The transition from Marvel comic book superhero to film has been a successful one, especially in the case of the Spiderman the movie trilogy. The character, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko has a loyal following and the films did not disappoint. They contain terrific casting, stories and special effects. Continuity has been assured because Sam Raimi has directed all three. Tobey Maguire gives a sensitive performance as Peter Parker, a shy young man who is coping with the normal problems of adolescence as well as having an alter ego. He is very much in love with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) but true love never runs smooth.
The first in the series, Spider-Man, came out in 2002. Peter is just a normal teenager until a school visit to a museum results in him being bitten by a genetically modified spider. His life will never be the same again. Peter lives with his Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) and Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) for whom he feels a lot of affection. Uncle Ben is murdered; an event that haunts Peter and causes him to use his newly acquired superpowers to fight crime. Each Spiderman the movie has included memorable villains and this first one has the Green Goblin, played by Willem Dafoe. The father of his best friend, Norman Osborn, has experimented with performance enhancing drugs and gone insane, becoming the Green Goblin.
2004 brought the eagerly awaited sequel, Spider-Man 2. Once again starring Maguire, Dunst and James Franco as best friend, Harry Osborn. This time, the Spiderman the movie villain is Dr Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), the result of another scientific experiment gong wrong. The doctor develops four mechanical arms with artificial intelligence but they become accidentally melded to his body. Octavius has a dastardly plan to take over the world with his fusion reactor.
The third in the series, Spider-Man 3 came out in 2007. Harry has become the New Goblin and Peter has found out the real killer of his Uncle Ben. It is Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), otherwise known as Sandman, an escaped convict who has become the shape-shifting villain when he falls into a particle accelerator. In this Spiderman the movie, we see Parker's personality change as an alien substance turns his spider suit black and brings out his less admirable traits. This substance also results in a villain called Venom. Peter and Harry mend their quarrel and combine their forces to rescue Mary Jane from great peril.
It has been announced that both Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi have signed up for another two Spiderman the movie installments, with the fourth film scheduled for release in 2011. Maguire has said that the films are physically demanding for him and he has to train very hard but he really enjoys the role.
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