Spider-Man film series

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The Spider-Man film series is a group of three serial films starring the title character, as played by Tobey Maguire. The series has been directed by Sam Raimi and distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The films are each based on comic book stories featuring the title character, Spider-Man. Stan Lee, a producer for the film series, originally wrote Spider-Man for Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962). The series began with Spider-Man (2002), continued with Spider-Man 2 (2004) and will become a trilogy with the release of Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Contents 1 Serialized plot 1.1 Spider-Man (1) 1.2 Spider-Man 2 1.3 Spider-Man 3 2 Recurring cast and major characters 2.1 Cameos 3 Reception 4 References

[edit] Serialized plot

[edit] Spider-Man (1)

Main article: Spider-Man (film)

The first film told the story of Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) being bitten by an artificially mutated spider, developing superpowers and deciding how to use them. At first, he wore a simplistic homemade costume to fight a wrestler for a cash prize and won. However, the wrestling manager used a loophole to avoid paying Peter the maximum prize advertized. Embittered, Peter chose not to stop a man from robbering the manager. On his way home, Peter found his uncle Ben shot and watched helplessly as he died. After following the suspected shooter, a carjacker, and besting him in combating, he realized it was the same criminal Peter could have stopped earlier. The terrified criminal accidentally falls out of a window to his death and Peter flees the scene, wracked with guilt. About a month later, Peter is still consumed by guilt over having a fight with his Uncle before he died. Aunt May comforts Peter. It is now that Peter realises what he feels he has to do with his powers. Peter emerges as a superhero in the detailed, film version of Spider-Man's classic comic book costume. Taking the name the wrestling manager announced him by, "Spider-Man", Peter tries to live by the words his uncle Ben told him: "With great power comes great responsibility." As Peter, he also tries to court his highschool love, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and protect her as Spider-Man. To pay rent, Peter also becomes a photographer for the Daily Bugle, and the only one who can get the best pictures of Spider-Man. Around the time Peter was bitten by the spider, Norman Osborn (William Dafoe) tests his own experiemental military gear and drugs, becoming the antagonistic Green Goblin, and goes on to wreak havoc. As the Green Goblin kills Norman's enemies and endangers countless lives, Spider-Man comes forth to stop him. In the end, Peter has little success gaining Mary Jane's affections and the Green Goblin is fatally injured by his own high-tech glider during the film's final battle. Harry Osborn, Peter's best friend and Norman's son, blames his father's death on Spider-Man. Though Peter tries to console him, Harry is determined to seek revenge against Spider-Man.

[edit] Spider-Man 2

Main article: Spider-Man 2

The second film's story is set two years after the Spider-Man's finale, and features Peter facing several problems. He finds balancing his college studies and part-time jobs as Peter while protecting New York City as Spider-Man frustratingly hard. To compound matters, he seems to be losing his powers. Harry, on the other hand, has taken over his father company, Oscorp, and is on the verge of a scientific breakthrough. Peter and several other invited guests watch as Harry's associate, Doctor Otto Octavius attempts a dangerous experiment. Using machanical arms attached to his spine and controlled by a chip connected to his brain, Octavius works with a large, sun-like new power source. However, the experiment goes awry, killing Otto's wife and nearly several others before Peter stops it as Spider-Man. Both Octavius and Harry are devastated by the failure. Octavius also suffers the fate of having the arms permanently welded to his spine and the controller chip destroyed during the accident. The arms, now free to act on their own, commit evil acts while driving Otto to do the same and convince Otto to try the experiment again. Named "Doc Ock" by Daily Bugle Chief J. Jonah Jameson, Otto becomes a criminal to fund his experiment. On top of all this, Peter has been starting to feel as though he's losing his Spider powers. Fearing he is only endangering himself and others, Peter quits being Spider-Man for the time being. As a more relaxed and focused Peter Parker, he successfully lives a "normal life" and tries to reconnect with a now engaged Mary Jane. Mainwhile, New York City is in peral without Spider-Man, though Peter tries to ignore the city's cries for help. However, after a few conversations with his Aunt May, Peter realizes that the city's need for Spider-Man is more important than his personal life. Mainwhile, Doc Ock and Harry make a deal where the former will gain the special element needed for his experiment if Spider-Man is captured for the latter. When asked how to find Spider-Man, Harry says to contact Peter Parker. During a meeting between Peter and Mary Jane the next day, Doc Ock kipnaps the girl, telling Peter to send Spider-Man to save her. in the following confrontation, Spider-Man narrowly saves a train from falling into the sea, but loses his mask and passes out from exhaustion. Many of the awestruck passangers help Peter for the time, but Doc Ock easily disables them and brings Peter back to Harry in costume. Harry, who was planning to knife Spider-Man right then and there, is too shocked to move. Peter then goes after Octavius and shows the man the error of his ways. Together, they stop his most recent experiment, with Octavius and the artificial sun falling into the sea. Mary Jane sees everything and, the next day, stands up the groom of her wedding, John Jameson (Daniel Gillies) to be with Peter. Despite fearing for her safety and warning her of the danger she'd be in the night before, Peter happily accepts Mary Jane's love.

[edit] Spider-Man 3

Main article: Spider-Man 3

Peter basks in the spotlight with his public success as his superhero alter ego, Spider-Man. He tells his aunt May that he's going to propose to Mary Jane.^[1] When the police tell Parker and his aunt that new evidence shows an escaped criminal as being responsible for killing Uncle Ben, Parker goes after the man personally. As Spider-Man, he battles the crininal, who has become "Sandman" and is attacked by his former friend Harry Osborn.^[2][3] During this time, a symbiotic black liquid Peter has never seen before bonds with Peter's costume in his sleep. He awakes to find a strange new level of "power" and his behavior being influencing for the worse. At first, he likes it, but eventually Spider-Man has to fight the villain within, until he finally tears the symbiote from his body.^[4] Afterward, the symbiote bonds with Peter's rival, Eddie Brock, Junior, and the resulting merger creates Venom.^[5]

[edit] Recurring cast and major characters

• Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker / Spider-Man: Peter Parker is a high school kid, who, on a class field trip, gets bitten by a genetically modified spider. The bite gives him the abilities of a spider and he uses them to become Spider-Man. He later becomes a photographer for the Daily Bugle.
• Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson: Mary Jane "MJ" Watson is the girl next door that Peter Parker has a crush on. She later becomes Peter's on-and-off love interest with aspirations to act. She is one of the few who knows that Parker is Spider-Man.
• James Franco as Harry Osborn: Harry Osborn is the son of Norman Osborn and once best friend to Peter Parker. Believing that Spider-Man murdered his father and learning Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Harry targets his former friend directly, seeking revenge.
• Rosemary Harris as May Parker: May Parker is the aunt of Peter Parker and the widow of Ben Parker.
• J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson: J. Jonah Jameson is the chief editor of the Daily Bugle. He carries a personal vendetta against Spider-Man who he considers a criminal.
• Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin: Norman Osborn is the CEO of Oscorp; while testing a strength enhancer, goes insane and becomes the Green Goblin. He is later seen by Harry, tell his son to avenge his death.
• Topher Grace as Eddie Brock Jr. / Venom: Eddie Brock, Jr. is a photographer at the Daily Bugle who has grown increasingly venomous toward Peter Parker, who beats Brock to photography gigs and has attracted the attention of Brock's girl, Gwen Stacy.^[6]
• Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko / Sandman: Flint Marko is a small-time thug who has a wife and daughter.^[7] An accident gives him the ability to change his body into malleable sand, transforming him into Sandman.^[6] Due to new evidence, he is now believed to be the person responsible for Uncle Ben's death.^[1]
• Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy: The daughter of a police captain, Gwen Stacy competes with Mary Jane Watson for Peter Parker's love, despite Eddie Brock, Jr's feelings for her.
• Dylan Baker^[8] as Dr. Curt Connors: Dr. Curt Connors is a college professor under whom Peter Parker studied and with whom he has maintained a good friendship.
• Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus: An idol to Peter and the primary antagonist for the second film.
• Daniel Gillies^[9] as John Jameson: The son of J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson is an astronaut who Mary Jane Watson chose not to marry on the day of their wedding ceremony. He later brings an alien life force back to earth.
• Cliff Robertson as Ben Parker: Ben Parker is the husband to May Parker and uncle of Peter Parker. He is killed during a struggle with a carjacker. Peter lives by his Uncle's words of wisdom, "With great power comes great responsibility."
• James Cromwell^[10] as Captain George Stacy: George Stacy is a police captain and father of Gwen Stacy. He shares the news with Peter and May Parker that new evidence indicates that Flint Marko killed Uncle Ben.^[1]
• Bill Nunn as Joseph "Robbie" Robertson: "Robbie" Robertson is an employee of the Daily Bugle, and friend to many of his coworkers. He believes in Spider-Man despite his boss's resentments about the vigilante superhero.
• Elizabeth Banks as Betty Brant: Betty Brant is the secretary to J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle.
• Stanley Anderson as General Slocum:
• Ted Raimi as Hoffman: Hoffman is an employee of the Daily Bugle who is frequently harassed by his boss J. Jonah Jameson.
• Tim DeZarn as Philip Watson: Philip Watson is the abusive father of Mary Jane Watson.
• Michael Papajohn as Carjacker: Robs the wrestling manager who do not fully pay Peter, and later is suspected of killing Peter's uncle, Ben Parker.

[edit] Cameos

• Stan Lee has a cameo in both of the first Spider-Man films and will have another in Spider-Man 3.^[11] Unlike his previous Spider-Man cameos, he has dialogue with Peter Parker in his cameo for this film. Lee has referred to it as his "best cameo" in an interview.^[12]

• Bruce Campbell has cameo roles as a wrestling ring announcer in Spider-Man and as a rude usher in Spider-Man 2. He will return in Spider-Man 3 with a new cameo.^[13]

[edit] Reception

The first film was largely successful and spurred Sony to make more.

Roger Ebert gave the first film a lukewarm review,^[14] but praised the second movie and gave it four stars. He went on to call it the "greatest super-hero movie since Superman.^[15]

Spider-Man 2 holds the record of highest-grossing box office for a film opening on a Wednesday. It currently has the second best opening weekend for a film opening in July. It has the best five-day gross for a film opening on a Wednesday. It is tied with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith as one of the fastest films to reach $200 million which is 8 days. ^[16]

Critics felt the second film had a dramatic power and emotional content that most summer blockbusters lack. Metacritic gave the film a collective rating of 83 out of 100 based on an average of 41 reviews.^[17] Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 93%, based on 222 reviews.^[18]

[edit] References

Spider-Man
Publications	Main continuity: Amazing Fantasy • The Amazing Spider-Man • Marvel Team-Up The Sensational Spider-Man (vol. 2) • Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man • Spider-Man Unlimited Other continuities: Ultimate Spider-Man • Marvel Adventures Spider-Man • Spider-Girl • Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane
Television	Spider-Man (1967) • Amazing Spider-Man (1978) • Spider-Man (1981) •Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981) • Spider-Man (1994) Spider-Man Unlimited (1999) • Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003) • Untitled Spider-Man Animated Series (2007)
Films	Spider-Man (2002) • Spider-Man 2 (2004) • Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Other topics
Spider-Man writers • Spider-Man artists • Spider-Man supporting characters • Spider-Man villains • Spider-Man's powers and equipment • Video games

Spider-Man films