Fan Favorite Sam Raimi “Spider-Man” Trilogy Returns to Dietrich in Special Reissue

It’s time to swing back into action with the ground-breaking “Spider’Man”/Sam Raimi trilogy. The Dietrich Theater will be showing the special reissue of this popular trilogy at the end of the month. So, to start things off, let’s get into the first two installments!

In the 2002 superhero favorite “Spider-Man,” the movie centers on student Peter Parker who, after being bitten by a genetically-altered spider, gains superhero strength and the spider-like ability to cling to any surface.

He vows to use his abilities to fight crime, coming to understand the words of his beloved Uncle Ben: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Much like most of the early Marvel movies that came out of the late 1990s and early 2000s, primarily the “X-Men” and "Blade” movies, the 2002 “Spider-Man” adaptation is an iconic and well-executed origin story of everyone’s favorite web-slinger. This 2002 movie had a significant cultural moment for a generation, and while rewatching both of these movies, I could feel a strong sense of nostalgia as myself and many others grew up with these movies.

This early Marvel adaptation has several iconic and memorable moments that I’m sure fans will still remember. The action sequences that are scattered throughout are still visually striking and still highly entertaining. All of the scenes featuring Spider-Man fighting Green Goblin are still really exhilarating to watch, especially once they find out each other’s identities.

“Spider-Man” can still get a little emotional at times, especially the infamous moment where Uncle Ben gets killed during the robbery and when we see the guilt that Peter carries right after. And, of course, the infamous and pivotal “great power” speech will always be iconic!

MPA: Rated PG-13 for stylized violence and action   (runtime 121 minutes).

In the still incredible 2004 sequel “Spider-Man 2,” when a failed nuclear fusion experiment results in an explosion that kills his wife, Dr. Otto Octavius is transformed into Dr. Octopus, a cyborg with deadly metal tentacles.

Doc Ock blames Spider-Man for the accident and seeks revenge. Meanwhile, Spidey’s alter ego, Peter Parker, faces fading powers and self-doubt.

Complicating matters are his best friend’s hatred for Spider-Man and his true love’s sudden engagement to another man.

While the 2002 movie is still very well-liked and is a great comic book movie, it’s hard to believe that Sam Raimi was able to make an even better movie with “Spider-Man 2” (or “Spider-Man 2.1” extended cut).

One of the most compelling aspects of this sequel is seeing Peter Parker/Spider-Man dealing with his dual life (which is almost like a superhero cliche these days). The sequel really excelled at showing the immense pressure and stress Parker faced which ultimately led to deteriorating relationships.

Even though the action and villain were great in the first movie, they’re even better in this sequel. The action sequences are more intense and bigger and the Doc Ock character is both menacing and even sympathetic towards the movie’s conclusion. 

This reissue of the trilogy also marks the first time that the extended cut of the first sequel has received a theatrical release. The extended cut, a.k.a “Spider-Man 2.1” has only been available on DVD or to rent online. Even though there are several minutes added to the extended cut, it does add just a little bit more to the story but features a really hilarious J. Jonah Jameson moment when he’s trying on the Spider-Man costume after it’s been found.

MPA: Rated PG-13 for stylized action violence   (runtime 127 minutes) (The Extended Cut, “Spider-Man 2.1” is unrated)

Make sure to check the Dietrich Theater’s website for the dates and times for these reissues and I will be revisiting “Spider-Man 3” for the next edition! You can also stream the Sam Raimi “Spider-Man” trilogy on Disney Plus (side note - the extended cut of the sequel is not available on streaming - only the theatrical cut).

• 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.

• Tobey Maguire said he had never read a Spider-Man comic book but took the role because he liked the script.

• When Peter is testing out his webbing for the first time, he says several classic catchphrases belonging to DC characters, most notably "Up, up and away, Web!" (Superman) and "Shazam!" (DC's Captain Marvel; not to be confused with the Marvel Comics character). Tobey Maguire ad-libbed these lines.

• The Green Goblin's costume was originally designed to be more bulky and armored, but Willem Dafoe, having decided to film his own stunts, rejected it in favor of a more streamlined and athletic costume. The final outfit was composed of 580 pieces and took Dafoe half an hour to put on.

• Doctor Octopus was in the early draft of the script to appear as the second bad guy. Later on in pre-production it was decided that he be reassigned to Spider-Man 2 (2004).

• The Green Goblin was chosen as the film's main villain since Sam Raimi felt the father-son theme (Norman and Harry Osborn against Peter and Ben Parker) would make the film deeper.

• The train fight between Doc Ock and Spider-Man was the idea of director Sam Raimi and the first major sequence to be filmed.

• Willem Dafoe was not originally supposed to return for this movie, but he was walking back to his apartment one night and saw the cast and crew filming nearby. He stopped by the set to say hello and the filmmakers decided to give him a cameo appearance.

• According to Stan Lee, Spider-Man wears a mask so his enemies couldn't see his fear.

• Alfred Molina was in the play "Fiddler on the Roof" as Tevye while shooting this movie. In one wall-climbing scene he is humming the song "If I Were a Rich Man" to himself and the puppeteers overheard him and moved his tentacles in time to the song.

• (at around 1h 3 mins) When Peter dumps his Spider-Man suit in a garbage can, it's a recreation to a panel from "Spider-Man No More", Issue #50 from The Amazing Spider-Man. As in the film, the outfit is found and brought to J Jonah Jameson, then reclaimed by Spider-Man who leaves a note like the one in the movie.

• The original title for this second spin was "The Amazing Spider-Man", a title eventually used when the series was rebooted in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).