Spider-Man (2002) is the perfect example of a Superhero Origin done right!

Rating: 7/10 (21 December 2018)

Spiderman is one of the first CBMs I ever watched, and it was the movie which introduced me to Spiderman. After this movie I started to really like Spiderman. Anyways This Movie has surprisingly aged pretty well. There are some very goofy parts(like the bomb which turns people into skeletons), especially near the beginning, but for the most part this is a pretty solid movie.
I think the beginning of the movie is probably the weakest, but as it progresses it does get much better. In the beginning of the movie we get the origins of both Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and Norman Osborn (Willem Defoe) with both of them being a goofy in their own way. Peter being in a museum where one of 14 genetically modified spiders escapes and bites Peter, and possibly bites other people?! Also the Spider gives peter abs. Also peter doesn't tell anyone about getting bitten by a radioactive spider? I mean you'd probably die. We also get Green Goblin yelling like a madman when he very stupidly tests out the serum on himself. I thought the motivations were told well enough, but it was shown way to quick. The school bits with peter weren't very convincing, they didn't feel like an actual school, and when he figures out his powers it didn't really make sense logically, especially when he's jumping off of Buildings with some very outdated CGI. I do think Norman's descend into insanity was done very well.
Once we get to Peter's relationship with Aunt May(Rosemary Harris), and Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) (which are both great) the movie really picks up and gets much better. The dialogue between Uncle Ben and Peter is really good, and they feel like a family, and when the "with great power comes great responsibility" line is dropped it has a huge impact. The relationship is relatable to people who've lost someone. When Uncle Ben dies because of Peter "revenge" against the Wrestling Promoter, it's handled extremely well. Peter in some way caused his Uncle's death and Peter feels responsible. When Uncle Ben dies it's emotional and you feel the impact and dread it brings peter. He's once again filled with revenge trying to kill his supposed killer. Once again when he "accidentally" cause the killer to die peter realized what he has done, and then it hits him. "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility". Peter now realizes he should use he's powers for good, and thus Spiderman is born! Also he made his own suit somehow...
Peter's Arc in the movie is one of the best parts of this film. Another great relationship is Harry (James Franco) and Norman Osborn. Harry is really good in this movie, Peter and Harry's friendship is established since the beginning and it's done well. There's a great Juxtaposition done with Peter and Uncle Ben's connection, compared to Harry's and Norman's connection. Uncle Ben was always kind and close to Peter while Norman is always cold and distant to Harry. It brews a good rivalry between Harry and Peter when Norman wants a son like Peter. The other character and one of the weaker ones, but still good enough is Mary Jane (Kristen Dunst). She unfortunately is the average Damsel in Distress. They try to give her some more character with having abusive parents, but it's never expanded on. Peter's and Her relations ship is kinda weird, it works better when it was Spiderman and MJ, but Peter feels kinda weird around her.
I think Norman Osborn was a pretty good villain, his motivations make some sense, and he's insane so it's a bit more excusable. Willem Dafoe's performance was very enjoyable, and I think he brought some good character. The only real problem I have with him is the motivations against Spiderman aren't exactly too clear. Despite this I thought he was a pretty solid villain, and the 3rd act with him making Peter choose MJ or children was very good. The ending of Norman accidentally killing himself, and Peter revealing to Harry that he "killed" his father brings more rivalry for the future.

Overall I think this was a very good movie. I do have a few problems, like the beginning of the film. That really brought this movie down for me. Also it's kinda goofy in some areas, but when it's serious it hits. The rest of the movie is really good though, and to me this is the perfect example of a CBM origin movie.
7/10