Kirsten Dunst - FILM & TELEVISION REVIEW

HEADER: Tobey Maguire & Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man (2002)

Spider-Man (2002)

Columbia Pictures

Directed by Sam Raimi

Screenplay by David Koepp based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

2hrs 1min / Rated PG-13

CAST: Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin/Norman Osborn), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson), James Franco (Harry Osborn), Cliff Robertson (Ben Parker), Rosemary Harris (May Parker), J.K. Simmons (J. Jonah Jameson).

Still one of the most fully realized of all of the superhero films, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man is flawless, from the casting, to the dynamic between Peter Parker and his Aunt and Uncle, to the fumbling of the teen-age love triangle. All the leads are a spot on and Raimi doesn’t miss a trick as he brings Lee and Ditko’s amazing creation to life. David Koepp’s script is well developed and retains the spirit of the origin of Spider-Man while deepening the pathos and humor. It is as though we are looking into Stan Lee’s mind as he re-imagines the story in the 21st century. So much of what he wrote in the 1960’s blossoms on the screen with all of the power of his imagination as envisioned through Sam Raimi’s eyes.

Kirsten Dunst & Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man (2002)

Toby Maguire makes the perfect Peter Parker with his self effacing demeanor and stubborn resolve. James Franco is the ideal counterpoint with his over confident swagger and questionable morals. They are opposites except in their attraction to the same girl and together, they weave Mary Jane into a web that binds them in their inarticulateness. Kirsten Dunst underplays Mary Jane; her pauses are well timed as she tries to figure out what it is about Spider-Man that so strongly attracts her while Peter remains an enigma.

James Franco & Willem Defoe in Spider-Man (2002)

Willem Defoe’s performance is powerful in both roles of Norman Osborne/Green Goblin as he slowly looses his mind under all the pressure of his business disintegrating.

Cliff Roberson, Rosemary Harris, & J.K. Simmons in Spider-Man (2002)

Cliff Robertson & Rosemary Harris fully embody Peter’s Aunt & Uncle with seemingly effortless performances that are stand outs as supporting roles. J.K. Simmons was born to play J. Jonah Jameson and runs with it. Of course Bruce Campbell shows up to give us some comic relief as Peter tries to win money to buy a car so he can impress M.J. Everything goes wrong from that point on.

Tobey Maguire & Bruce Campbell in Spider-Man (2002)

There are a number of wonderful scenes in this movie and the kiss in the rain is among the great screen kisses. Spider-Man is and has long been one of Stan Lee’s most popular creations. This film brought his web slinger to an even wider audience by bringing it to life as it was imagined by so many of the readers of the early comic books. Spider-Man’s continuing popularity stems from the way that Stan Lee imagined the character right from the start. It was an interesting concept because it was unique among costumed heroes of the time.

Quite simply, Lee found a way to make the conventional super-hero sidekick the lead. It was a character that young readers could truly identify with, and that is what the readers responded to. In their wonderful book, The Comic Book Heroes (Prima, 1997) Gerard Jones and Will Jacobs call the chapter on Spider-Man, “The Hero Who Could Be You”. In the chapter they use the debut of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy # 15 (August, 1962) from which the first film draws heavily and describes the character as:

“Here was a solo hero, not a kid sidekick or a team member, who was really a teenager, and a teenager who wasn’t happy-go-lucky or goofily cute but truly complex and tormented.”
And:
“His first thoughts were of money and glory. Here was a believably ambivalent hero, who grew into his superheroic role by way of his personal life.”
Gerard Jones & Will Jacobs, The Comic Book Heroes (Prima, 1997)

Peter Parker was redefining the role of the hero behind the mask and became more believable than most of the existing characters and by extension so was Spider-Man. Young readers (and some not so young) were soon clamoring for more. Stan’s universe was in its infancy and there was so much more to come, but Spider-Man was destined to lead the way.

Like much of comic book history, the actual process in creating the character depends on who you ask, but according to Jones & Jacobs it was a collaboration between Lee and his two top artists, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Lee felt that Kirby’s interpretation of the character made Spider-Man too noble which is not what Lee had in mind. Ditko’s more unusual style better suited the fledging hero and the stories that Lee had to tell. It was this decision by Lee and the follow-up, which were the first stories, that began the odyssey of the friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.