20 years ago this week...Spider-Man was released- Is it the best superhero movie? 1 1

[Robot Man]

I’ve yet to see anything done well with the Hulk. Always one of my favorite characters as a kid.

He just never comes across well in live action and did dialog is how you say “limited”…

[mattn792]

I can't believe it's been 20 years since Spider-Man was released, I still remember organizing a mass outing for me and a bunch of my college buddies to go see it on opening day.  Absolutely loved it, and still do.

Stacking up the superhero movies of that era though (no way I'll even try to compare them to the current MCU or Bale's Batman), I'd rank it:

X-Men 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 1

What bumps Spider-Man 2 just a bit above 1 was how great Alfred Molina was as Dr. Octopus.  Older me really came to appreciate the meeting he and Tobey Maguire had prior to the fusion experiment in his loft.  The dialogue exchange really humanizes the character and makes him likeably tragic, even in the worst throes of his villainy.  It wasn't quite as easy to do that with Dafoe, because he's just naturally a little weird and creepy.

[zuckuss2003]

Superman

Spider-Man 2

Avengers

Batman Begins

Guardians of the Galaxy

There are so many that are really enjoyable as a long time comic book reader. I couldn't possibly assign a best any more.

[comicginger1789]

For me, it will be always be the second best Spider-Man, after Spider-Man 2. I rewatched a couple years ago and it still held up. Some of the effects are a tad dated but overall, very well adapted and told. It alongside Spider-Man 2 makes as formidable 1-2 punch as any in the MCU today. You could nitpick Tobey and other aspects but something about seeing Spidey in all his glory for the first time on the big screen the way he was meant to be can never be beaten. 

I would LOVE for a return to this universe for a tale to wrap up Tobey's Spidey story in some way.

Edited May 6, 2022 by comicginger1789

[Cat]

On 5/7/2022 at 3:32 AM, Robot Man said:

 In the comics, his web would eventually run out and he had to use head to get out of a jam. 

...... We've all been there, amirite? 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 5/6/2022 at 1:13 PM, Cat said:

On 5/6/2022 at 12:32 PM, Robot Man said:

In the comics, his web would eventually run out and he had to use head to get out of a jam. 

...... We've all been there, amirite? 

poon? amirite?

Edited May 6, 2022 by ADAMANTIUM

[chrisco37]

I loved the movie.  The first half is almost perfect.  I, too, wasn't really a fan of the Goblin in this movie (but I thought he was great in NWH) so the second half wasn't as good.  I think Spidey 2 is the better movie. 

My favorite comic book movie probably would be The Avengers.   It just blew me away.  For me, it was really seeing the Marvel Universe that I knew & loved come to life.  It was what I had been waiting for all these years.  

[kav]

On 5/6/2022 at 4:16 AM, dhgladiator said:

Yes, we love the print versions of our comics and we love to discuss different artists’ versions of our beloved characters but now that the film versions are reaching important milestones, like the 20th anniversary of Tobey Maguire as the web slinger, we can finally discuss the importance of this adaptation.

So, 20 years on, is the 2002 version of Spider-Man, the best movie adaptation of the character? Is it the best superhero movie ever (at least amongst all the Marvel character adaptations)? Where does the movie sit in your opinion amongst the canon 20 years later?

Absolutely.  And it showed what superhero movies could be.  The best of all time.  Spider man 2 wasnt better for various reasons, a lot of gaffes like the silly inhibitor chip plot convenience and people gasping when the needles went in octo-doctopus back but how could they see that he was facing them.

[kav]

On 5/6/2022 at 10:36 AM, Robot Man said:

I’ve yet to see anything done well with the Hulk. Always one of my favorite characters as a kid.

He just never comes across well in live action and did dialog is how you say “limited”…

cant really do a good Hulk movie.  Even the hulk comics of the 60s and 70s were just 'hulk smash!' thats not really the stuff of drama.  Never understood why ppl even read Hulk.

[Robot Man]

On 5/6/2022 at 1:10 PM, kav said:

cant really do a good Hulk movie.  Even the hulk comics of the 60s and 70s were just 'hulk smash!' thats not really the stuff of drama.  Never understood why ppl even read Hulk.

Hey, I was 9 or 10 I also liked dinosaurs and Rat Fink…

[alexgross.com]

it's far from the best superhero movie, but i remember when it came out and it was pretty exciting for comic lovers like me. it's fun, but i also liked number 2 better. however for me, the x-men movie was a bigger deal, being the first marvel character movie in that era, and also happening to be my favorite comic as a kid. 

both were fun franchises and i think their success indirectly led to what we got later from feige and the MCU. i personally think infinity war/endgame taken as one big movie is the best superhero movie ever made. but it could never have been done without spiderman and the xmen films coming first. 

[dhgladiator]

On 5/6/2022 at 1:42 PM, mattn792 said:

I can't believe it's been 20 years since Spider-Man was released, I still remember organizing a mass outing for me and a bunch of my college buddies to go see it on opening day.  Absolutely loved it, and still do.

Stacking up the superhero movies of that era though (no way I'll even try to compare them to the current MCU or Bale's Batman), I'd rank it:

X-Men 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 1

What bumps Spider-Man 2 just a bit above 1 was how great Alfred Molina was as Dr. Octopus.  Older me really came to appreciate the meeting he and Tobey Maguire had prior to the fusion experiment in his loft.  The dialogue exchange really humanizes the character and makes him likeably tragic, even in the worst throes of his villainy.  It wasn't quite as easy to do that with Dafoe, because he's just naturally a little weird and creepy.

Yep, 20 years ! There is definitely a nostalgia factor to the first Spider-Man movie. It also happened at an interesting time in terms of world events at that moment. I’m inclined to agree that Doc Ock was a great villain in the 2nd movie, however, the origin portion and the unknown of where they were taking the character in the first movie was something that made it memorable. I also agree with shadroch’s earlier comment that the scenes in the movie where you are swinging down the streets were fantastic!

[Lpgk]

Top 5 (in no particular order):

 

Spiderman 2 (Raimi)

Enter the Spiderverse

Civil War (I never get tired of the airport battle scene)

Avengers Endgame

Logan

 

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 5/6/2022 at 7:40 PM, Lpgk said:

Top 5 (in no particular order):

 

Spiderman 2 (Raimi)

Enter the Spiderverse

Civil War (I never get tired of the airport battle scene)

Avengers Endgame

Logan

 

Nice to see someone mention Logan. I was new to the scene then, I've picked up along the way with plenty still available. But I enjoyed it.

Hit me as noir but I enjoyed it.

[Skylath]

On 5/6/2022 at 5:16 AM, dhgladiator said:

Yes, we love the print versions of our comics and we love to discuss different artists’ versions of our beloved characters but now that the film versions are reaching important milestones, like the 20th anniversary of Tobey Maguire as the web slinger, we can finally discuss the importance of this adaptation.

So, 20 years on, is the 2002 version of Spider-Man, the best movie adaptation of the character? Is it the best superhero movie ever (at least amongst all the Marvel character adaptations)? Where does the movie sit in your opinion amongst the canon 20 years later?

The movie itself may not be the best adaptation of the Arachknight, but Maguire definitely gave the character that humanistic aspect that made the character so relatable to youths (both past and present) in the first place. Definitely not the best superhero movie ever (Marvel or no), but still pretty exceptional as far as films from the early 2000s go, with Peter's constant grappling of morality (whether it was his relationship with Uncle Ben, saving Mary Jane or the kids, or even his dealing with Green Goblin/Norman, et cetera et cetera) as well as the cathedral fight being my personal highlights from the film. I personally am happy that it's around nonetheless and along with 2 has a very special place in my heart as being a "zoomer" (to put in the parlance of our times) I grew up with these films and they developed my interest in comic books by and large (although if we want to get into personal favorites of Stan Lee's actual work in the books I treasure his work on Fantastic Four tenfold in comparison to the Spidey comics).

[grendelbo]

Spider-Man 2 was.

Into the Spider-Verse & Superman next.

Then I might go with a History of Violence. Not a superhero movie but I'm not going to be particular about genres when thinking about movies based on comic books.

[dupont2005]

Chronicle, Special, Super, Kick , Unbreakable

Edited May 7, 2022 by dupont2005

[speedcake]

Is it the best Super-hero film? I guess that's debatable. I don't think I'd rank it as tops. I loved it then and I still love it now, and it was greatly responsible for everything that's come since. Not solely, but in large part.

But what will always make this film truly special, and what ensures it's place at or near the top of super-hero films for me, is how I felt sitting there watching it. After all the anticipation, the excitement over a serious take on the Amazing freaking SPIDER-MAN, there we all were sitting in a theater with buckets of popcorn, sodas, our candy, just being absolutely, fantastically, unforgettably entertained by Peter, the Goblin, MJ, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, and all the rest. 

Ya there have been better super-hero films since. There have been better Spidey films since. There have been better D.C. films since. But none of those ever made me feel the way I did watching the first Spidey on the big screen for the first time.

X-Men for me is very close, though. I was far more of an X-Men fan when it came to the comics themselves, and the movie blew me away. The first time I saw their powers being used on screen I got chills every single time. And I absolutely agree that X2 is the best of those films.

Avengers came close. Guardians of the Galaxy is up there if for nothing else than the sheer rip roaring experience of seeing the first time on the big screen.

But man, Amazing Spider-Man was and is just special. 

How lucky did we get? Over twenty years now of comics on the big screen! Love em, hate em, argue about em, cry about em, shout about em. At least we got em. 

 

 

[B2D327]

On 5/6/2022 at 9:42 AM, darkstar said:

Maguire makes it unwatchable 

BLASPHEMY!

[THE_BEYONDER]

I hated Maguire as Spidey.     Love Raimi though.  The casting was terrible all around, with the exception of Dafoe.  But then they went ahead ruined that by putting him in a Power Rangers outfit.
 

Spidey 2 was much better, except for...

Maguire.
 

 Spidey 3 

 

They should have cast Topher Grace as Spidey.  He would have made a perfect Peter Parker. 
 

As for an overall & across the ages BEST Superhero movie?

 

There can be only one....