MovieChat Forums > Spider-Man (2002) Discussion > How the film holds up after 14 years

How the film holds up after 14 years

posted 9 years ago by antetches18
32 replies | jump to latest

Just watched Spider-Man last night on Blu-Ray. Probably the first time I've seen it in about five years.

I think it stands up fairly well in quite a few ways. The action/fight scenes are still pretty decent and exciting.

There are moments that seem pretty cheesey now compared to modern superhero movies, such as Peter's little speech to Mary Jane in the hospital. But at least it had heart.

Also, looking back at it now the MJ character is pretty much just a damsel in distress and a mechanism for a conflict between Harry and Peter. She manages to nearly get herself killed by Goblin at the parade, she gets attacked by muggers and she gets kidnapped by Goblin at the end. This portrayal of the main female character seems a bit dated to me now.

All in all though, I still enjoyed it. Tobey Maguire will always be Spider-Man to me, just as Sean Connery will always be Bond to a lot of people. Sure, he is goofy, but I think it adds to his everyman charm. Organic webbing seems weird now, but it makes sense in some ways instead of having him make an advanced web shooting device in his bedroom. (At least in this version).

I first saw this as a 12 year old, and it left a big impression on me. I'm glad that I still enjoyed the experience at the age of 25.

[–] dmahnarch 9 years ago

25?!! Wow! You're old!!

[Note; May 3, the date of your post, was my 39th]

[[Now get off my lawn]]

____________________________
Kerbal Space Program:
Failure is not an option. It's a requirement!

[–] hiddling 9 years ago

Saw Spider-Man on TV about a month ago for the first time in years, and wow, it really does still hold up to today. I'd say that Spider-Man 2 is still superior and definitely feels less dated - (you forget that they still use pay phones!) First came out when I was 9, so the first two have a special place for me.

The movie has so much heart and charm that it makes up for those little cheesy moments.

[–] antetches18 9 years ago

Haha yeah I noticed the pay phones and lack of mobiles more in Spider-Man 2 actually. Seems so strange today to have to go to a payphone just to call someone!

[–] hiddling 9 years ago

Yeah, IDK I guess it was because, for me, I got so immersed in the story and the environment that the pay phones didn't even bother me. It wasn't until I was reflecting on it later that I was like - 'omg! That's right - they used pay phones still'.

[–] michaelpatryk (5) 3 years ago

But also Peter was dirt poor so probably couldn’t afford a cell phone lol

[–] the-infamia 8 years ago

I have to admit that it didnt realyl hold up the test of time.

CGI was absolutely awful, even when compared to much older movies. Some of the overacting was extremely cringeful, especially when Willem Dafoe has to wear that goofy costume.

Offcostume all main actors are just wonderful and fill their roles perfectly.

Despite all the problems, to me Spider-man is the benchmark of all superhero movies.

[–] Dan_Garten 8 years ago

Cool.

[–] Conan-1982 8 years ago

It does hold up, its the same as when it came out : it sucked then and it still sucks today.

[–] JayTheMagneficent 8 years ago

Haha nevermind the reasoning it "sucked" then and nearly 15 years later you're still saying it "sucked." Wow.

[–] rubenmv 8 years ago

Even if the CGI wasn't good even back then, it's not a big deal, I love Raimi's touch, the pacing is good and the actors are great.

[–] xPhenomenusx 8 years ago

The one thing that doesn't hold up (in my opinion) is the suit. It just looks silly after the far superior newer suits.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ATG6 (3000) 2 years ago

Still the best Spiderman suit.

[–] joker5665jn 8 years ago

The one moment that dated this movie for me on a recent re-watch was Spider-Man's slight to Bonesaw where Spider-Man mockingly asks whether Bonesaw's husband made his costume for him. I have a hard time imagining that type of sentiment making into the final cut of a current superhero movie.