Based on Marvel Comics' superhero character, this action-oriented superhero saga delves into the trials and triumphs in the life of Peter Parker, who is a nerdy teenager in high school. In an inexplicable occurrence, one day while on an excursion to a laboratory, a runaway radioactive spider bites him... and his life changes in a way no one could have imagined. Peter acquires immense superpowers that open up a whole new set of possibilities for him, but will he get the chance to explore them?
An eccentric millionaire Norman Osborn administers a performance enhancing drug on himself and his maniacal alter ego Green Goblin emerges. Now Peter Parker has to become Spider-Man and defeat Green Goblin before the goblin wreaks havoc in the city. Will Spiderman succeed in defeating the Green Goblin?
Cast: James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe
Crew: Sam Raimi (Director), Don Burgess (Director of Photography), Danny Elfman (Music Director)
Rating: U (India), M (Australia)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Thriller
Release Dates: 24 May 2002 (India)
Tagline: With great power comes great responsibility.
Did you know? The first film to gross $100 million in its opening weekend alone. At the time, no movie had done so, even when adjusted for inflation. Read More
as Harry Osborn
as Mary Jane Watson
as Spider-Man / Peter Parker
as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn
as Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson
Supporting Actor
as Ben Parker
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
as Maximilian Fargas
as J. Jonah Jameson
as Henry Balkan
Supporting Actress
as Flash Thompson
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
as Carjacker
Supporting Actress
Supporting Actor
as Dr. Mendell Stromm
as May Parker
as General Slocum
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
Direction
Director
Second Unit Director
First Assistant Director
Second Assistant Director
Assistant Director
Production
Producer
Production Company
Co-Producer
Executive Producer
Associate Producer
Distribution
Camera and Electrical
Director of Photography
Still Photographer
Key Grip
Camera Operator
Grip
Gaffer
Music
Music Director
Music Label
Playback Singer
Music Editor
Sound
Sound Designer
Foley Editor
Sound Editor
Sound Mixer
Sound Effects Editor
Sound Re-recording Mixer
Foley Artist
Boom Operator
Animation
Animator
Art
Production Designer
Art Director
Prop Master
Set Designer
Set Decorator
Storyboard Artist
Set Dresser
Casting
Casting Director
Casting Associate
Extras Casting
Casting Assistant
Editorial
Editor
Associate Editor
First Assistant Editor
Assistant Editor
Makeup and Hair
Makeup Artist
Special Effects Makeup Artist
Hair Stylist
Post Production
Colorist
Special Effects
Special Effects Coordinator
Special Effects Technician
Special Effects Studio
Stunts
Stunt Director
Stunt Coordinator
Stunt Performer
Visual Effects
Visual Effects Producer
CG Supervisor
Visual Effects Studio
Visual Effects Coordinator
Digital Compositor
Film Type:
Feature
Language:
English
Colour Info:
Color
Sound Mix:
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
1.85:1 (Flat)
Stereoscopy:
No
Taglines:
With great power comes great responsibility.
An Ordinary Man. An Extraordinary Power.
Get Ready For The Ultimate Spin!
Do you want to know who I am? I'm Spider-Man
Next Summer, One Hero will take you for the Ultimate Spin
On May Third, the Entire World Will Connect to the Web.
A Gift. A Curse. A Destiny.
If somebody told you I was just your average guy, not a care in the world... somebody lied.
This is my gift. It is my curse.
Go for the ultimate spin
Turn your world upside down
An Ordinary Man. An Extraordinary Power.
Get Ready For The Ultimate Spin!
Do you want to know who I am? I'm Spider-Man
Next Summer, One Hero will take you for the Ultimate Spin
On May Third, the Entire World Will Connect to the Web.
A Gift. A Curse. A Destiny.
If somebody told you I was just your average guy, not a care in the world... somebody lied.
This is my gift. It is my curse.
Go for the ultimate spin
Turn your world upside down
Movie Connection(s):
Followed by: Spiderman-2 (English)
Followed by: Spider-Man 3 (English)
Referenced in: X-Men: First Class (English)
Followed by: Spider-Man 3 (English)
Referenced in: X-Men: First Class (English)
Filming Locations:
New York City, New York, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
New York Public Library - Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA
Ascan Avenue, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Austin Street, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Bryant Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Columbia University - Broadway & 116th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Dorsey High School - 3757 Farmdale Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA
Flatiron Building - 175 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - 900 Exposition Boulevard, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
Queens Boulevard, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Queensboro Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Rockwell Defense Plant - Bellflower & Imperial Highway, Downey, California, USA
Roosevelt Island, New York City, New York, USA
Times Square, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
4th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
5th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
Mateo Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
Santa Clarita, California, USA
Sony Pictures Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
Stage 9, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
Sunnyside, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
New York Public Library - Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA
Ascan Avenue, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Austin Street, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Bryant Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Columbia University - Broadway & 116th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Dorsey High School - 3757 Farmdale Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA
Flatiron Building - 175 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - 900 Exposition Boulevard, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
Queens Boulevard, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Queensboro Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Rockwell Defense Plant - Bellflower & Imperial Highway, Downey, California, USA
Roosevelt Island, New York City, New York, USA
Times Square, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
4th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
5th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
Mateo Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
Santa Clarita, California, USA
Sony Pictures Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA
Stage 9, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
Sunnyside, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Goofs:
Audio/Video Mismatch
When the Green Goblin says "Hello, my dear." to Mary Jane, he's clearly mouthing something else.
Audio/Video Mismatch
At Columbia University, one of the two girls say "Hey MJ!", yet neither one's lips move.
Audio/Video Mismatch
At the Times Square battle, when Green Goblin grabs Spider-Man's hand and says, 'impressive' his mouth doesn't move but stays shut.
Audio/Video Mismatch
In several scenes, the Green Goblin's mouth (which is visible through the mesh in the "mouth" of his mask) does not move while he is talking.
Character Error
MJ tells Peter in the cafeteria that she noticed his eyes are blue. She says, "I didn't notice without your glasses." Clearly she meant she didn't notice his blue eyes when he had glasses.
Character Error
During the science trip where Peter is bitten, Harry says that the microscope is the "largest electron microscope on the eastern seaboard". However, the microscope images shown are taken from a phase contrast microscope not an electron microscope. (Phase contrast gives less magnification but lets you work with live material, for example, the cell being manipulated in the image shown on the film).
Character Error
Peter won the Bonesaw wrestling match by knocking him out, but when the fight promoter stiffs him, the promoter claims he pinned him for the victory.
Character Error
While Peter is looking at ads for used cars, he sees an ad for a "Triumph TR-3". Above the price it says, "Drives it home!" instead of "Drive it Home!"
Continuity
Mary Jane's hand disappears briefly from Peter's face at the cemetery.
Continuity
After Peter clobbers Flash, a fat boy with glasses can be seen standing in shock at Peter's abilities, then clapping and smiling, then standing in shock again between shots.
Continuity
When Peter is fighting the carjacker in the warehouse, the thief drops his pistol to throw a knife at Peter, but when Peter thows him against the wall, the pistol is suddenly back in the car jacker's hand.
Continuity
While Norman Osborn is in the chamber, the electrode wires jump about between shots.
Continuity
Mary Jane's jacket collar changes when she's talking to Peter outside the diner the first time.
Continuity
In the cafeteria after MJ slips on the spilled beverage on the floor, later when Peter gets up, the beverage is gone.
Continuity
While looking up at the balcony during the World Unity Festival, Peter's part in his hair changes as his spider sense first warns him of the Goblin.
Crew/Equipment Visible
In the scene with the burning building, when the Green Goblin says "No-one says no to me!", you can see the camera in the reflection of his eyes.
Crew/Equipment Visible
When Peter gets bitten by the spider, the camera pans over to a tv screen showing the spider DNA. You can see a camera man's head peek from behind the camera in the reflection
Errors in Geography
The tropical orange flowers behind Peter and Norman at the graduation scene are native to California and couldn't possibly survive in New York (although they could be fake).
Errors in Geography
When Spider-man catches the falling MJ from the balcony at Times Square, the first web he shoots in mid-air to swing away is directed at an angle impossible to grapple to any buildings in that area.
Factual Mistake
When Peter is first becoming aware of his "spider sense" in school as Flash is approaching from behind, he sees a fly and a paper airplane moving in very slow motion. The fly has two wings when in reality, flies have two sets of wings, the main wings plus a smaller "halter" wings underneath (to maintain balance in flight), for a total of four wings.
Factual Mistake
In the scene where Peter is trying to figure out how to shoot his web across to the crane, there is a billboard that says tune into 98.8 FM. In the United States, FM radio stations do not end in even numbers.
Revealing Mistakes
When Spider-man swings MJ to safety and we see them swinging close-up, not only is MJ's hair blowing in the wrong direction, but Spider-man's head, neck and shoulders appear to be stiff as if it were a mannequin she is holding on to for the sake of the shot.
Revealing Mistakes
When Spider-Man is chasing the carjacker, a brief shot from the inside of a police car shows they are moving at only 15mph. This is not nearly as fast as the obviously sped-up sequence leads us to believe.
Revealing Mistakes
When Peter's uncle drops him off at the library, he parks on a one way street, but the reflection in the car's window shows traffic heading in the opposite direction.
Revealing Mistakes
Although Spider-Man is supposed to have perfect vision after his bite, Tobey Maguire's contact lenses are visible at various points throughout the movie. Perhaps Peter Parker took to wearing "blank" contact lenses to account for the fact that he no longer needs to wear glasses. But perhaps not.
Revealing Mistakes
When we see an exterior view of the Oscorp office building, just before Norman Osborn's meeting with the board, the main sign is for Oscorp. However, at each corner of the building, the ING logo with its distinctive lion can clearly be seen.
Continuity
When Mary Jane is being mugged by four men, Spider-Man throws two of the men into two windows behind Mary Jane. The shot switches to Spider-Man beating up the other two guys; but when it cuts back to Mary Jane the two windows are intact.
When the Green Goblin says "Hello, my dear." to Mary Jane, he's clearly mouthing something else.
Audio/Video Mismatch
At Columbia University, one of the two girls say "Hey MJ!", yet neither one's lips move.
Audio/Video Mismatch
At the Times Square battle, when Green Goblin grabs Spider-Man's hand and says, 'impressive' his mouth doesn't move but stays shut.
Audio/Video Mismatch
In several scenes, the Green Goblin's mouth (which is visible through the mesh in the "mouth" of his mask) does not move while he is talking.
Character Error
MJ tells Peter in the cafeteria that she noticed his eyes are blue. She says, "I didn't notice without your glasses." Clearly she meant she didn't notice his blue eyes when he had glasses.
Character Error
During the science trip where Peter is bitten, Harry says that the microscope is the "largest electron microscope on the eastern seaboard". However, the microscope images shown are taken from a phase contrast microscope not an electron microscope. (Phase contrast gives less magnification but lets you work with live material, for example, the cell being manipulated in the image shown on the film).
Character Error
Peter won the Bonesaw wrestling match by knocking him out, but when the fight promoter stiffs him, the promoter claims he pinned him for the victory.
Character Error
While Peter is looking at ads for used cars, he sees an ad for a "Triumph TR-3". Above the price it says, "Drives it home!" instead of "Drive it Home!"
Continuity
Mary Jane's hand disappears briefly from Peter's face at the cemetery.
Continuity
After Peter clobbers Flash, a fat boy with glasses can be seen standing in shock at Peter's abilities, then clapping and smiling, then standing in shock again between shots.
Continuity
When Peter is fighting the carjacker in the warehouse, the thief drops his pistol to throw a knife at Peter, but when Peter thows him against the wall, the pistol is suddenly back in the car jacker's hand.
Continuity
While Norman Osborn is in the chamber, the electrode wires jump about between shots.
Continuity
Mary Jane's jacket collar changes when she's talking to Peter outside the diner the first time.
Continuity
In the cafeteria after MJ slips on the spilled beverage on the floor, later when Peter gets up, the beverage is gone.
Continuity
While looking up at the balcony during the World Unity Festival, Peter's part in his hair changes as his spider sense first warns him of the Goblin.
Crew/Equipment Visible
In the scene with the burning building, when the Green Goblin says "No-one says no to me!", you can see the camera in the reflection of his eyes.
Crew/Equipment Visible
When Peter gets bitten by the spider, the camera pans over to a tv screen showing the spider DNA. You can see a camera man's head peek from behind the camera in the reflection
Errors in Geography
The tropical orange flowers behind Peter and Norman at the graduation scene are native to California and couldn't possibly survive in New York (although they could be fake).
Errors in Geography
When Spider-man catches the falling MJ from the balcony at Times Square, the first web he shoots in mid-air to swing away is directed at an angle impossible to grapple to any buildings in that area.
Factual Mistake
When Peter is first becoming aware of his "spider sense" in school as Flash is approaching from behind, he sees a fly and a paper airplane moving in very slow motion. The fly has two wings when in reality, flies have two sets of wings, the main wings plus a smaller "halter" wings underneath (to maintain balance in flight), for a total of four wings.
Factual Mistake
In the scene where Peter is trying to figure out how to shoot his web across to the crane, there is a billboard that says tune into 98.8 FM. In the United States, FM radio stations do not end in even numbers.
Revealing Mistakes
When Spider-man swings MJ to safety and we see them swinging close-up, not only is MJ's hair blowing in the wrong direction, but Spider-man's head, neck and shoulders appear to be stiff as if it were a mannequin she is holding on to for the sake of the shot.
Revealing Mistakes
When Spider-Man is chasing the carjacker, a brief shot from the inside of a police car shows they are moving at only 15mph. This is not nearly as fast as the obviously sped-up sequence leads us to believe.
Revealing Mistakes
When Peter's uncle drops him off at the library, he parks on a one way street, but the reflection in the car's window shows traffic heading in the opposite direction.
Revealing Mistakes
Although Spider-Man is supposed to have perfect vision after his bite, Tobey Maguire's contact lenses are visible at various points throughout the movie. Perhaps Peter Parker took to wearing "blank" contact lenses to account for the fact that he no longer needs to wear glasses. But perhaps not.
Revealing Mistakes
When we see an exterior view of the Oscorp office building, just before Norman Osborn's meeting with the board, the main sign is for Oscorp. However, at each corner of the building, the ING logo with its distinctive lion can clearly be seen.
Continuity
When Mary Jane is being mugged by four men, Spider-Man throws two of the men into two windows behind Mary Jane. The shot switches to Spider-Man beating up the other two guys; but when it cuts back to Mary Jane the two windows are intact.
Trivia:
Hugh Jackman revealed that he was supposed to have a brief cameo as Wolverine. Jackman actually showed up in New York to film the scene, but the entire plan was scrapped when the crew couldn't get access to the Wolverine costume from X-Men.
The scene in which Peter Parker catches Mary Jane's lunch on the tray involved no CGI. With the help of a sticky substance to keep the tray planted on his hand, Tobey Maguire eventually (after many takes) performed the stunt exactly as seen.
One of the chief difficulties that Tobey Maguire experienced in the now-famous upside-down kissing scene was that his sinuses kept filling up with water as it was performed in driving rain.
Willem Dafoe performed 90% of his own stunts.
By signing on for two sequels, Tobey Maguire secured himself a paycheck of $26 million.
After the terrorist attacks on the USA of 11 September 2001, Sony recalled teaser posters which showed a close-up of Spider-Man's face with the New York skyline (including, prominently, the World Trade Center towers) reflected in his eyes. Not all the posters were recovered, however, and the ones still at large are now highly prized collector's items.
Tobey Maguire said he had never read a Spider-Man comic book but took the role because he liked the script.
Several Spider-Man costumes were created at a cost of up to $100,000 each. Four were stolen from the set in early April of 2001 and Columbia Pictures posted a $25,000 reward for their return. The costumes were not returned.
Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
In the comics, Peter Parker designed and made Spider-Man's synthetic spider web and the mechanical wrist guns that fire it. In the movie he shoots the web from his own body. Director Sam Raimi answered the protests of comic book fans saying that it was more credible to have Peter shoot web this way than for a high school boy to be able to produce a wonder adhesive in his spare time that 3M could not make.
Tobey Maguire had to have his Spider-Man outfit slightly remodeled as the original design had not made any allowances for when the actor needed a bathroom break. A vent was added to enable him to perform that function without having to take the entire costume off.
One of the reasons why Sam Raimi was a popular choice with Sony for the director's gig was because he is an avid comic book collector in his private life, with a collection of over 25,000.
Color costume considerations meant that Spider-Man was shot in front of a green screen, while the Green Goblin was shot in front of a blue one.
To acquire his pumped-up physique, Tobey Maguire went through a strict five-month regimen of exercise, weight training and martial arts six times a week, as well as eating a high protein meal four to six times a day.
When Jameson's subordinates are trying to tell him about Spider-Man, one of them says, "Eddie's been trying to get a picture of him for weeks." This is a reference to Eddie Brock, a comic book character featured in Spider-Man 3 (2007).
The highest-grossing movie of 2002.
The first film to gross $100 million in its opening weekend alone. At the time, no movie had done so, even when adjusted for inflation.
Bonesaw, the wrestler Spider-Man fights for money, is played by real life wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage. Early in his career, Savage wrestled under the name The Spider.
When Sam Raimi first offered to cast Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, the studio was initially very reluctant. That was until they saw Maguire's test and they saw that the actor had clearly bulked up for the role.
The scene in which Peter Parker catches Mary Jane's lunch on the tray involved no CGI. With the help of a sticky substance to keep the tray planted on his hand, Tobey Maguire eventually (after many takes) performed the stunt exactly as seen.
One of the chief difficulties that Tobey Maguire experienced in the now-famous upside-down kissing scene was that his sinuses kept filling up with water as it was performed in driving rain.
Willem Dafoe performed 90% of his own stunts.
By signing on for two sequels, Tobey Maguire secured himself a paycheck of $26 million.
After the terrorist attacks on the USA of 11 September 2001, Sony recalled teaser posters which showed a close-up of Spider-Man's face with the New York skyline (including, prominently, the World Trade Center towers) reflected in his eyes. Not all the posters were recovered, however, and the ones still at large are now highly prized collector's items.
Tobey Maguire said he had never read a Spider-Man comic book but took the role because he liked the script.
Several Spider-Man costumes were created at a cost of up to $100,000 each. Four were stolen from the set in early April of 2001 and Columbia Pictures posted a $25,000 reward for their return. The costumes were not returned.
Leonardo DiCaprio was considered for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
In the comics, Peter Parker designed and made Spider-Man's synthetic spider web and the mechanical wrist guns that fire it. In the movie he shoots the web from his own body. Director Sam Raimi answered the protests of comic book fans saying that it was more credible to have Peter shoot web this way than for a high school boy to be able to produce a wonder adhesive in his spare time that 3M could not make.
Tobey Maguire had to have his Spider-Man outfit slightly remodeled as the original design had not made any allowances for when the actor needed a bathroom break. A vent was added to enable him to perform that function without having to take the entire costume off.
One of the reasons why Sam Raimi was a popular choice with Sony for the director's gig was because he is an avid comic book collector in his private life, with a collection of over 25,000.
Color costume considerations meant that Spider-Man was shot in front of a green screen, while the Green Goblin was shot in front of a blue one.
To acquire his pumped-up physique, Tobey Maguire went through a strict five-month regimen of exercise, weight training and martial arts six times a week, as well as eating a high protein meal four to six times a day.
When Jameson's subordinates are trying to tell him about Spider-Man, one of them says, "Eddie's been trying to get a picture of him for weeks." This is a reference to Eddie Brock, a comic book character featured in Spider-Man 3 (2007).
The highest-grossing movie of 2002.
The first film to gross $100 million in its opening weekend alone. At the time, no movie had done so, even when adjusted for inflation.
Bonesaw, the wrestler Spider-Man fights for money, is played by real life wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage. Early in his career, Savage wrestled under the name The Spider.
When Sam Raimi first offered to cast Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, the studio was initially very reluctant. That was until they saw Maguire's test and they saw that the actor had clearly bulked up for the role.
