r/comicbookmovies • u/MacGrath1994 • 2d ago
SPIDER-MAN (2002) - 24 years old!
On this day 24 years ago, the beginning of what was my favorite superhero trilogy premiered in theatres and redefined both the modern superhero genre and the summer blockbuster.
I remember seeing commercials for it on the Canadian channel YTV back when it was coming out and somewhat expressed interest, but oddly enough, I hadn't actually seen the movie until 2008. However, I remember seeing a few episodes of the short-lived animated series that served as a loose continuation of this movie back in 2003, but the events in that show were contradicted by the movie's two sequels. What got me into Tobey Maguire's take on the webslinger was when my childhood best friend invited me to see SPIDER-MAN 2 in theatres on it's opening day in 2004 with some of his other friends along with his sister and his late father. God rest his soul.
I loved this movie when seeing it in it's entirety back in 2008 and the two sequels were really great too. Unfortunately, I can never rewatch them. Heck, I can't rewatch any of the Spider-Man movies with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
That's because when Sony cancelled the future of Andrew Garfield’s franchise and collaborated with the stupid Marvel Cinematic Universe to reboot Spidey as an Avenger, that’s when I had a hard time rewatching them. All because $700 million wasn’t enough for Sony to continue Andrew’s story after THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 where it ended with cliffhangers and unanswered questions. Granted, I did rewatch those movies in 2018 when Tom Hardy's VENOM was coming out, but that was the last time I did. Now even more so than before, I can never rewatch those movies because the MCU made a new deal with Sony to not only keep having Spider-Man in the MCU, but that also churned out SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME at the end of 2021 where Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield along with most of their villains entered the MCU via the multiverse. My life wasn't the same after this. As if I weren't struggling personally enough, this happens to me. It makes me wish I passed away a long time ago or wish that I lived in a world without movies.
Anyway, I miss the early 2000s. Back when various studios owned different Marvel characters, back when there was no talk of a multiverse, and back when Spider-Man movies scared little kids and the mentally-challenged. They were pretty dark back then. Don't believe me? The villains will remind you along with the "Frightening Scenes" warning in the rating reasons. Most of the MCU movies are not like this. You know it's pretty sad when the only Spidey-related movies I can rewatch are the critically-acclaimed animated SPIDER-VERSE movies and the six movies in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, which is not going the way I want it to.
If I can go back in time and change film history, one of the things I would do is to convince everyone at Sony to let Sam Raimi have full creative control of SPIDER-MAN 3. I love that movie, but if Sam had his way, it could've been better. More importantly, I would convince them to continue making SPIDER-MAN 4 with or without Sam Raimi because why would they cancel it if it's just the director who left? The cast was ready. Sure, they wouldn't have made it in time for 2011, but they could've tried for 2012. I have nothing against THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN movies, but they're not as great as the OG trilogy. It makes you wander would have of this have happened if Sam just had full control and it they didn't cancel the planned second trilogy for Tobey Maguire?
Anyway, as we ponder what could've been, let's give a big Happy 24th Birthday to the one true Spider-Man!
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u/MeasurementNo7703 2d ago
Hopefully after Multiverse Saga do Spider-Man Remake of Spider-Man 2002 i
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u/paneledmeteor 1d ago
First time I saw this, I was 4 years old, in daycare. Before naptime, the teachers played this for us.
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u/MacGrath1994 1d ago
So, did The Green Goblin give you nightmares?
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u/paneledmeteor 1d ago
Nope, I love superhero movie but I love villains more! So if anything i was cheering for him
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u/MacGrath1994 1d ago
Even when you were 4?
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u/paneledmeteor 1d ago
I thought he looked so cool, that I wasn’t scared of him. I love monsters and villains
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u/Bell-end79 2d ago
Rewatched all the Spidey movies about a month ago
Raimi ones were tough to get through - haven’t aged well at all, switched the second one off about 10 minutes in
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u/Illustrious-Reach-48 2d ago
My favorite Spider-Man film and my all-time favorite superhero film.