The original Spider-Man trilogy paved the way for super hero movies as we know them today and I think that part of their iconic success is due to their impeccable ability to bring the characters to the forefront and show their true colors. Much like how the Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly pulling strings in the background of the main story in individual films to feed the overarching narrative, the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy uses similar efforts to tell the story of it’s characters that spans the trilogy.

Let’s Get it Out of the Way

Yes, I love the Raimi Trilogy. Yes, Spider-Man 3 is in that trilogy. Yes, I don’t give a shit.

The economy of story telling

Story telling is like telling a joke. You want to start as late as possible and get out as quickly as you can. Spider-Man’s story doesn’t start with Peter’s birth for the same reason that we don’t need to hear about the chicken waking up that morning to know why it crossed the road. Being economic with your story telling is key to getting as much across in as little as possible.

The trilogy uses this economy of story telling to define its characters effectively in certain key moments. I first noticed this in what is my favorite scene in the first movie, when The Green Goblin attacks J. Jonah Jameson in his office. Gripping Jameson by his throat, the Goblin is demanding the identity of Spider-Man’s photographer. Throughout the whole movie, Jameson is depicted to be a ruthless, cheapskate with no empathy, so it is only expected that he sell Peter out to save his own skin.

They say that a good character will do exactly what you expect, and a great character will surprise you.

So what does Jameson do when his life is on the line and it’s him or some kid who sells him pictures occasionally?

JAMESON I don’t know who he is! His stuff comes in the mail! goblin You’re lying! JAMESON I swear! goblin He's the one who can take me to him! Jameson I don’t know who he is!

At that point, Jameson has been given ample opportunity to turn Peter in, but he doesn’t. It is in this moment that we learn who J. Jonah Jameson truly is through his actions. In an exchange of five lines, we understand exactly who he is and where his values are. It is rare to find such a well-executed defining moment, and it made me wonder how is this technique used elsewhere and how does it contribute to defining Peter as a hero?

Putting your characters first

After watching Spider-Man, I immediately popped in the Blu-ray for Spider-Man 2, and 3 followed the next morning. What I came to realize is that this trilogy is hardly a super hero series. It’s a movie about people.

I believe that the entire trilogy is succinctly condensed to one sentence in the opening narration to Spider-Man:

‘Let me assure you, this, like any other story worth telling, is all about a girl. [Cut to first shot of Mary Jane] That girl, the girl next door. Mary Jane Watson. The woman I loved since before I even liked girls.’

At their core, all of these movies are all about the relationship between Peter Parker, Mary Jane, and Harry Osborn and the pressures that Spider-Man’s existence has on them. What works phenomenally is the way that they use superhero themes to enhance the story and effectively advances the narrative in a natural way. In Spider-Man 2 especially, I was blown away by how absent Spider-Man was from the movie, but at no point did it feel lacking because I was so invested in these characters.

By providing an abundance of attention, detail, and insight to who these characters are, the stakes are higher, we care about who they are and what they want in life, and it hits so much harder when they don’t succeed.

Defining moments

Sam Raimi is a master at crafting scenes much like one with J. Jonah Jameson in which we can learn a plethora about who everyone is despite being given so little. This economy in story telling is crucial to packing a worthwhile story and no character is left behind.

Mary Jane

Right off the bat we are given an idea of who Mary Jane is at heart when she is the only student on the bus willing to speak up for Peter and tell the bus driver to stop for him. The way the scene is framed, we see students laughing at him and even the driver seems to get joy out of not letting Peter on. Not only does this scene tell us about who Mary Jane is, but also as an opening to the entire trilogy it shows us that the world will always be against Peter.

Harry Osborn

In the Thanksgiving scene, Harry is provided with a whirlwind of emotional turmoil as he is left to choose between siding with Mary Jane or his father who he desperately wants to impress. He ends up choosing his father in a poor decision that reveals to us the sinister side of Harry bubbling underneath.