Spider-Man
*“Whatever life holds 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”
*
“I chose my path, you chose the way of the hero. And they found you amusing for a while, the people of this city. But the one thing they fall in love with more than a hero… is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. In spite of everything you’ve done for them, eventually they will hate you”
“Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option”
“Spider-Man. This is why only fools are heroes - because you never know when some lunatic will come along with a sadistic choice. Let die the woman you love…or suffer the little children? Make your choice Spider-Man, and see how a hero is rewarded”
This film, with just these quotes alone, couldn’t embody the meaning of Spider-Man any more perfectly. Spider-Man isn’t just a superhero, it’s a symbol of hope, responsibility, and doing good things with no desire for reward, but doing them because they’re right. And despite Spider-Man being super, it represents the idea that ordinary people can and should, do good - it doesn’t matter whether the act of good is saving New York or something as small as a compliment, being an average person where your impact on the world feels minimal, is no excuse to not do good.
(This quote at the beginning of the film perfectly embodies that:
“Who am I? You sure you want to know? The story of my life is not for the faint of heart. If somebody told you 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. But let me assure you, this, like any story worth telling, is all about a girl. That girl, The girl next door. Mary Jane Watson. The woman I loved since before I even liked girls. I'd like to tell you that's me next to her (camera pans to Flash Thompson) Aw, heck, I'd even take him (camera pans to random guy eating a donut). [But] That's me. Peter Parker” (camera pans to Peter, running after the bus).
It’s just absolutely masterful from Sam Raimi. In addition to that, Green Goblin, as shown with the quotes at the start, is the perfect villain to develop Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Portrayed absolutely brilliantly by Willem Dafoe, hearing his split personality and the inner monologue of both Norman Osborn and Green Goblin, is so entertaining and incredibly meaningful (he also looks terrifying and is really engaging in action sequences). But then how green goblin’s dialogue is intertwined with Uncle Ben’s death and whether Peter wants to take on the responsibility of Spider-Man, despite it potentially putting his friends and family at risk, is just absolutely perfect. It’s a flawless origin story for both the character (Peter Parker) and the superhero (Spider-Man).
I thought for a long time that Batman Begins was the best superhero origin film however I actually think this might be better. The action might be slightly worse (the hand to hand combat is miles better though), but the themes it explores and how it so intricately deals with the issues of being a Superhero, especially one with a hidden identity, is so good. What this film does, is exactly what the MCU Spider-Man lacks, even after the attempts it made in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
In conclusion, one of THE landmark superhero films. This is what they should be. Real human themes intertwined with complex and intricate SUPER-human themes. Could be Sam Raimi’s Magnum Opus (I need to rewatch Spider-Man 2 though: that might somehow be better than this).