Credit: Sony PicturesThis week marked the 21st anniversary of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) which featured Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane. The film skyrocketed Spider-Man to one of the most popular superheroes and influenced an entire generation while giving new life to the superhero genre. It would also be the first in a series of Spider-Man movies and franchises to come over the next two decades.
The Amazing Spider-Man was released in 2012 and featured Andrew Garfield in the role while Tom Holland introduced Peter Parker to the MCU in 2016. The three variants would team up in a crossover for the first time in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s clear that both the character and the film-making industry have come a long way since 2002 when Maguire first donned the suit.
The more recent superhero films have relied heavily on the use of CGI to portray various alien planets, intricate superhero suits, and some more complicated action scenes. Back in 2002, however, Maguire completed one of the most iconic Spider-Man scenes without the use of any special effects or computer imagery, just some sticky glue and several rolls of film.
Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN is 21 years old today. There were no digital effects in this scene – Tobey Maguire caught the tray and its items for real. It took 156 takes. pic.twitter.com/zHEjPmv6ev
— All The Right Movies (@ATRightMovies) May 3, 2023
After Peter is bitten by the radioactive spider and develops his own superpowers, he’s forced to deal with his newfound abilities while still attending high school and keeping his powers a secret from everyone else. In one scene in the film, he’s sitting in the school cafeteria as Mary Jane walks past and slips on spilled orange juice. Peter jumps up to catch her before she falls, simultaneously catching her tossed tray of food and her lunch as each item falls back down. It was revealed on the DVD commentary that the scene was completed without any editing or special effects added later.
The scene took Maguire 156 takes to catch everything, with the tray glued to his hand so he could catch each item easier, which included a carton of milk, an apple, jello, and a sandwich, both of which were glued to their plate to further help. It was almost all for nothing though, as Raimi had to fight Sony to keep the scene in the film, arguing that it required a full 16-hour day to shoot.
The time and effort was well worth it, as the scene has become one of the most iconic scenes in a superhero film, one which helped catapult superhero films into the spotlight, rejuvenated an entire genre and industry, and helped Marvel (and eventually Disney) become one of the most successful movie studios.
What’s your favorite Spider-Man scene? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments below!