a shocking moment so we can see the people destroyed, but it looks very cartoonish. This was actually the first ever film to carry a 12A certificate, presumably allowing them to have a more brutal finale. And it did (and still does, to an extent), have a brutal fight at the end. It's mainly sold through sound with the crunches of fist on face, the smash of body into brickwork, and the anguish of being beaten to a pulp. So-called family films like this get away with a lot of that kind of stuff these days, and with the 12A rating it basically turns the film into a PG in terms of who can see it. I don't mind the violence, and actually it's not gory, just brutally harsh, but it's interesting to see the changes over the years as films try to top the experience of the last to make us wince.

Although there is a final battle, fighting is not what the film's all about. The story may not be incredibly original, even with the subtle twists and choices made in the writing, but it is the characterisation that sells everything so well. It's fascinating that the TV series 'Smallville' and this were made about the same time, because there are a lot of similarities between the two (not least that 'Smallville' creators Miles Millar and Al Gough went on to script 'Spiderman 2'), and they both hit the zeitgeist at around the same point in time. They portray families in similar ways, with the hero adopted by an older couple (okay, the Kents aren't the same age, but they do tend to be a bit more old-fashioned because of their rural life), the Father figure passes on wise advice, ultimately dying, while the villain (or villain to be), sees the attention his friend gets and the happy family life and experiences a bit of jealousy because he's overlooked by his businessman Father who has little time for him, raising him alone with no Mother. They're both also set in the contemporary world and are about the young hero coming to terms with powers he's just discovered. If 'Smallville' had been a film, it would have been 'Spiderman'.

The other side of the film I'm not overly keen on is the face-mashing romantic side, although this is kept to a minimum, and though Peter's gushing sentiments aren't kept in check, he says things in such an honest, simple way that you believe in him and that he believes what he's saying, however awkward he feels. He gains new freedom by wearing a mask, and the fluidity of the character is expertly woven into the visuals: when he's saving MJ, he floats along, gently swinging round buildings, but when he's first motivated to try his powers to the max, thanks to rage at the carjacker who shot Uncle Ben, he haphazardly flings himself from place to place, wildly careering through the streets, almost out of control. Motivation plays a strong part in the film, and because Uncle Ben is shown to be such a likeable guy we feel Peter's pain at the loss. Setting up the family of Peter, Ben and Aunt May is very well done, helping the appeal of the story to reach a broader audience than just teenagers and children. With older characters to appeal to different age groups there's a more rounded experience to be had than in many superhero films.

The third film may have stomped al over the scene of Peter's greatest motivation; Ben's death, but you don't even think about that when watching this film. Like Bruce Wayne, Peter has tragedy to strike home and steer him on course, but unlike Wayne, who lives in a brooding city, Peter's environment is shown to be bright and sunny, and he fully enjoys the exhilaration of his abilities, as you would if you suddenly found you could swing from building to building, leap great distances and sense trouble before it happens. I know some complained at the lack of compliance with the comic, and that Peter should have been seen to invent the web fluid and shooter rather than it being a natural extrapolation of his condition, (I have more trouble accepting his being able to manufacture the Spiderman costume), but I didn't mind that at all, and indeed, it gives us one of the funniest (and coolest), scenes in the film, when he leaves the school canteen, the offending tray flapping along behind, leading to a fight with Flash, the school bully. It falls somewhere between the full visuals of 'The Matrix' where we see each punch, and later films such as Bourne, Bond and Batman, which tend to emphasise being in the action rather than seeing it, to present a happy medium.

I remember seeing the moment Peter senses everything happening in the hallway, and the camera spins round and about, past a fly beating it's wings or someone spitting through a straw, and it was very impressive. But it was done in a style that means it's aged well and still looks good today. That goes for most of the effects, whether it's the Goblin speeding around on his glider, or Spiderman's scurrying up walls: they work well enough and more importantly it's the emotion of the moment that comes across so well. There's a grand sense of scale too, with shots such as the Goblin appearing with an ominous trail of black smoke behind him at the World Unity Fair, the public at first applauding, thinking it part of the show. I have to admit the villain fell into the pitfall of most of his brethren in thinking he could turn Spiderman to his side and use him as a partner, but then the Goblin wasn't terribly sane. It's ironic that he actually saves Spiderman's life, after gassing him - if he'd let him fall he'd have had no further problems!

Another unlikely person to save Spiderman/Parker's life is the Editor of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson (who also spouts some of the best lines of the picture: "I trust my barber!"), in a tour-de-force that I can't imagine ever being bettered. Just as Willem Defoe was born to play Norman Osborn, Jameson was played to perfection. If you think a little harder about his motivation for not giving up Peter, pretending he doesn't know where the Spiderman photos came from when Goblin threatens to kill him, you can probably come to the conclusion that he did it out of stubbornness, and greed that he was desperate for more of those pictures (despite feigning disinterest in them), but even so, he displays remarkable quick-thinking and bravery in standing up to such a powerful opposing force. It's one of those subtleties that can give you latitude to think, proving once again why the film works on so many levels.

Pretty much all the minor characters are as well played and worthwhile additions to the story as the main cast. Aunt May was exceptionally well cast, going through a roller-coaster, from grief at her husband's death, to pride in Peter's achievements, gentle chiding at his inability to tell MJ what he really thinks of her, and terror when she's mercilessly kidnapped by Goblin. It all sets up things really well for scenes such as the Thanksgiving dinner ("I picked up a fruitcake"). We care just as much about the villain because of his quandary and his desire for things to go right, until he chooses the dark path. Even the minor character of Dr. Stromm who opposes Osborn's formula because it's the right thing to do, helps the man later, against his better judgement, guilty at helping to destroy Osborn's dreams, then horror-stricken when he thinks Norman's dead. I didn't entirely buy that Quest Aerospace was able to buy out Oscorp because of the death of it's management, but you sense the guy with the teacup (the one who looks a bit like Stan Lee!), had more to do with it than meets the eye.

Harry, too, does some bad things, stealing Peter's girl (kind of), but also sees Peter as his best friend. His character is very enjoyable to watch, especially when he loses his temper after his Father has destroyed the happy dinner, but still defends him in his anger, against MJ's accusation. He shows himself to be the shallow rich boy he doesn't want to be seen as, trying to win favour by offering to buy her things after she's become enamoured with Spiderman. MJ herself works really well, though she's not quite the fiery character of the comics (or cartoon series that I used to watch), she certainly fights back against the thugs who attack her, but shows vulnerability when she doesn't want Peter to see how badly her dream is going. Their friendship grows believably and is a pleasure to watch, as are all the interactions between the various characters. I think there was one moment in the second half when things felt like they needed to get moving, but I soon forgot it as rarely a scene went by when there wasn't a witty line, a deep connection or a little in-joke to enjoy. It really is a pleasure from start to finish.

The look of the film is one thing, and keeps the scale large when it needs to be, or more intimate, such as the tiny house of the Parkers, but sound plays an important role too: the music of Danny Elfman was, for the most part, perfectly suited. The only part that didn't work as well for me was that the opening credit's music was a bit 'generic action hero,' not giving the film a strong enough identity in its theme. This was resolved by the end with a superb, heroic, epic score that brings to life the hero's struggle and decision, which, now that I think about it, makes perfect sense: Peter didn't have the identity at first, until he gains it through the film, so although that may not have been the aim, it suits the film down to the red stocking boots! The 'Hero' song of the closing credits, written for the film, was a good way to go out, summing up the theme of the story.

Other things that worked well were the coming together of the city, the people throwing things at Goblin to try and assist Spidey, though I'd have thought they were just as likely to hit their hero or the cable car of children (and the sequel cleverly played against this same kind of scene). It may have been put in as a response to the terrorist attacks that destroyed the Twin towers a few months before the film came out (I believe there was a whole sequence set around the towers, or at least, with Spiderman climbing up them, which was cut out in respect), but it's a nice moment of solidarity where good people stand up to be counted. I also like that the film neatly trims the time Parker takes to become a well-known hero with the montage that is as fun as it is functional in moving the character forward. The best thing about the film is that it has so many moments of joy, and so it remains enjoyable throughout. The hero and villain are strong, the Goblin's mask is almost irrelevant thanks to Defoe's chilling performance in scenes without it, such as the incredible mirror conversation. That also shows that the masks are really only there to separate the hero and villain from the general public, and of course we are let in on their secret world. It also adds tension as the identities are revealed to each other.

The integrity of the film, the important morals the characters display: to duty, putting others first, deferring your own desires, taking responsibility - these are all powerful themes that are well handled. Everything is knitted together neatly and impressively, and apart from going through and pointing out the many great moments, all I can do is urge you to watch it again and rediscover something special.

****