THE REWATCHABLES · April 19, 2022
A 2002 action / fantasy / superhero directed by Sam Raimi, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The cafeteria sequence where Peter reflexively catches Mary Jane and then beats Flash is highlighted as a great early payoff.
About 40 minPeter tests his powers, designs the suit, and learns web-shooting in a satisfying montage.
About 48 minThe first Goblin-versus-Spider-Man clash is praised as a standout action scene.
About 40 minThe dinner scene is remembered for uncomfortable tension, Goblin menace, and plot revelation.
About 40 minThe upside-down kiss in the rain is treated as the movie’s signature romantic moment.
About 48 minThe final fight is praised for feeling physical and intense despite the CGI era.
About 40 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Van LathanSuggests this film and Spider-Man 2 together are the apex of Raimi Spider-Man.
Charles HolmesSuggests Spider-Man No Way Home may now be the apex for Spider-Man films overall.
Charles HolmesCalls the 2000 X-Men film influential but not as good as Spider-Man.
Van LathanPushes back and says X-Men is not a great movie.
Charles HolmesThinks Cameron’s version would have changed fandom and possibly been more horny.
Van LathanQuestions whether Cameron’s version would actually surpass Raimi’s film.
Van LathanLeans yes, citing lying and bad behavior after Uncle Ben’s death.
Charles HolmesAgrees that Peter’s behavior is suspicious and extreme.
Says the movie scared him as a kid and marked the moment superhero culture became real.
Opening minutesViews the movie as a comforting cultural reset after 9/11.
About 8 minArgues the film’s effects still look seamless and innovative.
About 16 minSays the movie teaches the structure of superhero filmmaking for the next 20 years.
About 24 minLoves the sequence of Peter testing powers and building the suit.
About 48 minCalls the rain-kiss scene the movie’s most iconic and rewatchable moment.
About 48 minThinks Willem Dafoe’s villain performance is wildly committed and still hilarious.
About 56 minCalls the organic web-fluid idea strange and unsatisfying.
About 48 minSays Tobey Maguire is still his definitive Spider-Man.
About 1:04Sees Maguire’s casting as a career-defining win.
About 16 minTreats Raimi as an elite director whose Spider-Man made him a blockbuster maker.
About 32 minThinks Franco worked in the role but jokes that he fit the creepy Harry Osborn type.
About 24 min · medium confidenceSays Dunst is perfectly cast and at her career peak here.
About 24 minThe hosts argue this film established the template for later superhero blockbusters.
About 16 minThey frame the movie as a rare early-2000s event that everyone knew about at once.
About 8 minVan links the film’s release to a sense of exhaling after 9/11.
About 8 minThey emphasize how Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, J.K. Simmons, and Willem Dafoe embody the characters.
About 32 minThey praise how the movie balances big effects with close, physical fights and emotional stakes.
About 24 minSpider-Man reportedly had the first $100 million opening weekend.
About 24 minThe movie grossed about $825 million worldwide.
About 1:12Four costumes from the movie were stolen and later recovered.
About 1:12Willem Dafoe did 90% of his own stunts.
About 1:12 · medium confidenceHugh Jackman was reportedly lined up for a Wolverine cameo that was abandoned.
About 1:12James Franco and Tobey Maguire reportedly had on-set tension.
About 1:12A crew member allegedly offered Joe Manganiello $100 to punch Tobey Maguire for real.
About 1:04 · medium confidenceThe desk role at the wrestling venue was first offered to Tig Notaro before Octavia Spencer auditioned.
About 1:12The episode repeatedly notes that Spider-Man’s first appearance was partly CGI but still combined with practical stunt work.
About 16 minUsed as an early Marvel film that helped pave the way for superhero cinema.
About 8 minMentioned as part of the broader early-2000s blockbuster environment.
About 8 minCited as a same-year blockbuster competing in the same cultural space.
About 8 minUsed as an earlier superhero-film comparison for proving comic-book heroes can work on screen.
About 8 minReferenced as the film that proved a man could fly, by analogy to Spider-Man.
About 16 minCited as a benchmark for early CGI and a huge Cameron-era blockbuster.
About 8 minDiscussed as the comic line that refreshed the character for younger readers.
About 8 minMentioned as Marvel’s darker prestige publishing push before the film.
About 8 minUsed as a later comparison for weaker-looking effects and less tactile action.
About 48 minReferenced as a later Spider-Man film showing the character’s ongoing dominance.
About 32 minMentioned as the film Marvel made after securing financing to control its own movies.
About 1:12Used as a comparison point for box office and the MCU’s scale.
About 32 minReferenced as one of the MCU films where Spider-Man appears.
About 32 minCited as a same-year blockbuster with major franchise momentum.
About 24 minUsed as a later example of high-school casting that actually looked age-appropriate.
About 40 minThe hosts joke about being called up to the ‘majors’ and riff in their nerd-culture voice.
Opening minutesThey repeatedly joke about their age gap and different Spider-Man upbringings.
Opening minutesVan jokes repeatedly about Norman Osborn’s flirtatious, chaotic behavior at Thanksgiving.
About 40 minVan jokes about casting Samuel L. Jackson and Tyrese as a Black Osborn family with waves.
About 1:04They keep laughing at the fact that the teen characters look too old.
About 40 min“this movie scared the shit out of me”Opening minutes
“the movie was just everywhere”About 8 min
“Spider-Man is patient zero”Opening minutes
“I'm something of a scientist too, Peter.”About 56 min
“with great power comes great responsibility”Opening minutes
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Spider-Man, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
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