Spider-Man has been one of the most iconic and beloved superheroes for decades and was also one of the key characters in making comic book movies Hollywood’s biggest draw. After filmmakers like James Cameron failed to bring Spidey to the bug screen, Sam Raimi succeeded and created some of the most beloved superhero movies ever made.
While Spider-Man continues to be successful long after Raimi’s films ended, there are still some who prefer those adventures to the more recent Spider-Man films. Of course, Raimi’s films were not perfect and there are some aspects we’re glad to be done with. Here are some things we miss and don’t miss about Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.
Miss: The Cast
Raimi’s movies did an amazing job of bringing iconic characters to life in a way that felt like they were coming straight from the pages of the comics. A lot of that had to do with the talented cast he assembled for his films.
Tobey Maguire made for an excellent and inspiring Spider-Man, playing the awkwardness of the character wonderfully. His supporting cast included great performances from Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and J.K. Simmons, all helping to define their roles, while great actors like Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina made for spectacular villains.
Don’t Miss: Old Man Spider-Man
One of the most fun aspects of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Miles Morales in Into the Spider-Verse is that they seem so youthful. Watching the Raimi films, you might forget that Spider-Man is supposed to be a young kid thrown into an extraordinary situation.
As charming and effective as Tobey Maguire can be in the role, he did not feel young. In fact, he was rushed out of high school halfway through the first film. Seeing the more recent films, it’s clear that having a younger Spider-Man gives the character a much different and interesting feel.
Miss: Sam Raimi’s Style
The idea of the director behind Evil Dead directing a Spider-Man film sounded like a crazy idea back in the day. As a surprise to everyone, Raimi proved to be a pretty great fit for the character and made the transition to big-budget filmmaking while maintaining his unique style.
Raimi’s work has always had a kooky edge to it, and he is able to fully embrace it in these films as well. It might seem like a weird fit for a big comic book movie, but it works surprisingly well and gives each film a distinct feel that separates it from other superhero movies.
Don’t Miss: Dull Romance
Romance has always been a tough thing for superhero movies to pull off and Raimi’s films were no different. The romance between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson has always been a big part of the comics, but it was always uninteresting in these movies.
The actors were solid and they had chemistry, but not in that way. The movies seemed to think the only way to make their romance engaging was to throw forced love triangles in each installment. By the end, it was hard to care much about their relationship at all.
Miss: Action Sequences
As fun as the MCU Spider-Man films are, their action sequences have never been all that memorable. The humor and characters make those films work but the action feels like typical superhero stuff.
This is one area in which the Raimi films really excelled. Even the sequences of Spider-Man swinging around New York City were thrilling as it felt like something we’d never seen before. Also, the train sequence in Spider-Man 2 remains one of the best action sequences in any comic book movie.
Don’t Miss: Goblin Drama
Willem Dafoe helped kick the franchise off with his stellar villain of Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin. However, Dafoe might have been too good as his character cast a large shadow over the rest of the movie.
From beyond the grave, Norman influenced his son Harry to become the next Green Goblin and kill Spider-Man. The whole storyline was stretched over the entire trilogy and always felt a little thin. By the end, it was pretty tiresome and the emotional impact of the storyline faded away.
Miss: Stand-Alone Stories
It’s undeniably fun to see Spider-Man as part of the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe and interacting with other iconic heroes. However, the fact that Raimi’s Spider-Man was only a part of his own smaller universe was effective.
Once you see Spider-Man go into space and fight Thanos, the notion of the friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man is pretty much gone. Raimi’s films had a charm to them for being self-contained stories that are actually quite intimate compared to other modern superhero movies.
Don’t Miss: Lackluster Venom
Spider-Man has one of the greatest rosters of villains of any superhero, but perhaps the most beloved Spidey bad guy is Venom. Needless to say, fans were thrilled to learn Venom would be included in Spider-Man 3 but things did not go as well as the fans were hoping.
The casting of Topher Grace in the role raised some eyebrows initially as well as the lack of the character in the trailers. The end result was a character fans loved showing up in the third act and feeling very different from the Venom we were hoping for. It seemed pretty clear Raimi had little to no interest in the character.
Miss: Cartoonish Fun
Something all of the Spider-Man films seem to have understood is that these stories should have a sense of fun. The MCU Spider-Man films are basically high school comedies and Into the Spiderverse is filled with great humor. Raimi’s films took a fun approach as well, but in a different tone.
Raimi seemed to embrace the cartoonish nature of the story and filled the movies with tongue-in-cheek and off-beat humor. It felt cheesy at times, but in a good way. It was an unexpected approach that gave the films a lot of charm.
Don’t Miss: Uneven Tone
The downside of the unusual humor that added a spark to these films was that Raimi sometimes got carried away with it. The infamous disco dance in Spider-Man 3 has been rightfully mocked for years, but it’s even more bizarre when you look at the film around that moment.
The story of Spider-Man 3 is Peter Parker’s spiral into darkness. Raimi’s brand of humor really bumps up against such a story. He has ridiculous dancing scenes that are likely intentionally goofy then followed by a scene of him hitting Mary Jane. Raimi seems unable to juggle the two tones effectively.
