Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy

[tigertron]

The new series of Spider-Man films just aren't the same without J.K. Simmons.

TOP 10: J. Jonah Jameson Moments (Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3) - YouTube

[welcometothepartypal]

Originally Posted by iank

lol if you say so. Personally i find the new ones utterly charmless and boring, with wooden and infinitely less appealing leads.

+1

[welcometothepartypal]

Originally Posted by Foggy

Good thread.

I think the first film gets a bit of unwarranted bashing, but at the time it was considered the textbook comic book movie. The thing that works about the first film was that it was no-nonsense, it worked because of it's was somewhat simplicity that was just in vein with stuff like Jurassic Park, pure blockbuster filmmaking with humour and character and enough whimsy to make you believe in Spider-Man. And while it is a bit campy, the dark drama doesn't break when it delves in.

I think the problem I have with the reboot series is that they are just big Pastiches of everything they want to be, it wants to be campy, it wants to be serious, it wants to be fantastical, it wants to be human, it wants to be universe building but it wants to stand on it's own two feet. Sure some of the stuff they come up with is really nice but it doesn't hang together. I think the Raimi Spider-Man films are just their own thing (discontinuing the third one for obvious reasons), they're basically formed organically and any flaws they have are natural, while the Amazing Spider-Man films are formed mechanically and the flaws they feature seem consequential of too many cooks.

That's a great way to look at it, that explains how I feel exactly.

[Talzin78]

At a time when comic book films were not treated with the same cinematic respect they garner now, X-Men and Spider Man changed the way Hollywood views comic book adaptions.

That said I love the first 2 Spidey films, and like the 3rd enough. I thought the Raimi touch was perfect from the serial throwback shots, the quick zooms, the music cues, everytyhing felt right. and the underlying message of With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility!! ASM just really lacked that IMO.

We've all had those awkward moments coming of age, dealing with new responsibilities alot of times making wrong turns but ending up back where we should, having to make tough choices to help out our family or friends and sacraficing something that we once thought was what we thought was precious, and questioned our decisions and think things could've been better if we made different choices and realize through other peoples actions that we are where we shoul be.

[mike79]

I like both the original movies and the new ones. Maybe I am just easy to please. I love Spider-man, I read the comics, I have read the Ultimate Universe, the 616, still read the Mile Morales, and the Superior Spider-man. To me, they are all different takes. Just like every comic that had different writers, artists, everyone who has written the comics, or directed them has had their own takes. I think Raimi's had flaws as well as the reboots. Neither are perfect, they both do some things right and wrong. Personally I prefer Garfield to Maguire, but I can still watch the old and new ones and not have any issues.

[Pounder]

Raimi's first two Spider Man movies are just better IMO than Webb's. Much more replay value and more entertaining. I do like Emma Stone over Dunst though.

[Mandalorian]

I still get a kick out of the way people have turned their backs on the Raimi trilogy. Then again, it is the same people every time the discussion comes up. The naysayers are a lot more vocal these days because the fans gave up the fight. The first two are still ranked among the best in the genre, and you can always count on Spider-Man 2 being in the top 5-10 of almost every list from an official site (meaning not just random fans on a message board). I still watch the trilogy from time to time, and while they are too campy, have some poor writing, and equally awkward acting, they still manage to do what they were meant to in spades, BE FUN. Comic book movie discussions on forums like this lack that, meaning fun.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by Pounder

Raimi's first two Spider Man movies are just better IMO than Webb's. Much more replay value and more entertaining. I do like Emma Stone over Dunst though.

This does seem to be the common opinion. Personally I enjoyed the first Spider-Man the most (mostly due to it's camp and focus on fun), followed by the second. The third's biggest issue unlike what many take issue with isn't the number of villains or that Venom has next to no screen time. My issue is the sandman arc, it essentially nullifies a lot of Peters responsibility for his uncles death but at the same time adds nothing. In other words Sandman should have been cut and Venom should have gotten that screen time. The villain up untill Venom could exist should have been Harry. It could have been interesting as well if it focused on the opposite of spiddy 2 with Peter loving everything about being Spider-Man.

As for TAS, the first was very entertaining though it was largely carried by it's two leads. The sequel however was a disaster that I consider to be in company like Batman and Robin in terms of the films quality.

[Elandyll]

To this day I still think that, along with IM1, Spiderman 2 is the best pure comic -book ish movie ever made.
I think this is why Spiderman 3 was so disappointing to me (well, that and the bloated number of vilains, which imo led to Tobey having excesses in the way of character development in order to cram it all in one movie).

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by L.J.

Raimi's Spiderman is my favorite. One of the few trilogies where the second one is better than the first. Even tho the films have aged some now I still enjoy them. Gladd they didn't continue the franchise with a fourth. The third movie isn't that good and would have been bad to just keep making bad sequels. Venom should have been the only villain in the third. To me The Amazing Spiderman is good, I do like this version. Just not as good as Raimi's.

COMPLETELY disagree! Venom shouldn't have been in the movie at all! The movie should have focused solely on Sandman as the villain and Peter dealing with his issue with Harry Osbourne and his "dark side."

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

To this day I still think that, along with IM1, Spiderman 2 is the best pure comic -book ish movie ever made.
I think this is why Spiderman 3 was so disappointing to me (well, that and the bloated number of vilains, which imo led to Tobey having excesses in the way of character development in order to cram it all in one movie).

Agreed 100%!

Iron Man
Spiderman 2
Xmen 2

IMO those are 3 best Marvel superhero movies that have been made thus far.

[celticmoon]

I haven't watched the Raimi films in quite a while. I just bought the new trilogy BD set last week, so I'll check them out again soon. (And yay! Movie money!) I'll see how they hold up for me...

I enjoyed the first two films though. They were campy and cheesy, sure. But somehow they worked. I have most of the same complaints as everyone else regarding the third film, though what I think is most unfortunate about it is that it was the last one, and the ending to that film didn't really feel like an ending to the series. 2 would have been a better ending if it didn't have that sequel hook in there.

[cinemaphile]

Originally Posted by celticmoon

I haven't watched the Raimi films in quite a while. I just bought the new trilogy BD set last week, so I'll check them out again soon. (And yay! Movie money!)

youd have been better off buying them individually. As cheap or cheaper, and THREE movie moneys!

[thegoat]

Thanks for posting the interview. Interesting to hear Raimi's thoughts on Spiderman 3 and 4 and the reboot decision. The first hour or so of 3 is solid and a welcome addition to the series. The character continuation, the parallels to the older films, the comedy, and the action is all great. Certain aspects of the story just didn't work. Throwing in an accomplice to Ben's murder (though the Sandman was an wonderfully portrayed character), the symbiote, and Harry's amnesia all felt very first draft. This feeling became more pronounced as the film went on, unfortunately.

The first movie is arguably the most iconic superhero movie of all time, alongside Reeve's Superman and The Dark Knight (real credit goes to the Joker, though). The upside down kiss, the shot of Spidey on the flagpole, the "With great power" line, J.K. Simmons at the Bugle, all instantly accepted cultural icons. It was the highest grossing movie of its year, beating out powerhouse installments of Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings, and alongside X-Men, it paved the way for the modern superhero genre.

That said, gonna go see the AS2 in an hour and looking forward to it.

[celticmoon]

Originally Posted by cinemaphile

youd have been better off buying them individually. As cheap or cheaper, and THREE movie moneys!

Wow, you're totally right. I'm usually savvy about this things; Can't believe I didn't see that. Haha.

[Trigger89]

Originally Posted by tigertron

The new series of Spider-Man films just aren't the same without J.K. Simmons.

TOP 10: J. Jonah Jameson Moments (Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3) - YouTube

One of the many reasons why I like Raimi's Spiderman trilogy.

[Dragon Lee]

Spidey 1 was good. Pt 2 was great. Pt 3 sucked ass. Amazing Spidey 1 was extremely mediocre. Amaing 2 is getting mediocre reviews (and Im personally not interested enough to get out and watch it). in conclusion, The first 2 Raimi films own the current films.

[shanedalton]

Originally Posted by tigertron

Depends on how you look at it really. On one hand it's incredibly cringe worthy and on the other it's a laugh and funny to watch.

My favorite part of that movie, actually!

[Jasonic]

It shames me to say after all these years I still only own Spidey 3 despite it being the worst of the films. Just haven't gotten around to purchasing the first two for some reason.

I enjoyed the Amazing Spider-Man, but overall it just felt uninspired. It lacked the overhaul the series needed after only being rebooted after 5 years. People say it tried to be more darker and realistic in accordance with the success of the Dark Knight movies. I don't see that at all. The overall tone felt too similar to the previous movies, without Raimi's inspired touches. And in many ways it felt more comicy with how ridiculous the Lizard looked.
I just wanted to see them try something new, and while I haven't yet seen the second movie, it sure doesn't seem like they are trying to tread new ground. A Sinister Six movie does have me intrigued though.

[SilentDawn]

Great thread, Spider-Man 2 is one of my all time favorite movies.

In fact, I just did a rambling/review on it!


http://letterboxd.com/silentdawn/film/spider-man-2/