"Do what you need to with it, then broom it fast!"

Rating: 7/10 (22 January 2020)

Though groundbreaking in 2002, a modern retrospective analysis of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" reveals some cringe inducing stuff. All the high school scenes feel like a corny made-for-television teen drama show, like it's from MTV or something, and the adult ages of the cast are clearly not teenagers to the point it's near laughable. Also, there's a lot of dialogue bits and quips that feel juvenilely written all throughout this movie, but for notable example, there's a scene where Peter Parker tries various dumb verbal cues and hand positions to shoot his wrist webbing in different takes; it just seems like cheap audience laughter tactics (also to mention with that, contradictory to that scene, Peter had used the iconic Spider-Man finger positioning to shoot out a web strand at a cafeteria tray in a previous scene; how'd he know to conveniently do that with his hand earlier then?).
To the movie's merit though, the greatest and most memorable strengths for me are J. K. Simmons and Willem Dafoe's performances as J. Jonah Jameson and Green Goblin respectively. Simmons' performance is an impeccable incarnation of the comic book counterpart as if the obnoxious Jameson was conjured to life off the Lee-Ditko pages. As for Dafoe, his raspy cadence and cackles make him equally an impeccable incarnation of the comic book character. The only slight downside of this movie's Green Goblin for me though, being an avid comics fan and reader, is the disappointing design of the suit. It's generic and uncreative in comparison to far better comic book versions they could've adapted elements from.
To conclude this, the movie's a product of its era; superhero movies didn't have the same sensibilities and respect as they have now, and that must be kept in mind. But despite that, 2002's "Spider-Man" is still an enjoyable experience, just with the right dulled mindset. But if it were released today, I'm sure it wouldn't be the critical success it was; there's noticeable cracks in its glass.