Spider Man Research Paper

After being in development for what seemed like an eternity, Sam Raimi brought us one of the most definitive superhero films of all time, 2002’s Spider-Man. Following Stephen Norrington’s Blade and Bryan Singer’s X-Men, Spider-Man quickly became a staple of Marvel in cinema, so much so that it warranted two sequels and two reboots following different iterations of the character. Nevertheless, it’s time to reevaluate the film that started the entire franchise just fifteen years ago, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.

Spider-Man is not just a superhero film, but also a coming-of-age story focusing on the meek high-schooler, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire). Peter begins the film as a frequently bullied science-whiz with a knack for photography. He’s constantly picked on by school bully Flash Thompson (Joe Manganiello) and has only one friend, Harry Osborn (James Franco). To top it all off, Peter is subjected to always see his childhood crush, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), in the arms of Flash.

There was a time in film that supervillains weren’t so shallow and wasted, and Green Goblin is proof of that. Willem Dafoe gives a memorable performance as both Norman and the Goblin who has manifested himself in a way that is reminiscent of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. Despite a cartoonish costume, Green Goblin is a complex character that is just as chilling to watch as it is as it is fun.

Franco and Dunst are convincing in their roles as best friend and love interest respectively, and both feel that they have a part to play in the film. Another standout performance is that of J.K. Simmons as the stark publisher of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson. Simmons delivers one of the most accurate portrayals of a comic book character ever, from the hatred of Spider-Man to the tiny moustache, it’s as if J. Jonah Jameson leapt out of the comic panel to the big