10 Things About Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy That Have Aged Poorly

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy is held in high esteem by superhero fans–but it isn’t perfect. What aspects didn’t age so well over the years?

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Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy kicked off the beginning of what would become a superhero film craze, eventually leading to the burgeoning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Without the trilogy’s success, then the landscape of superhero movies and the film industry would probably look very different today. The films are beloved by fans and held in high esteem for their charming presentation and clear love of the source material.

As iconic as the Sam Raimi films are, they are also far from perfect. Certain aspects of the trilogy do not hold up well years after the films’ release. With several elements of this original franchise returning in Spider-Man: No Way Home, now is the perfect time for fans to revisit the parts of Raimi’s trilogy that haven’t aged particularly well.

The Effects

When Spider-Man was first released in 2002, it was the first time that the hero had ever been depicted on the big screen. As such, audiences were blown away by seeing their favorite superhero swinging above the city skyline, battling the Green Goblin, and launching webs from his wrists. At the time, it was a feat of modern filmmaking that any of this was possible.

However, many of the film’s special effects do not hold up compared to what audiences are used to seeing today. Much of the franchise’s CGI fails in its effort to look as real as possible. A famous example occurs when Green Goblin attacks Oscorp’s board members, disintegrating all but their skeletons. Effects such as these prove to be quite jarring on a rewatch and certainly can’t hold a candle to the effects seen in more recent superhero movies.

The “High Schoolers”

Those familiar with Peter Parker’s famous origin story know that he was just a young high schooler when he was first bitten by the radioactive spider that gave him his powers. As such, his early years as Spider-Man often consisted of Peter balancing school life with his superhero life, usually without much success. This is an aspect that the first of Raimi’s films briefly explores.

While the efforts to depict Peter Parker’s schooling lend some important backstory for the character, as well as a playground to explore his new abilities, it is difficult to look past the sheer age of the students depicted. Tobey Maguire was 26 at the time of filming and costars James Franco and Joe Manganiello were respectively 23 and 24. With a much younger actor in the role of Peter Parker today, rewatching these scenes often feels like watching fully grown adults brawling in a high school hallway.

James Franco’s Casting

In 2002, James Franco became the first actor to play Harry Osborn, Peter Parker’s best friend, in live-action. Appearing in all three of Raimi’s films, Harry begins a slow descent into the same madness as his father, as his obsession with getting revenge on Spider-Man consumes him.

While Franco’s performance was passable, it is only recently that his involvement in the film began to be somewhat problematic. Earlier this year, the actor was reportedly accused of sexual misconduct, a charge that was eventually settled outside of court to the tune of $2.2 million dollars, according to the BBC.

Bully Maguire

The dark version of Peter Parker introduced in Spider-Man 3 after joining with the symbiote has become one of the most taunted parts of the trilogy, with many members labeling this twist on the protagonist “Bully Maguire.” Over the course of the film, Peter begins to act unusually, becoming a self-obsessed and overly animated version of his former self.

This creative decision turned one of the Spider-Man franchise’s most likable characters into a gross caricature, making it difficult for fans to root for him throughout the film. As time goes on, his actions and new personality become more and more cringeworthy. Lines like “Now dig on this” and “I’m gonna put some dirt in your eye” became viral memes.

New Goblin’s Glider

Harry Osborn’s arc over these three films involves him slowly taking on the mantle of his father, becoming what has been labeled “New Goblin.” This supervillain alter-ego finally emerges in the opening act of Spider-Man 3, involving a very different look from the first Green Goblin.

New Goblin couldn’t compete with his father’s dark legacy, and never reaches the heights that the Green Goblin has in his greatest comic arcs. Nothing solidifies this more than the new glider that Harry employs, which appears to be modeled after a snowboard. This is a strange design choice for the production team, especially given the original Glider’s iconic design.

Trusting Your Barber

JK Simmons portrays the short-fused publisher of the Daily Bugle newspaper, J. Jonah Jameson. In his three film appearances as the character, Simmons proved to be the undisputed best cinematic version of Jameson possible, prompting Marvel Studios to hire the actor to return for the MCU version of the character.

J. Jonah Jameson has plenty of iconic lines, but one hasn’t aged particularly well in light of his MCU return. In the midst of a conversation with the publisher in the original film, Peter accuses Jameson of not trusting anyone. Jameson responds by declaring that he trusts his barber. Some fans have pointed out the irony of this line, given that the MCU version of the character emerged missing the classic flat-top look, instead sporting a bald scalp.

Venom

Topher Grace portrays the iconic villain Venom in the final installment of Raimi’s trilogy but is forced to fight for screentime against fellow antagonists Sandman and New Goblin. This makes his inclusion in the film quite undercooked and underwhelming, leaving many fans disappointed with the take on the character.

The depiction of Venom in Spider-Man 3 has only gotten worse with age, especially now that a far better received cinematic version has emerged recently in Tom Hardy’s Venom solo franchise. Though the Venom films are not exactly critical darlings, they have proven to be fan-favorites, with special praise going to the relationship between Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote itself.

Spidey’s Quips

The comic version of Spider-Man is known for witty quips in the midst of battle. While Tobey Maguire’s take on the character is not nearly as chatty when fighting with his enemies, he does occasionally lash out at them verbally, especially in his early days as a wrestler.

While it is always fun to see Spider-Man rip apart an enemy using nothing but his words, some of his quips in the midst of his cage match with Bonesaw McGraw (Randy Savage) are no longer seen in the same light as they would have been in 2002. For example, some of his tauntings could be viewed by today’s standards as prejudiced and homophobic, though it is likely that Peter meant no real harm with his quips.

Peter Hits MJ

Mary Jane Watson is an integral character in the Raimi trilogy and Spider-Man’s main love interest from the comics. She and Peter’s relationship comprises much of the drama throughout the franchise, with their on-again-off-again romance keeping fans wondering if they would really end up together at all.

Things never looked worse for the couple than in Spider-Man 3, after Peter joined with the symbiote. As his moods began to grow volatile, it became apparent that he was no longer stable. This point became clearest when, in the heat of a tense moment, he lashed out and hit MJ. Though he didn’t mean for this to happen, seeing an iconic hero abuse his ex-girlfriend is a difficult image to clear from one’s mind.

The Dancing Scene

There is perhaps one scene that comes to fans’ minds first whenever Spider-Man 3 comes up in conversation. This scene, of course, is the infamous dancing sequence that occurs when Peter decides to listen to the symbiote inside him and “act out” for perhaps the first time in his life. This leads to a series of questionable fashion choices, accompanied by a cringeworthy public dance.

While this scene quickly became used to describe everything that was wrong with the third and final entry of Sam Raimi’s trilogy, it has also become strangely iconic, with endless memes being created around Peter’s dance routine. In a way, this scene has aged so poorly that it is actually quite beloved for its campy absurdity.

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