Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Sam Raimi from a screenplay by David Koepp, it is the first installment in the Spider-Man trilogy, and stars Tobey Maguire as the title character, alongside Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, and Rosemary Harris. The film centers on an outcast teen genius named Peter Parker, who develops spider-like superhuman abilities after being bitten by a genetically-altered spider.
After his foster father/uncle is murdered by an armed felon, something of which he felt partially responsible, a guilt-ridden Parker is later driven to use his new abilities for a nobler purpose, as the hero/vigilante Spider-Man, to atone for his uncle’s murder. The rest of the film focuses on Parker’s efforts to balance his personal life as he graduates from high school and becomes a freelance photographer, while also struggling with his studies, his friendship with his childhood best friend Harry Osborn, his growing feelings for his former high school crush Mary Jane Watson, and his dual life as Spider-Man.
- Starring : Tobey Maguire / Willem Dafoe
- Genre : Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi
- Country : United States
- Language : English
- Director : Sam Raimi
- Production : Columbia Pictures / Marvel Enterprises / Laura Ziskin Productions
- Distributor : Cascade Film / Columbia Pictures / Columbia TriStar Egmont Film Distributors / Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International / Columbia TriStar Film Distributors / Columbia TriStar Film / Columbia TriStar Films AB / Columbia TriStar Films / Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina / Columbia TriStar Films de España / Falcon / Prooptiki / Sony Pictures Filmverleih / Sony Pictures Releasing / Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment / Columbia TriStar / Egmont Entertainment / Fox Network / Kanal 12 / LK-TEL / Nelonen / Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / TV5 / Yorin
Spider-Man movie
Spider-Man release date
- April 30, 2002 : Philippines (premiere)
- May 1, 2002 : Singapore (premiere)
- May 3, 2002 : Canada
- May 3, 2002 : Philippines
- May 3, 2002 : Singapore
- May 3, 2002 : USA
- May 11, 2002 : Japan
- May 16, 2002 : Israel
- May 24, 2002 : India
- June 5, 2002 : Switzerland (French speaking region)
- June 6, 2002 : Australia
- June 6, 2002 : Switzerland (German speaking region)
- June 6, 2002 : Germany
- June 12, 2002 : France
- June 14, 2002 : UK
- June 14, 2002 : Ireland
- June 21, 2002 : Spain
- June 23, 2002 : Sweden
- September 6, 2002 : USA (re-release)
- May 1, 2007 : USA (Tribeca Film Festival)
Spider-Man cast
- Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man / Peter Parker
- Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
- Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson
- James Franco as Harry Osborn
- Cliff Robertson as Ben Parker
- Rosemary Harris as May Parker
- J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
- Joe Manganiello as Flash Thompson
- Gerry Becker as Maximilian Fargas
- Bill Nunn as Joseph ‘Robbie’ Robertson
- Jack Betts as Henry Balkan
- Stanley Anderson as General Slocum
- Ron Perkins as Dr. Mendell Stromm
- Michael Papajohn as Carjacker
- K.K. Dodds as Simkins
After progress on the film stalled for nearly 25 years, it was licensed for a worldwide release by Columbia Pictures in 1999 after it acquired options from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on all previous scripts developed by Cannon Films, Carolco, and New Cannon. Exercising its option on just two elements from the multi-script acquisition (a different screenplay was written by James Cameron, Ted Newsom, John Brancato, Barney Cohen, and Joseph Goldman), Sony hired Koepp to create a working screenplay (credited as Cameron’s), and Koepp received sole credit in final billing. Directors Roland Emmerich, Ang Lee, Chris Columbus, Jan de Bont, M. Night Shyamalan, Tony Scott, and David Fincher were considered to direct the project before Raimi was hired as director in 2000. The Koepp script was rewritten by Scott Rosenberg during pre-production and received a dialogue polish from Alvin Sargent during production. Filming took place in Los Angeles and New York City from January 8 to June 30, 2001. Sony Pictures Imageworks handled the film’s visual effects.
Spider-Man premiered at the Mann Village Theater on April 29, 2002, and was released in the United States four days later on May 3. The film received positive reviews from audiences and critics, who praised Raimi’s direction and tone, the faithfulness and fidelity to the Spider-Man mythos, the action sequences, visual effects, Danny Elfman’s musical score, and the performances of the cast, particularly Dafoe and Maguire. The film became a financial success: it was the first film to reach $100 million in a single weekend, and became the most successful film based on a comic book. With a box office gross of over $821.7 million worldwide, it was the third highest-grossing film of 2002. Spider-Man is credited for redefining the modern superhero genre, as well as the summer blockbuster. Its success led to Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 in 2004 and 2007, respectively.
On a school field trip, outcast high school senior Peter Parker visits a genetics laboratory with his friend Harry Osborn and his crush Mary Jane Watson. While there, Peter is bitten by a genetically engineered “super spider”, and after returning home he falls ill and passes out. Meanwhile, Harry’s father, scientist Norman Osborn, owner of Oscorp, tries to secure an important military contract. He experiments on himself with an unstable performance-enhancing chemical and goes insane, killing his assistant.
The next morning, Peter finds that he is no longer near-sighted and his body has metamorphosized into a more muscular physique. At school, he finds that his body can produce webs, and his quickened reflexes let him avoid injury during a confrontation with bully Flash Thompson. Peter discovers he has developed superhuman speed and strength, the ability to stick to surfaces, and a heightened ability to sense danger.
Brushing off his uncle Ben’s advice that “with great power comes great responsibility”, Peter considers impressing Mary Jane with a car. He enters an underground fighting tournament to raise the money and wins his first match, but the promoter cheats him of his earnings. When a thief suddenly robs the promoter’s office, Peter allows him to escape. Moments later, he discovers that Ben was carjacked and killed. Peter pursues and confronts the carjacker, only to realize it was the thief he let escape. After Peter disarms him, the carjacker flees but dies after falling out a window. Meanwhile, a crazed Norman interrupts a military experiment by Oscorp’s corporate rival Quest Aerospace and kills several scientists and the military’s General Slocum.
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