21 January 2011

JR Late Night Movie Review: Spiderman

JR LATE NIGHT MOVIE REVIEW OF THE WEEK:
SPIDERMAN (2002)
JR's Movie Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆


LIST OF BLOG CONTENTS
 COMING UP

SPIDERMAN
Box Office Records

U.S. Domestic Total Gross: $403,706,375
Philippine Domestic Total Gross: $3,226,365
Worldwide Total Gross: $821,708,551

TOP 10 ALL TIME DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE HIT
TOP 41 ALL TIME NON-DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE HIT
TOP 27 ALL TIME WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE HIT

2nd HIGHEST GROSSING COMIC BOOK ADAPTATION FILM
2nd HIGHEST GROSSING SUPERHERO FILM

HIGHEST GROSSING SPIDER-MAN FILM OF ALL TIME
HIGHEST GROSSING MARVEL COMICS FILM OF ALL TIME

TOP 1 HIGHEST DOMESTIC GROSSING FILM OF 2002
TOP 1 Highest Grossing Film OPENING WEEKENDS - 2002
TOP 3 Highest Grossing Film WORLDWIDE GROSSING FILM OF 2002
TOP 10 Highest Grossing Film OPENING WEEKS
TOP 8 SINGLE DAY SATURDAY GROSS
TOP 6 ALL TIME THEATER AVERAGES (Wide Releases)
TOP 6 WIDE OPENING WEEKENDS THEATER AVERAGES
TOP 2 Highest Grossing Film SUMMER STARTER
TOP 9  Highest Grossing Film OPENING WEEKENDS
TOP 4  Highest Grossing Film OPENING WEEKENDS - MAY
TOP 6  Highest Grossing Film OPENING WEEKENDS - SUMMER
TOP 9 10-DAY GROSSES
TOP 4 Highest Grossing Film SECOND WEEKENDS
TOP 2 Highest Grossing Film THIRD WEEKENDS
TOP 3 Highest Grossing Film FOURTH WEEKENDS
TOP 9 Highest Grossing Film FIFTH WEEKENDS

TOP 5 HIGHEST GROSSING RATED PG-13 FILM
TOP 5 HIGHEST GROSSING RATED PG-13, OPENING WEEKENDS

TOP 49 WIDEST RELEASES
TOP 102 WIDEST OPENING RELEASES

12TH MOVIE FASTEST TO REACH $200,000,000
10TH MOVIE FASTEST TO REACH $250,000,000
9TH MOVIE FASTEST TO REACH $300,000,000
7TH MOVIE FASTEST TO REACH $350,000,000
7TH MOVIE FASTEST TO REACH $400,000,000



MOVIE DETAILS

Name of the Film: SPIDER-MAN
Date of Theater Release: 03 May 2002
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (Marvel comic book), David Koepp (screenplay)
Distributor: Sony / Columbia
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13
Running Time: 2 hours 1 minutes
Production Budget: $139 million
Official Movie Website: http://www.spiderman.sonypictures.com/
Movie Tagline: "This is my gift. It is my curse."

PLOT
"When bitten by a genetically modified spider, a nerdy, shy, and awkward high school student gains spider-like abilities that he eventually must use to fight evil as a superhero after tragedy befalls his family."
Slipping into unconsciousness after being accidentally bitten by a genetically altered spider, Peter Parker wakes a changed man. His vision is perfect and senses sharpened. His once scrawny body is capable of incredible feats of strength and his hands mysteriously adhere to everything like super-glue. Thus begins to unravel a tale of the how a solitary teenage nerd Peter Parker came to be the amazing "Spider-Man". And like any good story about "pain and sorrow, longing and heartache, anger and betrayal." It all begins with a girl... (Source: DVD Narrative of Spider-Man)

Sources: 
1. Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/)
2. Box Office Mojo (http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=spiderman.htm)


ACTORS

1. TOBEY MAGUIRE (portrayed Spider-Man / Peter Parker)

2. WILLEM DAFOE (portrayed Green Goblin / Norman Osborne)

3. KIRSTEN DUNST (portrayed Mary Jane Watson)

4. JAMES FRANCO (portrayed Harry Osborn)

MOST NOTABLE CAST OVERVIEW:
1. Tobey Maguire (portrayed Spider-Man / Peter Parker)
2. Willem Dafoe (portrayed Green Goblin / Norman Osborn)
3. Kirsten Dunst (portrayed Mary Jane Watson)
4. James Franco (portrayed Harry Osborn)
5. Cliff Robertson (portrayed Ben Parker)
6. Rosemary Harris (portrayed May Parker)
7. J.K. Simmons (portrayed J. Jonah Jameson)
8. Joe Manganiello (portrayed Flash Thompson)
9. Gerry Becker (portrayed Maximilian Fargas)
10. Bill Nunn (portrayed Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson)
11. Jack Betts (portrayed Henry Balkan)
12. Stanley Anderson (portrayed General Slocum)
13. Ron Perkins (portrayed Dr. Mendell Stromm)
14. Michael Papajohn (portrayed Carjacker)
15. K.K. Dodds (portrayed Simkins)
16. Ted Raimi (portrayed Hoffman)
17. Bruce Campbell (portrayed Ring Announcer)
18. Elizabeth Banks (portrayed Betty Brant)
19. John Paxton (portrayed Houseman)
20. Tim De Zarn (portrayed Philip Watson)
21. Taylor Gilbert (portrayed Madeline Watson)
22. Randy Savage (portrayed Bone Saw McGraw)
23. Larry Joshua (portrayed Wrestling Promoter)
24. Timothy Patrick Quill (portrayed Wrestling Arena Guard)
25. Jason Padgett (portrayed Flash's Crony)
26. Shane Habberstad (portrayed Little Billy)
27. Deborah Wakeham (portrayed Billy's Mom)

Source:
1. Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/fullcredits#cast)
2. Spidey Photo from Yahoo.com (http://l.yimg.com/k/im_siggOqqpxOs2P9X6W1gb4vaAAw---y660-x648-q75-n0/omg/us/img/88/ac/293_1454017710.jpg)



TRIVIAS

 Before Willem Dafoe received the role of the Green Goblin, Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich and Robert De Niro were offered the role. Malkovich and Dafoe starred together in Shadow of the Vampire (2000), which was produced by Nicolas Cage.
 The Green Goblin was chosen as the film's main villain since Sam Raimi felt the father-son theme (Norman and Harry Osborn and Peter Parker) would make the film deeper.
 In addition to both Peter Parker and Norman Osborn wearing their enemy's costume colors during the Thanksgiving dinner scene, Harry Osborn is seen wearing all of the colors. He's wearing a green shirt, red tie and blue coat.
 Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
 Sam Raimi was not Sony's first choice as director. Others considered were Tony Scott, Jan de Bont, James Cameron, Roland Emmerich,Ang Lee and David Fincher.
 Alicia Witt, Mena Suvari, Eliza Dushku and Elisha Cuthbert auditioned for the role of Mary-Jane Watson. Dushku's screen test can be seen on the DVD special features.
 Pre-production planning for Spider-Man actually began in 1986 by Cannon Films. Later, Cannon sold the production rights to Carolco Pictures. Carolco would later sell the production rights to Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. Sony and Marvel produced the Spider-Man film we see today, released through Sony's Columbia Pictures division.
 James Cameron wrote a treatment for this film over the years as the rights to the character jumped between companies. Nearly all of his ideas were scrapped except for the biological web shooters.
 The writers Alvin Sargent and Scott Rosenberg contribute to the last uncredited re-write on the shooting script.
 In preparation for his role, Tobey Maguire trained for a short while before the screen test. After he got the role, he went on a strict exercise regime and a specific diet for five months.
 The scene at Columbia University was filmed on an unseasonably warm spring day. However, the costume department had provided the high school extras with cold-weather clothing. The real Columbia University students can be seen in the background wearing shorts and t-shirts by contrast.
 A welder building sets for the movie was killed on 6 March 2001 when a crane toppled onto a construction basket in which he was riding and struck him in the head.
 Zach Hudson, the stunt double for Tobey Maguire, fractured his leg after a stunt went wrong and he slammed in to a brick wall.
 Several Spider-Man costumes were created at a cost of up to $100,000 each. Four were stolen from the set in early April of 2001 and Columbia Pictures posted a $25,000 reward for their return. The costumes were not returned.
 The movie cost over $100 million to produce, and another $30 million to promote.
 The studio expressed an interest in Leonardo DiCaprio and Freddie Prinze Jr. playing the part of Spider-Man. Scott Speedman, Jay Rodan and James Franco all actually tested for the part.
 When Sam Raimi first offered to cast Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, the studio was initially very reluctant. That was until they saw Maguire's test and they saw that the actor had clearly bulked up for the role.
 Tobey Maguire had to have his Spider-Man outfit slightly remodeled as the original design had not made any allowances for when the actor needed a bathroom break. A vent was added to enable him to perform that function without having to take the entire costume off.
 The shoot was fast-tracked due to an impending actors/ directors/ writers strike that was anticipated for summer 2001. The strike never actually took place.
 One of the chief difficulties that Tobey Maguire experienced in the now-famous upside-down kissing scene was that his sinuses kept filling up with water as it was performed in driving rain.
 In the final battle between Spider-Man and the Goblin, the CGI artists had to change the color of the blood pouring from Spider-Man's mouth to a clear liquid, indicating spit. This was to ensure a PG rating.
 Although Spider-Man is an iconic figure for New York, the majority of the film was actually made in Los Angeles. Only two weeks' worth of location filming was done in the Big Apple.
 James Franco's hair was dyed brown to give him some resemblance to Willem Dafoe, his screen father. This decision was only made after filming had begun. Indeed, in the scene where Harry visits Aunt May in hospital, you can see that Franco's hair is his usual black.
 Some of the spiders used in the film were imported from New Zealand.
 One of the reasons why Sam Raimi was a popular choice with Sony for the director's gig was because he is an avid comic book collector in his private life, with a collection of over 25,000.
 Some of the directors who had been attached to the project over the years include Tobe Hooper, Joseph Zito and Stephen Herek. A longtime contender to direct was Albert Pyun when the film rights were held by Cannon, as he had already made a superhero adaptation with Captain America (1990).
 By signing on for two sequels, Tobey Maguire secured himself a paycheck of $26 million.
 The interior of the visit to Columbia University was actually filmed in the main rotunda of the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. The large electron microscope in the center of the set was actually made of plywood, plaster and fiberglass, concealing three 16-foot bronze centerpieces.
 The construction crew for the art department spent almost a year building the 100 sets needed for the film.
 Cliff Robertson plays Uncle Ben Parker. Robertson's middle name is Parker.
 Although Uncle Ben claims to be 68 in the film, Cliff Robertson was 75 at the time of filming. Make-up artists still made him look a little older.
 The first scene filmed was when Peter returns from his field-trip, feverish after being bitten by the spider.
 To acquire his bumped-up physique, Tobey Maguire went through a strict five-month regimen of exercise, weight training and martial arts six times a week, as well as eating a high protein meal four to six times a day.
 Spider-Man's webbing in the film is made out of foam materials and fishing line. It was also enhanced with CGI.
 In order to come up with the look of the high school kids, the costume department sent disposable cameras to school teachers in New York City and had them distribute them among their students to take pictures of each other.
 Color costume considerations meant that Spider-Man was shot in front of a green screen, while the Green Goblin was shot in front of a blue one.
 The genetically modified spider that bit Peter Parker was not a black widow spider but a Steatoda spider, which was chosen by Steven R. Kutcher and painted red and blue by Jens Schnabel while the spider was anesthetized.
 The sketches Peter Parker does of his costume were actually done by Phil Jimenez, an artist on "Wonder Woman" comics.
 The original trailer for the movie depicted a theft of a bank, with the robbers making a getaway in a helicopter. A close-up of the helicopter was shown, until the helicopter stopped, apparently caught in mid-air. As the camera zoomed out, it was shown that the helicopter was caught in a spider web, suspended between the two towers of the World Trade Center. After the attacks on the towers 11 September 2001, however, the trailer was changed.
 The owners of the billboards that surround Times Square attempted to sue Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Marvel Enterprises, and the other companies involved with the production of Spider-Man (2002) for "digitally superimposing advertisements for other companies over their billboard space in the film." The suit was thrown out by a federal judge in New York.
 Bleu's song "Somebody Else" was originally written to be the theme for a different superhero, Superman for the TV series "Smallville" (2001).
 In the comics, Peter Parker designed and made Spider-Man's synthetic spider web and the mechanical wrist guns that fire it. In the movie he shoots the web from his own body. Director Sam Raimi answered the protests of comic book fans saying that it was more credible to have Peter shoot web this way than for a high school boy to be able to produce a wonder adhesive in his spare time that 3M could not make.
 Tobey Maguire said he had never read a Spider-Man comic book but took the role because he liked the script.
 During the fight between the Green Goblin and Spider-Man near the end of the movie, Willem Dafoe accidentally clipped Tobey Maguire on the chin with one blow.
 According to visual effects supervisor John Dykstra, animating Spider-Man was the most sophisticated task he had accomplished at that time. Sam Raimi wanted to convey the essence of being Spider-Man ("the transition that occurs, between him being a young man going through puberty and being a superhero"); but the main difficulty was that as the character was masked, there was no context of eyes/mouth and it immediately lost a lot of characterization; thus the animators had to insert a lot of body language into his movements so that there would be some emotional content.
 Sam Raimi hoped to use more traditional VFX (stuntwork and digital mattes) for the film, but John Dykstra explained to him that Spider-Man's flexibility and agility meant that such stunts would be near-impossible to physically enact and so Raimi decided to use computer-generated imagery. However, Raimi did not want it to be complete animation, so none of the VFX shots were 100% computer generated.
 Ivan Raimi did some uncredited script doctoring on this film.
 When used in the trailer, the shot of Peter doing a long back-flip onto a car hood was digitally altered to put him in his Spider-Man outfit instead of his wrestling outfit.
 The film contains multiple references to future Spider-Man villains: Doctor Curtis Connors (Lizard), Eddie Brock (Venom), Harry Osborn (Green Goblin No. 2), Mendel Stromm (Robot Master).
 In the film, Peter mentioned Dr. Curt Connors firing him. Connors appeared in Spider-Man 2 (2004).
 A sign in front of Peter Parker and Harry Osborne's apartment building: Webstring Platform.
 During the World Unity parade, a billboard for Terminix can be seen, one of many insect-related inside jokes.
 When Peter Parker is testing out his webbing for the first time, he says several classic DC Comics (archrival of Marvel Comics) catchphrases, most notably "Up, up and away, Web!" (Superman (1978)) and "Shazam!" (DC's Captain Marvel, aka "Shazam!" (1974)). Tobey Maguire ad-libbed these lines, which were not in the original script.
 When Peter Parker tests out his webbing for the first time, among the notable catch phrases he says, he also uses the same gesture (middle and third fingers folded into the palm, the rest extended outward) he typically uses in the comic books to fire his mechanical webbing wrist guns.
 During the World Unity Fair fight scene, in the background one of the signs on the buildings shows a police officer and behind him read the words "Protecting, Serving, Blah Blah Blah."
 One of Peter's sketches for his costume is of Marvel Comics superhero Stingray.
 One of Peter's sketches for possible costume ideas is nearly identical to the black-and-white suit Spider-Man wore in the comics during the early-to-mid-1980s (which would eventually become the costume for Venom), except that the spider insignia is red, not white. Peter's note on this sketch: "Needs more color."
 When Peter Parker browses through several newspapers looking for a used car, one of the ads shown is for an Alfa Romeo convertible: that model was marketed in Italy under the name Spider.
 David Koepp's fourth screenplay to hold the opening weekend box office record. The others are Jurassic Park (1993) (June 1993), Mission: Impossible (1996) (May 1996) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) (May 1997).
 Actor/stuntman Scott Leva was considered for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man when the film project was first proposed in the mid-1980s.
 Marion Ross was considered for the role of Aunt Mae.
 Among the page-two headlines advertised on the front page of the Daily Bugle: "Public Clamors for Pest Control" and "New York Fears the Bug - 20 Victims to Date."
 Mary Jane's red hair in this movie is a wig; however, Kirsten Dunst liked the look so much, she dyed her hair for Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).
 The camera that Peter Parker uses is a 1981 Canon New F-1 SLR, with the Canon logo blacked out.
 The scene in which Peter Parker catches Mary Jane's lunch on the tray involved no CGI. With the help of a sticky substance to keep the tray planted on his hand, Tobey Maguire eventually (after many takes) performed the stunt exactly as seen.
 The jumping spider that Peter attempts to take a picture of is an Avondale Spider, the same type used in Arachnophobia (1990).
 The smoke in the lab during Norman Osborn's transformation scene was originally white but was then digitally altered to green. Director Sam Raimi wanted to use real green smoke, but went with the CG effect when prop designers could not create a colored smoke that was non-toxic.
 Scenes of New Yorkers throwing trash at the Green Goblin and Spider-Man perched alongside the American flag were added after 11 September 2001 to reflect the city's sense of unity and patriotism.
 At the time of its release, the movie passed the US$100 million mark faster than any other movie, in just three days. That record has since been broken by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), which made the mark in just 2 days. Several other movies have also reached this record, including Spider-Man 3 (2007).
 Doctor Octopus was in the early draft of the script to appear as the second bad guy. Later on in pre-production it was decided that he be reassigned to Spider-Man 2 (2004).
 The Daily Bugle newspaper building is actually the Flatiron building, a famous Manhattan landmark that was built in 1902. In the comics, the Bugle's building is on East 38th Street and Second Avenue.
 The first Marvel movie to showcase the flipping pages Marvel logo.
 During the conversation outside the library, Uncle Ben quotes to Peter the famous words, "With great power comes great responsibility." This well-quoted line actually came from a 1962 published issue, so it debuted there 14 years before a short story by Isaac Asimov which later was made into the movie Bicentennial Man (1999), which some attribute wrongly as the source of this phrase.
 Entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as having the Highest Box Office Gross in a Single Day, taking in US$43.6 million on its second day of release.
 Bonesaw, the wrestler Spider-Man fights for money, is played by real life wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage. Early in his career, Savage wrestled under the name The Spider.
 Sam Raimi wanted Bill Pope to be the film's cinematographer, but Pope was busy working on The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). Raimi's second choice was Peter Deming, but he was working on Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).
 The balloons at the Unity Festival were made by Aerostar International, Inc., in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
 After the terrorist attacks on the USA of 11 September 2001, Sony recalled teaser posters which showed a close-up of Spiderman's face with the New York skyline (including, prominently, the World Trade Center towers) reflected in his eyes. Not all the posters were recovered, however, and the ones still at large are now highly prized collector's items.
 When Jameson's subordinates are trying to tell him about Spider-Man, one of them says, "Eddie's been trying to get a picture of him for weeks." This is a reference to Eddie Brock, a comic book character featured in Spider-Man 3 (2007).
 The Thanksgiving scene when Aunt May puts the turkey in front of Norman is a reference to the Norman Rockwell painting "Freedom From Want".
 In the scene where Peter Parker is on his ceiling hiding from Mr. Osbourne, a green sweatshirt with a beaver insignia can be seen on the ground. This is a sweatshirt from Sam Raimi's childhood camp, Tamakwa.
 Both Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe incorporated a Yoga technique called Ashtanga into their training regimens for this film. "Ashtanga" translates into English as "eight-legged."
 The Moondance Diner where Mary Jane Watson works is the same one that Rent (2005) creator Jonathan Larson (and actor and star of "Rent," Jesse L. Martin) worked at prior to quitting to pursue a career writing musicals.
 The film caused some controversy in England when the BBFC rated it 12, going on record to say it was the most violent movie they had seen that was aimed at younger viewers. The distributor had requested a PG rating, but this was denied due to the levels of "personal violence" and the prevalent revenge theme. Many parents complained about the decision, saying how disappointed their children were at not being able to legally see the film (the 12 at this time was a legal age limit). However, when the new 12A rating was introduced in August 2002, Spider-Man (2002) was re-released with this new advisory rating, along with a new marketing campaign stressing that children could now go and see the film.
 This movie held the record for biggest opening day ever with $39.4 million. This record was broken by its sequel Spider-Man 2 (2004), and is now currently held by Spider-Man 3 (2007) with $59.8 million, though it made the least box office gross of the three.
 Chris Columbus was offered the director's chair but opted to make Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) instead.
 The rights for Spider-Man were in limbo for years, switching between studios. In fact, in a 1987 issue of Variety there was an advertisement proclaiming that Cannon studios would begin principal photography for the film on Nov. 14, 1988. 
 Cingular Wireless, whose logo in very prominent within the movie and the movie's promotional campaigns, was not actually available in New York City at the time of the movie's release.
 Sam Raimi and John Dykstra worked hard to plan all the web-slinging sequences, which Raimi described as "ballet in the sky." The complexity of such sequences meant the film's budget rose from an initially planned $70 million to around $100 million.
 When two studio executives were shown shots of the computer generated Spider-Man, they believed it was actually Tobey Maguire performing the stunts.
 A camera system called the Spydercam was developed to express more of Spider-Man's world and point of view. It was able to drop 50 stories (over 600 ft) and with shot lengths of just over 2400 feet or 3200 feet (for shooting in New York City, or Los Angeles), and could shoot at six frames/second to convey a sense of speed. The Spydercam was only used in this film for the final sequence, but was brought into more use for the sequels.
 To create Spider-Man's costume, Tobey Maguire was fitted for the skintight outfit, being covered with layers of substance to create the suit's shape. It was designed as a single piece, except for the mask. The webbing that accented the costume was cut by computer.
 The Green Goblin's costume was originally designed to be more bulky and armoured, but Willem Dafoe, having decided to film his own stunts, rejected it in favour of a more streamlined and athletic costume. The final outfit was composed of 580 pieces and took Dafoe half an hour to put on.
 When Uncle Ben drops Peter off to go to the library, a bus can be seen driving by with a promotional advertisement that reads, The Producers (1968), a 'Mel Brooks (I)' musical. Brooks later sued Sony Pictures Entertainment for unwanted advertisement in motion-picture space.
 When James Cameron was developing Spider-Man in the early 1990s, Charlie Sheen actively campaigned for the role, apparently to Cameron's disinterest. After Titanic (1997), Cameron said his only choice was Leonardo DiCaprio before he eventually passed onto other projects.
 Edward Norton was offered the role of the Green Goblin but opted to Red Dragon (2002) instead.
 The film is based on a combination of both the Ultimate Spider-Man comic series and the original Amazing Spider-Man series. For instance, this incarnation of Mary Jane Watson (the "girl next door" version) is from the Ultimates series, while this version of the Green Goblin is from the original Amazing Spider-Man universe.
 When the project began in the late 1980s, the role of Mary Jane Watson was considered for many actresses, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ally Sheedy, Jodie Foster, Natasha Richardson, Phoebe Cates, Tatum O'Neal, Bridget Fonda, Lori Loughlin, Diane Lane, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, Kyra Sedgwick, Justine Bateman, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Molly Ringwald, Jennifer Aniston, Uma Thurman, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Christina Applegate, Cameron Diaz, Alyssa Milano, Tori Spelling, Neve Campbell, Tiffani Thiessen, Alyson Hannigan and Drew Barrymore. But when the project eventually went into pre-production, all of them were considered too old for the part.
 In 1988, director Albert Pyun was hired to direct a "Spider-Man" movie for Cannon Films. Scott Leva was hired to play Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and filming was set to take place at De Laurentiis' studio in Wilmington, North Carolina. With a $6 million budget, the Brooklyn sets were built for "Spider-Man" on the Wilmington stages and Pyun would also film a sequel to Masters of the Universe (1987) during the same time as "Spider-Man". Pyun had originally planned to film two weeks worth of scenes for "Spider-Man" before Leva's nerdy Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, then Leva would undergo a supervised eight week workout regimen to build muscle mass while director Pyun would film "Masters of the Universe Part 2", and filming for "Spider-Man" would resume for the scenes after Peter gets his spider powers. However, both projects were scrapped when Cannon Films eventually went out of business.
 James Cameron had a Spider-Man picture in mind early on in his career. In the early 1990s, Carolco Pictures hired him to write and direct a Spider-Man motion picture. While he originally wrote Doctor Octopus as the lone villain and had Arnold Schwarzenegger in mind for the role of Doc Ock, Cameron later wrote a new draft that featured Peter Parker as a high school senior in love with Mary Jane Watson and Spider-Man would fight two villains, Electro and Sandman. However, Electro was changed from electrical lineman Max Dillon to billionaire businessman Carlton Strand and Sandman was changed from crook Flint Marko to Strand's hired henchman, Boyd. Cameron had intended to cast Michael Biehn as Peter Parker. This is foreshadowed in earlier Cameron movies featuring Michael Biehn when his character gets bit on the hand in The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), and The Abyss (1989). This is a reference to the radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker's hand. However, the director couldn't make his Spider-Man movie when Carolco went bankrupt and soon after the movie rights to Spider-Man went into limbo for several years.
 Willem Dafoe performed 90% of his own stunts.
 In an online interview with the Planet Origo website, director Albert Pyun said that he was hired to direct "Spider-Man" for Cannon Films back in 1988. He said that his movie would have featured the origin of Spider-Man, featured Dr. Curt Connors, a.k.a. the Lizard, as the film's main villain, and that most of the movie would have been featured in the sewers of Brooklyn, where Spider-Man would chase after, and fight with, the Lizard. His plans to direct "Spider-Man" fell through when Cannon Films went bankrupt.
 The scene when Peter and Mary Jane talk outside at night was actually shot at 4 am. Due to this time of filming, it had to be shot quickly due to sunrise approaching. Kirsten Dunst also commented that it was a very cool morning weather-wise, and points out that her thermal underwear pants can be briefly seen peeking out above her pants line.
 The theatrical release of the move ends with Aerosmith's cover of the Spider-man theme that can be heard on the official soundtrack. For the DVD release it was changed to the original rendition of the theme.

 WILHELM SCREAM: As Peter enters the wrestling arena, the wrestler slams his opponent to the deck. The Wilhelm Scream is barely audible, but definitely there.

 CAMEO: [Stan Lee] The creator of Spider-Man appears in the scene where the Green Goblin attacks the balcony at the World Unity Festival.
 CAMEO: [Nicholas Hammond] The former actor from ("The Amazing Spider-Man" (1978)) is also at the World Unity Festival.
 CAMEO: [Lucy Lawless] as a punk girl (director Sam Raimi was an executive producer of "Xena: Warrior Princess" (1995)).
 CAMEO: [Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom] a non-speaking board member of Oscorp, Norman Osborn's company.
 CAMEO: [Robert Kerman] [as the Tugboat Captain.]

 DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: [Sam Raimi] [car] The 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, also known as The Classic, appears in the movie as Uncle Ben's car.
 DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: [Sam Raimi] [Shaky-cam shot] This technique, created by Raimi, is used on a shot of the Green Goblin.
 DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: [Sam Raimi] [mirror] Dual personalities of one person looking in a mirror, also exhibited in Evil Dead II (1987), directed by Sam Raimi.
 DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: [Sam Raimi] [supporting cast] Cameo appearances by longtime friend Bruce Campbell and by brother Ted Raimi.
 DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: [Sam Raimi] [chainsaw] The wrestler Peter fights is named Bonesaw.
 DIRECTOR TRADEMARK: [Sam Raimi] [Whip-Pan camera shot] used in the scene where Norman Osborn walks into Peter Parker's bedroom.

 SPOILER ALERT! One of the scenes that Tobey Maguire performed for his screen test was the final one in which Peter Parker rejects Mary Jane.
 SPOILER ALERT! The World Trade Center Towers can be seen in the background of some scenes and once in the reflection of Spider-Man's eye. In addition, during the ending scene where he is swinging around the American trade building, you can see the towers in the far background slightly blurred. The makers of the film chose not to remove them digitally.
 SPOILER ALERT! Willem Dafoe was never an intended choice to play the Green Goblin. After the script fell into his possession, he began lobbying for the role and met with Sam Raimi. Sometime later, while filming a movie in Spain, Dafoe was approached and shot some test footage inside the hotel room he was staying. It led to his being cast. Once he received the role, Dafoe asked that he be allowed to perform his own stunts so that the character and movements would feel authentic, or else the audience would notice the difference. He performed about 95% of his own stunts, and unlike many of the stunt crew, learned how to handle the Goblin Glider after just 15 minutes. Having such a great time during filming, he offered to return for Spider-Man 2 (2004) and asked if they could write him in somewhere, his character having died in Spider-Man (2002). Sam Raimi took him up on the offer and both of them set aside a specific day of filming on Spider-Man 2 (2004) for Dafoe to shoot Norman Osborn's cameo dream sequence.
 SPOILER ALERT! When Uncle Ben's killer crashes the car into the gate after Spider-Man leaps off, the police car that pulls into frame on the right side has a very obvious license plate with "1927" being the only markings. This is to honor Stan Lee's great friend, Marvel and DC veteran illustrator John Buscema who was born in Brooklyn, New York on December 11, 1927. He sadly passed away on January 10, 2002.
 SPOILER ALERT! At the beginning of the movie when we first see Mary Jane on the school bus, she is dressed in the Green Goblin's (from the comic book, anyways) colors. Her top is purple and her coat is green. This outfit is also the uniform of Gwen Stacy from the comics, who was killed by the Green Goblin in a battle not unlike the bridge scene in the movie.
 SPOILER ALERT! The film's climax is based on the infamous "The Amazing Spider-Man" # 121 comic, "The Night Gwen Stacy Died." In that comic, the Goblin captures Stacy and suspends her over a bridge, and Spider-Man attempts to save her, but fails. In near-insane anger and retaliation he beats the Goblin to near-unconsciousness, and when he tries to use his sled to impale the wall-crawler, it backfires and impales him instead. In the film, the main differences are that Mary-Jane is the one held over a bridge, and she survives. At Osborne's funeral, a gravestone nearby says Stacy.
 SPOILER ALERT! In 1993, James Cameron was hired to rewrite an existing draft for "Spider-Man" for Carolco Pictures. The script was going to feature Liz Allen as Peter Parker's love interest instead of Mary Jane Watson, and the villain was Doctor Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus. Unlike the comics, Octavius was a professor who would be a mentor to college senior Peter Parker, and Otto called himself Professor Octopus after his four mechanical arms become accidentally fused to his body. During the accident that turns Octavius into Doc Ock, Otto is also bitten on the back of the neck by the same radioactive spider that turns Peter into Spider-Man. To make the film more kid-friendly, the company had Doc Ock constantly use the phrase "Okey! Dokey!" and Ock had an assistant named Weiner that later kills Peter's Uncle Ben Parker instead of a burglar that Spider-Man lets get away. Arnold Schwarzenegger was Cameron's first choice for Doctor Octopus and Edward Furlong was considered for Peter Parker, but Carolco ultimately never made a "Spider-Man" film when it ultimately went out of business.

Source: Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/trivia)


GOOFS


I. REVEALING MISTAKES (20 Goofs)
 When Spider-man swings MJ to safety and we see them swinging close-up, not only is MJ's hair blowing in the wrong direction, but Spider-man's head, neck and shoulders appear to be stiff as if it were a mannequin she is holding on to for the sake of the shot.
 In the scene with MJ in front of the spider cage, just prior to Peter being bitten, a spider on a thread can be seen just over Peter's right shoulder in the medium shots, and directly underneath the spot where he will be bitten. It disappears in the final cut before closeup coverage begins. Notice also that the focus changes on the background, indicating the use of different lenses or different spikes for the shots used.
 When Peter wakes up after getting bitten he puts on his glasses and the entire screen become blurred not just the part looking through the glasses.
 When Mary Jane is trapped on the balcony you can clearly see the metal mechanical supports that hold the wall.
 When Spider-Man first rescues Mary Jane at the Unity festival and swings her to safety, they are moving to the right but her hair is flowing that way, too, instead of blowing in Spider-Man's face.
 When the Green Goblin is trying to stab Spider-Man with his Trident, one of its points bends.
 After depositing MJ on the green lawn at the church, Spider-man obviously jumps off of a mini trampoline over the hedge. As MJ runs behind to follow, she clearly has to step around the mini trampoline to approach the hedge.
 When Parker and Bonesaw are wrestling in a cage match, the bars can be seen wobbling.
 When Spider-Man is chasing the carjacker, a brief shot from the inside of a police car shows they are moving at only 15mph. This is not nearly as fast as the obviously sped-up sequence leads us to believe.
 When Peter's uncle drops him off at the library, he parks on a one way street, but the reflection in the car's window shows traffic heading in the opposite direction.
 Although Spider-Man is supposed to have perfect vision after his bite, Tobey Maguire's contact lenses are visible at various points throughout the movie. Perhaps Peter Parker took to wearing "blank" contact lenses to account for the fact that he no longer needs to wear glasses. But perhaps not.
 The extras at Columbia University are wearing cold weather clothing, appropriate for the seasonal setting. Students in the background wearing shorts and t-shirts blow the illusion and reveal that the scene was shot on a warm day.
 When Mary-Jane is attacked in the rain in the alley Peter is shown running along the roof changing into his costume, you can clearly see he is already wearing his mask, but when he fights the thugs he has no mask.
 When we see an exterior view of the Oscorp office building, just before Norman Osborn's meeting with the board, the main sign is for Oscorp. However, at each corner of the building, the ING logo with its distinctive lion can clearly be seen.
 When the car-jacker walks into the deserted warehouse, he has the gun in his left hand and the money bag under his right (flipped image). Next cut is to him reloading, and the gun is back into his right hand.
 It is established that Peter is right-handed, but when he is designing his Spider-Man costume, there are two quick shots of him drawing with his left hand. These shots are most likely flipped images as it would be strange for the actor to use both hands for drawing.
 The action on the burglar's Berreta M92 doesn't go far enough back, indicating it is a 8mm blank gun.
 SPOILER ALERT!: When smashing the Green Goblin against a wall during the final fight scene, the brick wall flexes noticeably.
 SPOILER ALERT!: In the final conflict, Spider-man tries to save both the falling children in the transportation device and Mary Jane all the children and the teachers are screaming. However, one man inside with the children who either controls the device or is a fellow teacher seems somewhat relaxed as it is falling. It is unlike that he would be so relaxed as it is falling while everyone is going crazy.
 SPOILER ALERT!: Right before the Thanksgiving dinner, Spider-Man and the Goblin get in a fight in a burning building. In the outside shots of the burning building, the green leaves on the trees clearly indicate that it is summer time in New York. After the Thanksgiving dinner, Aunt May is attacked by the Goblin. In the outside shots of her home, once again all the trees are green.


II. FACTUAL ERRORS (3 Goofs)
 When Peter is first becoming aware of his "spider sense" in school as Flash is approaching from behind, he sees a fly and a paper airplane moving in very slow motion. The fly has two wings when in reality, flies have two sets of wings, the main wings plus a smaller "halter" wings underneath (to maintain balance in flight), for a total of four wings.
 In the scene where Peter is trying to figure out how to shoot his web across to the crane, there is a billboard that says tune into 98.8 FM. In the United States, FM radio stations do not end in even numbers.
 SPOILER ALERT!: In the bridge scene, after the Green Goblin destroys one of the stations, he flies down, grabs the wire for the cable car it and pulls it upwards with him to the top of the bridge. However, despite that he's strong enough to hold it himself, the glider he's on barely has enough thrust to carry a humans weight on it, so the chances of it being able to fly upwards whilst holding onto a wire attached to a huge cable car is unlikely.

III. PLOT HOLES (4 Goofs)
 The day after Spider-Man first appears, Peter Parker is seen by his fellow students to spew strange webbing from his wrists and easily defeats the school bully. Oddly enough, nobody seems to connect this with the appearance of Spider-Man.
 When Peter is practicing his web-slinging in his room and catches the lamp to pull it towards him, it doesn't appear to move very fast off the chest and looks more likely to fall on the floor before the shot changes. When it cuts to Peter, it speeds past his shoulder a lot faster to smash on the wall behind him. Furthermore, Aunt May would have easily seen the amount of webbing all over the room through the gap in the door as she's talking to him.
 In the scene where Spider-man jumps on the car, there's an in-car shot of the carjacker firing up at the roof. When the camera goes back to Spider-man on the roof of the car, the bullet hole switch position. In fact, if the bullet holes had stayed in position, Spider-man would have been killed.
 At the wrestling arena, you can see men putting giant chains and padlocks on to lock the cage, but when Spider-man is declared winner, the cage goes up and opens when no one has removed the padlocks.

IV. ERRORS IN GEOGRAPHY (2 Goofs)
 The tropical orange flowers behind Peter and Norman at the graduation scene are native to California and couldn't possibly survive in New York (although they could be fake).
 When Spider-man catches the falling MJ from the balcony at Times Square, the first web he shoots in mid-air to swing away is directed at an angle impossible to grapple to any buildings in that area.

V. ERRORS MADE BY CHARACTERS (4 Goofs)
 When Peter Parker is talking to Mr. Jameson about the Green Goblin and the name "Green Goblin" is first suggested... Mr. Jameson takes credit for the name and says something to the effect of "Call the Patent office, I want to copyright that name"... This is not factually correct. The PTO (Patent and Trademark Office) deals exclusively in only Patents and Trademarks, NOT copyrights. There is a separate and distinct Copyright Office which handles copyrights. He should have said, "Call the copyright office".
 MJ tells Peter in the cafeteria that she noticed his eyes are blue. She says, "I didn't notice without your glasses." Clearly she meant she didn't notice his blue eyes when he had glasses.
 During the science trip where Peter is bitten, Harry says that the microscope is the "largest electron microscope on the eastern seaboard". However, the microscope images shown are taken from a phase contrast microscope not an electron microscope. (Phase contrast gives less magnification but lets you work with live material, for example, the cell being manipulated in the image shown on the film).
 Peter won the Bonesaw wrestling match by knocking him out, but when the fight promoter stiffs him, the promoter claims he pinned him for the victory.

VI. EQUIPMENT / CREW VISIBLE (4 Goofs)
 After Parker wakes up the morning after getting bitten, a boom mic is seen at the top of the mirror as he is looking at himself.
 When Peter Parker is looking in the mirror flexing his newly developed muscles, the hand of a crewmember is visible in the right-hand side of the mirror.
 When Peter gets bitten by the spider, the camera pans over to a TV screen showing the spider DNA. You can see a camera man's head peek from behind the camera in the reflection.
 In the scene with the burning building, when the Green Goblin says "No-one says no to me!", you can see the camera in the reflection of his eyes.

VII. AUDIO / VISUAL UNSYNCHRONIZED (6 Goofs)
 In several scenes, the Green Goblin's mouth (which is visible through the mesh in the "mouth" of his mask) does not move while he is talking.
 At Columbia University, one of the two girls say "Hey MJ!", yet neither one's lips move.
 When the Green Goblin says "Hello, my dear." to Mary Jane, he's clearly mouthing something else.
 At the Times Square battle, when Green Goblin grabs Spider-Man's hand and says, 'impressive' his mouth doesn't move but stays shut.
 Several times, when Spider-Man speaks or even scream, his mouth/jaw does not move.
 We hear a dial tone coming from Harry's cell phone after Mary Jane hangs up. Cell phone systems have no dial tone.

VIII. CONTINUITY (65 Goofs)
 While Norman Osborn is in the chamber, the electrode wires jump about between shots.
 When the general is talking to Norman Osborn about the project being the creation of his predecessor, the background behind Norman changes from a wall with a railing above it, to him standing in front of the test chamber, between shots.
 Mary Jane's jacket collar changes when she's talking to Peter outside the diner the first time.
 After Peter clobbers Flash, a fat boy with glasses can be seen standing in shock at Peter's abilities, then clapping and smiling, then standing in shock again between shots.
 In the scene where Spiderman attacks the carjacker, the carjacker drops the gun. Later on, in the wide shot, the gun can not be seen.
 In the cafeteria after MJ slips on the spilled beverage on the floor, later when Peter gets up, the beverage is gone.
 Mary Jane's hand disappears briefly from Peter's face at the cemetery.
 Peter's hair in the cemetery scene
 While looking up at the balcony during the World Unity Festival, Peter's part in his hair changes as his spider sense first warns him of the Goblin.
 When Norman and Peter talk before going into the science lab, the same girl with bright red hair and purple sweater walks by in different directions five times.
 The hole which Spider-Man punches in the roof of a car disappears and reappears between shots.
 A blonde woman walks past twice in the same direction when Peter finds out from Mary Jane that she is dating his best friend.
 Norman's hand jumps on and off Peter's shoulder during the graduation ceremony.
 The Green Goblin's arms are up, down, then up again between shots when he calls his jet glider.
 The morning after the field trip, as Peter is following Mary Jane, we see the car that is going to pick her up drive past Peter. When we switch to Peter's point of view, the car is nowhere to be seen. Then we go back to Peter, the bus drives up, and the car suddenly appears.
 During the fight scene between Flash and Peter Parker, a girl standing next to MJ disappears and reappears several times between shots.
 When Peter is fighting the carjacker in the warehouse, the thief drops his pistol to throw a knife at Peter, but when Peter thows him against the wall, the pistol is suddenly back in the car jacker's hand.
 When Peter is talking with his uncle in the car the background is completely different than when he gets out of the car.
 When Peter is talking to Mary Jane outside the diner, cars and a motorcycle that we see drive behind Mary Jane disappear when the shot cuts to Peter.
 During the Thanksgiving dinner when everyone is seated at the table, MJ's arms jump about between shots.
 The right-handed Peter Parker always used an average right-handed camera, but in one take during the balcony scene, we see a reversed image of the scene and it appears that he is holding a left-handed camera.
 When Peter is visiting Aunt May in the hospital, the sweater on the back of his chair changes position.
 During the World Unity Fair, Mary Jane is trapped on a piece of balcony that falls away, quite clearly hanging off and separated from the rest of the balcony. However, after it cuts to Spider-man and back to her, the piece of balcony is attached and falls away a second time.
 When the Green Goblin is menacing him, Spider-Man's left eye cover, which had been torn off earlier in the fight, momentarily (re)appears, then is gone in the next shot.
 The windows beneath the balcony at the World Unity Festival are destroyed by the Green Goblin's pumpkin bombs, but they are only on fire and not shattered when Spider-Man dives off the balcony to rescue Mary Jane.
 During the World Unity Festival, when the Green Goblin throws his pumpkin bomb at the balcony full of board members, as the windows blow up, Harry can be seen running away from Mary Jane and toward the area he will later have his head hit. In the next shot, Harry is seen still standing next to Mary Jane.
 When Peter Parker looks up at the balcony where Mary Jane and Harry Osborn are standing during the World Unity Festival, he looks directly up from his position on the ground. However, when Harry looks back down on the ground to see Peter Parker, he is looking towards his far left side.
 While Mary Jane is talking to Peter Parker behind her parents' house, her trousers repeatedly move up, then down, then up again, hiding, then revealing her underwear.
 When Spider-Man pulls the wall down over the Green Goblin, the wall is still in one piece, but in the next shot the wall has been broken up and the bricks cover the Green Goblin.
 On the morning Peter does a little web practice, he talks to his Aunt at the door. After closing the door, we see that there are webs all over the room, even in the path he just walked to get to the door.
 When Parker grabs Flash's arm during the school hall fight, his hand jumps from Flash's wrist to near his elbow between shots.
 When Peter spills the tray of food on Flash and runs out of the cafeteria, Flash has food on his shirt. Once in the hallway, the food disappears, reappears (but it's a smaller amount), and then disappears altogether.
 When Spider-Man is learning to jump between buildings, his shoes change from dark shoes to the Nike sneakers he is shown wearing prior to testing his web skills.
 When Peter boards the bus for the school field trip, the shots from inside the bus show a completely different background than we saw when he was waiting for the bus.
 When Spider-Man is being announced at the wrestling arena, he is pushed from behind by a right hand, but in the next shot the stagehand is pushing him with his left.
 Mary Jane opens her trench coat to reveal her uniform, but in the next shot (the front view) it is still closed.
 When MJ is attacked in the alley, Spider-Man throws two of the attackers through the windows behind her. However, in the next shot of MJ the windows are whole again.
 When Peter gets out of his uncle's car on the way to the fight, his uniform is visible poking out of his trousers. A moment later, when he turns to go, it is no longer visible.
 When Peter is practicing his jumping from building, he starts off holding the web with his left hand over his right. When he smashes into the wall, his right hand is over his left.
 When Peter meets Mr. Osborn for the first time in front of the museum, the people behind Peter on the steps change between shots. People who are standing still disappear and re appear.
 When Spider-Man and Green Goblin fight the amount of blood on Spider-Man's face changes.
 When Peter is testing his web slinging abilities he accidentally knocks over a green lamp breaking it. In the next scene when Aunt May comes to the door the lamp is back again where it was originally.
 During the parade attack sequence when MJ falls from the balcony she is first seen falling side-down. As Spider-Man catches her she is falling face-down. In the next shot, of Spider-Man about to catch her from above, she is on her side again.
 At the World Unity Fair when MJ is on the balcony that is all tilted askew, the light pole on the railing disappears and reappears.
 When Spider-Man jumps over the bladed glider and hits the Goblin instead, the glider seems to hit at about stomach level and pin the Goblin to the wall. But in the next shot, it is lower, seeming to have hit at groin level, to allow the Goblin to slump forward across the glider.
 During the World Unity Fair sequence Times Square alternates between the real Times Square and the digitally altered one created for the movie. The main difference is the signage (i.e. the altered version doesn't have the gigantic Cup-O-Noodle sign). The Cup-O-Noodle sign can be clearly seen twice, and the bottom of it a 3rd time. First time when you first seen the Goblin flying in the distance, and the 2nd is during the shot from behind in when she flies past the Earth balloon before throwing the first bomb, the sign is on the left. Then when Goblin is flying off, you see the bottom of it.
 During the alleyway fight involving Mary Jane, Spider-man yanks all four men off of her with webbing. The webbing is strong enough to drag them across the street, however when he hops down off the lamppost, all the webbing is gone.
 When Peter smacks the food tray onto Flash's back, the tray hits Flash on his left side. The stain from the food is shown on this side in differing sizes except for the moment Flash stands up and turns around, saying "Parker" - in which it is shown to be a huge stain on his right side.
 During the World Unity Festival, when Peter Parker sees a huge piece of stone from the building falling rapidly, the camera shows a man and woman facing the camera and cowering. In the next shot in which Peter uses his web slingers to pull the people to safety, they are shown standing up, looking straight up, with their backs to the camera.
 During the field trip scene in the beginning of the movie, Harry, Peter, and Mr. Osborn are talking outside the building, the students are walking up the stairs in the background during one shot and not in the background at all in the next. Later they return in the background once again.
 During the World Unity Festival, when Peter runs toward camera and unbuttons his shirt, the Spider-Man suit only extends to the top of his chest. However, when he removes his mask during the Thanksgiving sequence, the costume clearly goes all the way to his neck.
 The morning after the spider bite, Peter comes downstairs and startles his uncle. Just before he does that, Uncle Ben can be seen holding a cup with both of his hands, yet in the next shot, he is holding it with just one hand. He also pulls the cup away from his face "twice", once in each shot.
 When Peter is testing out his newfound web powers in his room, he uses target practice to pick up a Dr. Pepper can. In two quick shots, we see his light bulb lamp is turned off; however, when he finally manages to hit the can, the light bulb lamp is turned on.
 When Norman Osborn test the experimental nerve gas, we see him in front of the gas chamber with a naked chest. In the next shot he's got tubes attached to his chest.
 At the World Unity Festival scene, a block of stone falls from the balcony and is headed for a man and his wife. When they are shown flinching at the stone about to hit them, the man is on the left side of his wife. When Peter spins his web onto them to save them, he is on the right.
 After the kiss, MJ tries to adjust the mask of Spider-Man, by pulling it up, of course. But when the mask reaches the end of his mouth, Spider-Man launches his web to leave and the mask is magically adjusted.
 In the World Unity Festival scene, Peter can be seen looking up at Harry and Mary Jane from the ground. Harry then looks back at Peter clearly recognizing him. Later in the scene when Mary Jane falls from the balcony, the balcony is much much higher than earlier when Harry looked down at Peter.
 When Peter Parker gives chase to the gunman he believes shot his Uncle Ben, he wears the same outfit he wore when fighting Bonesaw. Peter climbs a building and then jumps from building to building. He winds up on a dome shaped roof and works up the nerve to web sling. The figure shooting the web from that dome is Peter in his real Spider-man suit (he had not even invented this particular suit yet).
 When Peter walks behind MJ on the street, the school bus turns the corner and approaches slowly in the background. Ten seconds later, when the bus is shown a third time, however, it is still passing by the same vehicle.
 When Flash tries to beat up Peter, a crowd of students gather around them. When Peter knocks Flash down the hallway, though, those students have created an alley for Flash to fly through. Given the superhuman speed with which Peter punched Flash, none of the students would have had time to step aside, anyway - they would simply have been bowled down.
 SPOILER ALERT! When Spider-Man is hit by the bomb at the end in the destroyed hospital, the Green Goblin comes down and rises his eye lids on his mask, "misery, misery, misery, that's all that you've chosen," Then in the next shot where he says "I offered you friendship and you spat in my face." The eye lids are closed, but when he is about to stab Spider-Man with the trident, the eye lids are opened, and when he is pushed onto the brick wall, they are closed, they stay closed the rest of the scene.
 SPOILER ALERT! When Spider-man's arm is cut during the fight with Green Goblin in the burning building the cut runs diagonally down his arm toward his thumb. In the Thanksgiving dinner scene when Norman Osborn sees the wound it runs diagonally down his arm toward his little finger.
 SPOILER ALERT! All evidence of the gigantic explosion the Green Goblin creates at the Queensboro Bridge disappears soon after the explosion occurs.
 SPOILER ALERT! When the Green Goblin removes his mask after the Roosevelt Island battle with Spider-Man, there is a small branch directly in front of his face. In the next shot, the branch is gone.
 SPOILER ALERT! When Spider-Man fights the carjacker, they enter the building on the ground floor but then the carjacker trips and falls out what appears to be a 3rd story window even though neither of the two characters can be seen climbing to a higher level during any part of the fight sequence.

IX. INCORRECTLY REGARDED AS GOOFS
 In several scenes newspapers are shown which contain a few words repeated over and over, instead of actual text. This is an in-joke, as this is done frequently in comic books like the ones which inspired this movie.
 In the scene where Peter is walking behind Mary Jane, on the way to the bus, he stops and talks to himself. over his left shoulder is a car parked, with a Massachusetts license plate. Cars from many different states visit or pass through New York on a daily basis.
 SPOILER ALERT! When Peter Parker calls MJ on the phone and gets her answering machine, the Green Goblin answers and he taunts Peter calling him Spiderman. This is all being recorded by the answering machine and MJ can listen to it and discover that Peter is Spiderman. Goblin could have erased all messages after the call.
 SPOILER ALERT! When Peter realizes the gunman is the guy he let go at the wrestling arena, his flashbacks are very inconsistent to what really happened. The gunman originally nodded his head very quickly and said thanks sounding out of breath. In Peter's flashback, the gunman stands there and smiles and says thanks as the elevator doors close. This is to show the difference between subjective and objective perspectives in people's memory.

Source: Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/goofs)


20 MEMORABLE QUOTES


1. UNCLE BEN: "Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility."
2. PETER PARKER: "Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-man."
3. SPIDER-MAN: "Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
4. PETER PARKER: "Who am I? You sure you want to know? The story of my life is not for the faint of heart. If somebody said it was a happy little tale... if somebody told you I was just your average ordinary guy, not a care in the world... somebody lied."
5. PETER PARKER: "Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option."
6. MARY JANE: "He's saved my life twice and I've never even seen his face."
7. GREEN GOBLIN: "The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the Goblin and took the spider out."
8. SPIDER-MAN: "Go web! Fly! Up, up, and away web! Shazaam! Go! Go! Go web go! Tally ho."
9. J. JONAH JAMESON: "He doesn't want to be famous? Then I'll make him infamous."
10. PETER PARKER: "No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, the ones I love will always be the ones who pay."
11. GREEN GOBLIN: "Had you not been so selfish, your little girlfriend's death would have been quick and painless, but now that you've really pissed me off, I'm gonna finish her nice and slow."
12. PETER PARKER [relating to Mary Jane, what he supposedly said to Spider-Man]: "I said, um, Spider-man, I said, uh, the great thing about M.J. is when you look in her eyes, and she's looking back in yours, everything feels not quite normal, because you feel stronger, and weaker at the same time. You feel excited, and at the same time, terrified. The truth is you don't know what you feel, except you know what kind of man you want to be. It's as if you've reached the unreachable, you weren't ready for it."
13. J. JONAH JAMESON: "No jobs! Freelance! Best thing in the world for a kid your age. You bring me some more pictures of that newspaper-selling clown, maybe I'll take'em off your hands. But I never said you have a job. *Meat*. I'll send you a nice box of Christmas meat. It's the best I can do - get our of here."
14. J. JONAH JAMESON: "Hoffman, run down to the patent office, copyright the name 'Green Goblin.' I want a quarter every time someone says it."
15. SPIDER-MAN [relating to Green Goblin]: "Whatever it is, somebody has to stop it..."
16. NORMAN OSBORNE: "Forty thousand years of evolution and we've barely even tapped the vastness of human potential."
17. AUNT MAY [to Peter Parker]: "You know, you were about six years old when Mary Jane's family moved in next door. And when she got out of the car, and you saw her for the first time, you grabbed me and you said, 'Aunt May, Aunt May, is that an angel?'"
18. SUBWAY GUITARIST: "Dressed like a spider, he looks like a bug, we should all just give him one big hug..."
19. NORMAN OSBORNE: "I am going to rectify certain inequities."
20. NORMAN OSBORNE: "The one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail."


Source: Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/quotes)


SCENES FROM THE FILM


FEATURED MOVIE TRAILER

SPIDERMAN TRAILER
by: lbs697 (24 September 2006)

Video Description:
The trailer of the first movie. You can download the music "Pompeii" (after 1:4) here: http://www.megaupload.com/fr/?d=WPH6HSDC. Enjoy!
Video Category: Film and Animation
Video Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN3YaybNJ2s


MPAA CONTENT GUIDE

I. SEX AND NUDITY
1. Mary Jane wears a deep plunging neckline in the beginning showing cleavage. Later on she wears a small tank top showing cleavage outside their homes when talking. Most notably, in one scene, she's caught in the rain and her wet top reveals that she's not wearing a bra (the shape of her nipples can be seen for about 8 sec's). Tight, cleavage revealing top. In that same scene, she is attacked by several thugs, and it is implied they are attempting to rape her, but nothing disturbing is shown, and she is saved by Spiderman. She then thanks him with a passionate, long kiss. Quite sensual. In another scenes, Mary Jane wears a red Asian dress with s slip up to her thigh that gets hiked up further when she gets attacked.
2. 4 women are in a fighting ring scenes wearing leather bra tops and very short leather shorts. Seen several times in the scene.

II. VIOLENCE AND GORE
1. A man is stabbed/impaled by a glider's blade. Briefly, his blood spurts out of his wound. Then, blood is seen in his mouth.
2. A man is cut with a throwing object which causes him to bleed.
3. A man kills some people by throwing a pumpkin bomb at them which turns them into skeletons.
4. A lot of fighting is seen throughout this movie between men. They include mild blood.
5. A man throws another man off his glider which hurts him. Later you see part of his mask cut off, cuts and bruises on his face, and blood in his mouth.

III. PROFANITY
1. There are 3 words that could be muffled F-words during unintelligible shouting (it's very unclear), 3 anatomical terms, 4 mild obscenities, 8 religious exclamations and some insults.

IV. ALCOHOL / DRUGS / SMOKING
1. A man is shown drinking alcohol.

V. FRIGHTENING / INTENSE SCENES
1. The Green Goblin's appearance and his bizarre mask might be unsettling or scary to some younger kids.
2. The Green Goblin lobs some grenade-like devices into a building that causes some major explosions and a large stone balcony to begin to fall away from the building (with Mary Jane on it). Peter uses his web to pull people out of the way before parts of the building fall on them. As Spider-Man then fights the Goblin, he tries to save Mary Jane as that balcony eventually falls away from the building and she plummets toward the street.
3. A very frightening and a jumpy scene where Norman starts off talking to Harry saying "Last night I was-" and then you hear a very loud sound which would jump anyone (regardless of their age).
4. The scenes where Aunt May is praying and then suddenly the Green Goblin breaks into her window is quite jumpy and intense.
5. "I'm gonna finish her, nice and slow" line might scare some people.
6. An intense scene is where the Green Goblin tries to kill the children in a rail car and Mary-Jane (he throws them). He asks Spider-man which should he save while the children on the ride and Mary-Jane are falling to their deaths. Spider-Man manages to grab both and struggles to keep his grip on this extremely heavy load while a helpful river barge crew tries to maneuver their boat underneath the car so it can be deposited on it safely even while the Green Goblin swings around to attack the superhero again.
7. The scene where Norman experiments on himself with the enhancing chemical vapour is frightening. After that he looks mad, and he kills someone.

Source: Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/parentalguide)


AWARDS and NOMINATIONS

ACADEMY AWARDS
1. Nominated: Best Sound (Kevin O' Connell, Greg P. Russell, Ed Novick)
2. Nominated: Best Visual Effects (John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara, John Frazier)

AWARDS
I. Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA
*** 1. Saturn Award: Best Music (Danny Elfman) - 2003
II. BMI Film and TV Awards
*** 1. BMI Film Music Award (Danny Elfman) - 2003
III. Bogey Awards, Germany
*** 1. Bogey Award in Gold (Columbia - film distributor) - 2002
IV. Empire Awards, UK
*** 1. Empire Award: Best Actress (Kirsten Dunst) - 2003
V. Golden Trailer Awards
*** 1. Golden Trailer: Best Voice Over (Giaronomo Productions) - 2002
VI. MTV Movie Awards
*** 1. MTV Movie Award: Best Female Performance (Kirsten Dunst) - 2003
*** 2. MTV Movie Award: Best Kiss (Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst) - 2003
VII. People's Choice Awards, USA
*** 1. People's Choice Award: Favorite Motion Picture - 2003
VIII. Teen Choice Awards
*** 1. Teen Choice Award: Film - Choice Actor, Drama/Action Adventure (Tobey Maguire) - 2002
*** 2. Teen Choice Award: Film - Choice Lip Lock (Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst) - 2002
*** 3. Teen Choice Award: Film - Choice Movie, Drama/Action Adventure - 2002

NOMINATIONS 
I. Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA
*** 1. Saturn Award: Best Actor (Tobey Maguire) - 2003
*** 2. Saturn Award: Best Actress (Kirsten Dunst) - 2003
*** 3. Saturn Award: Best Director (Sam Raimi) - 2003
*** 4. Saturn Award: Best Fantasy Film - 2003
*** 5. Saturn Award: Best Special Effects (John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara, John Frazier) - 2003
II. American Choreography Awards, USA
*** 1. American Choreography Award: Outstanding Achievement in Fight Choreography (John Medlen) - 2002
III. BAFTA Awards
*** 1. BAFTA Film Award: Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects (John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, John Frazier, Anthony LaMolinara) - 2003
IV. Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
*** 1. Critics Choice Award: Best Song (Hero by Chad Kroeger) - 2003
V. Casting Society of America, USA
*** 1. Artios: Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy (Francine Maisler, Lynn Kressel) - 2002
VI. Cinema Audio Society, USA
*** 1. C.A.S. Award: Outstanding Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures (Kevin O' Connell, Greg P. Russell, Ed Novick) - 2003
VII. DVD Exclusive Awards
*** 1. DVD Premiere Award: Best Overall New Extra Features, New Release (Eric Matthies) - 2003
*** 2. DVD Premiere Award: Original Retrospective Documentary, New Release (Eric Matthies and Josh Oreck for "Spider-Man: Mythology of the 21st Century". - 2003
VIII. Empire Awards, UK
*** 1. Empire Award: Best Director (Sam Raimi) - 2003
*** 2. Empire Award: Best Film - 2003
IX. Golden Trailer Awards
*** 1. Golden Trailer: Best Action (Aspect Ratio) - 2002
*** 2. Golden Trailer: Best Music (Giaronomo Productions) - 2002
*** 3. Golden Trailer: Best of Show (Giaronomo Productions) - 2002
*** 4. Golden Trailer: Best of Show (Aspect Ratio) - 2002
X. Grammy Awards
*** 1. Grammy: Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (Danny Elfman) - 2003
*** 2. Grammy: Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (Chad Kroeger for the song "Hero") - 2003
XI. Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards
*** 1. Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award: Best Contemporary Makeup - Feature (Deborah La Mia Denaver, Bill Myer, Lois Burwell) - 2003
XII. Hugo Awards
*** 1. Hugo: Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form - 2003
XIII. Kids' Choice Awards, USA
*** 1. Blimp Award: Favorite Male Butt Kicker (Tobey Maguire) - 2003
*** 2. Blimp Award: Favorite Movie - 2003
*** 3. Blimp Award: Favorite Movie Actress (Kirsten Dunst) - 2003
XIV. MTV Movie Awards
*** 1. MTV Movie Award: Best Male Performance (Tobey Maguire) - 2003
*** 2. MTV Movie Award: Best Movie - 2003
*** 3. MTV Movie Award: Best Villain (Willem Dafoe) - 2003
XV. Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
*** 1. Golden Reel Award: Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features - Dialogue & ADR
*** 2. Golden Reel Award: Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features - Sound Effects & Foley
XVI. Online Film Critics Society Awards
*** 1. OFCS Award: Best Visual Effects (Danny Cangemi, John Frazier, John Dykstra) - 2003
XVII. Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards
*** 1. PFCS Award: Best Original Song ("Hero") - 2003
*** 2. PFCS Award: Best Visual Effects (John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara, John Frazier) - 2003
XVIII. Satellite Awards
*** 1. Golden Satellite Award: Best Film Editing (Eric Zumbrunnen) - 2003
*** 2. Golden Satellite Award: Best Visual Effects (John Dykstra) - 2003 
XIX. Teen Choice Awards
*** 1. Teen Choice Award: Film - Choice Actress, Drama/Action Adventure (Kirsten Dunst) - 2002
*** 2. Teen Choice Award: Film - Choice Chemistry (Kirsten Dunst, Tobey Maguire) - 2002
XX. World Soundtrack Awards
*** 1. World Soundtrack Award: Best Original Soundtrack of the Year - Orchestral (Danny Elfman) - 2002
XXI. World Stunt Awards
*** 1. Taurus Award: Best Fight (Final fight between the Green Goblin and Spiderman in a deserted garden and building. Spiderman takes several hits and a brick wall falls on the Green Goblin) - 2003
XXII. Young Artist Awards
*** 1. Young Artist Award: Best Family Feature Film - Fantasy - 2003

Source: Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/awards)


JR's MOVIE REVIEW

RATING BREAKDOWN:
Movie Plot = 20/20
Portrayal of Characters = 20/20
Graphics and Special Effects = 19/20
Public Popularity Hit = 28/30
Minimal Goofs = 1/10
Total Movie Score: 88/100

AVERAGE STAR RATING: 9 out of 10 Stars
★★★★★★★★★☆ 

I. MOVIE PLOT (20/20)
Being the first Spiderman movie ever, the plot of the movie is definitely new to eyes of its viewers on the time it was released. I for one awaited this film when I was little since the movie Spiderman (2002) interests me. I would never forget the full story of the movie as it really showed the values of love, friendship, and responsibility. After watching this movie, the following movies (Spiderman 2 and Spiderman 3) also made the story of Spiderman much more exciting to the public since the 2 following movies explained some parts within this movie of Spiderman. Even though it has intense scenes, some kids would really make Spiderman as their favorite hero of all time because of this movie.

II.  PORTRAYAL OF CHARACTERS (20/20)
Peter Parker is a geek while Mary Jane Watson is a high school hottie. Peter Parker, as well as Mary Jane Watson, are two of the most recognizable character portrayals within the film. Tobey Maguire truly fulfilled the role of Peter Parker while hiding his appearance as Spiderman. I think Tobey Maguire was made to fit this role because of his very unique somewhat "nerdy" characteristics and his "cool" yet "friendly" attitude towards others. Also, as recognized by Yahoo.com, Tobey Maguire made Peter Parker as one of the Best Secret Superhero Identities. Mary Jane Watson was also one of the recognizable portrayals in the film because of her innocent and cute acting within the film. Kirsten Dunst was made for this role since she truly represented the real-life MJ Watson. 

III. GRAPHICS AND SPECIAL EFFECTS (30/30)
For me, this Superhero Action film is the first ever film to use the best Graphics and Special Effects during the start-up of the first decade of 2000. The movie featured a lot of Graphics like the Web Actions of Spidey and the Flying Glider of the Green Goblin. Spiderman made the movies/films of today better because of its extraordinary use of these effects. 

IV. PUBLIC POPULARITY HIT (19/20)
Spiderman is the most famous Superhero of All Time after Batman. In the Internet Movie Database, Spiderman got an average grade of 7.4 out of a possible 10 which was scored by a total of 174,964 Internet Movie Database members. Also, as we can see in the Box Office Mojo, it was graded an A by 4,043 (45.3% of Total Voters) Box Office Mojo members. Other grades in the Box Office Mojo are as follows: [B = 3,791 (42.5%); C = 729 (8.2%); D = 159 (1.8%); F = 196 (2.2%)]. Also, its public popularity is truly evident by its high box office gross of $821,708,551. It is the highest grossing Spiderman film of All Time.

V. MINIMAL GOOFS (1/10)
The movie has a total of 108 Goofs in the movie according to the Internet Movie Database. To get the score for the Minimal Goofs, JR divided the total number of goofs to the total number of minutes the film has in total. The tabulated total will then be multiplied by 10 and the product will be subtracted from 10 to get the final score. So, 108 divided by 121 minutes is 89.26%. The minimal goof score is then 1 out of a possible 10.

VI. General Reaction
Spiderman is JR's Most Favorite Superhero Film of All Time. Spiderman will be truly remembered in the hearts and minds of all movie fans out there. Spiderman brought up the successes of the films that followed after its release like Fantastic Four, Ironman and X-men. What I liked in the film is the unique character of Peter Parker that hid his superhero ability of Spiderman. I would really miss this film as Sony plans to release a new Spiderman series that would not be the sequel to this Spiderman film.



SPIDERMAN (2002)


DATA SOURCES
1. 
(The Internet Movie Database - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145487/)


2. 
(Box Office Mojo - http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=spiderman.htm)


3. 
(SonyPictures.com - http://spiderman.sonypictures.com/)


4. 
(Yahoo! Movies - http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/collections/gallery/3176/best-and-worst-superhero-secret-identities?nc)


5. 
(YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN3YaybNJ2s)






Notice: Due to some blogs being postponed in publishing this January 2011, JR decided to have a huge revamp on the scheduling of the upcoming movie reviews. Die Hard 4.0 and Iron Man 2 Movie Reviews will be moved to March 2010 instead. JR is very sorry for this technical difficulties encountered this month. Also, due to a huge revamping in JR Late Night Movie Reviews, JR makes huge edits to JR's previous movie reviews last year to make it much more pleasing to your eyes dear blog viewers.


Coming Up,
FEBRUARY 2011
First Week, Twilight
Second Week, Spider-Man 2
Third Week, **blog rest**
Fourth Week, The Proposal


MARCH 2011
First Week, Superbad
Second Week, Saw 2
Third Week, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Fourth Week, Die Hard 4.0
Fifth Week, Spider-Man 3


APRIL 2011
First Week, Clash of the Titans Movie Update
Second Week, Toy Story 3 Movie Update



21 January 2011 (1AM)

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