Sam Raimi is one of the first actual comics fans to direct a superhero movie. Shock and awe. After 25 years of development hell, a Spider-movie finally came out at the turn of the century that was well cast, well written, and which understood the character. The great superhero movie rewatch looks at the 2002 Spider-Man.
An excerpt:
The two standout performances are by J.K. Simmons and Willem Dafoe. The latter is despite the best efforts of the script, as there’s a lot of clunky dialogue here, and Osborn gets some of the worst of it. Having said that, he elevates the material, making Osborn’s Gollum-and-Smeagol act as his Goblin persona convinces Osborn to do evil things much more convincing than it deserves to be.
