Analysis
Symbols and Tropes
Hero's Journey
Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or...
Setting
New York CityHow you do keep a high-flying, web-slinging superhero grounded and relatable? You put him in New York City, that's how.Setting Spider-Man's adventures against a big-city backdrop makes...
Point of View
Two Storylines, Plus First-Person Narrative BookendsRaise your hand if you thought Spider-Man was going to be narrated by Peter Parker.We can see why you'd think that. Peter starts the film off wit...
Genre
Comic Book; Action; RomanceSpider-Man isn't any ol' Marvel Comics movie. No, it's the Marvel Comics movie that kicked off the 21st-century wave of super successful superhero movies featuring Marvel...
What's Up With the Title?
Superman. Iron Man. Daredevil. Comic-book films have a tendency to keep things short, sweet, and eponymous when it comes to their titles—especially when the film is an origin story or the first i...
What's Up With the Ending?
…and they all lived happily ever after. Kind of.Most superhero movies have a happy ending. Don't worry, we won't spoil any of them for you, except to say that if your hero is on the poster or, ev...
Shock Rating
PG-13Spider-Man earns its PG-13 rating mainly for violence. When Spider-Man goes head-to-head with the Green Goblin, things can get pretty intense. People get shot. Bones get broken. Pumpkin bombs...