Franchise Review- Spider-Man

    It may have been too soon for a reboot, but ready or not "The Amazing Spiderman" is swinging into theaters this July 4th weekend. Andrew Garfield and director Marc Webb had their work cut out for them trying to wipe the slate clean and make moviegoers forget about the biggest franchise of the past decade but comparisons are inevitable and before I get into this new incarnation, here's a recap of the Raimi-Maguire era.

"Spider-Man"(2002)                                             
The superhero movie renaissance that still rages on today started ten summers ago when the crown jewel of Marvel comics finally made his way to the big screen after several years of false starts and legal entanglements. Tobey Maguire("Pleasantville", "The Cider House Rules") was perfectly cast as high school nerd Peter Parker who yearns for the affections of neighbor and classmate Mary Jane(Kristen Dunst). Aided by a radioactive spider bite and some eye-popping CGI, he fights crime in New York as his webslinging alter ego and clashes with the sinister Green Goblin(Willem Dafoe).

   There are a few corny lines and moments and Dafoe's face is scarier than the Green Goblin mask, but overall this sunny and upbeat blockbuster from "Evil Dead" director Sam Raimi was a triumphant introduction for a legendary hero, and was exactly what audiences needed and wanted post-9/11, as evidenced by the staggering $400 million box office total. The angst and uncertainty of the '90s was officially over(on movie screens at least). Batman was nowhere to be found. It was Spidey's world, we just lived in it.

"Spider-Man 2"(2004)
This superior follow-up made my list of the greatest sequels of all time and has to be considered not just a high point for the series but the entire genre as well. It seems to be a rule that the second movie in a superhero franchise is always the best as the filmmakers are more confident in the knowledge that the public has embraced the characters and the world that was established the first time around.

   Raimi gets his inspiration straight from the early comics as Peter realizes the heavy toll that his crime fighting duties have taken on his personal life. Can he have a relationship with Mary Jane AND stop the destructive Doc Ock(Alfred Molina)? Aunt May's 'hero' speech aside, everything here feels just right. From Tobey's inner turmoil to the show-stopping elevated train sequence, this remains the Spiderman movie to beat.

"Spider-Man 3"(2007)
It's safe to say that fans had total faith in Sam Raimi at this point, and that's why it was such a shame to see him drop the ball with this mega-budgeted third installment. There are some undeniably impressive action/FX sequences, but the story is all over the place. The villainous Sandman(Thomas Haden Church) is terrorizing the city, Harry Osborn(James Franco) is plotting revenge as the new Green Goblin, an alien symbiote/black goo/whatever attaches itself to Peter unleashing his dark side, and there are some unnecessary romantic complications with Mary Jane. As if that's not enough, there's a half-hearted attempt to insert fan favorite villain Venom(Topher Grace) into the proceedings, that reeks of 11th hour studio interference.

   Although another huge financial success(cha-ching, $336 million domestically to win the summer battle of the sequels), most people agree that "3" hit a wall creatively, that ultimately resulted in the removal of Raimi and Maguire from the franchise(they were reportedly on board for a fourth up until 2010). But not before they made it safe again for heroes in strange attire to appear on the silver screen.