Line #89 YMMV/SpiderMan1


1	* AccidentalAesop: One of the movie's morals seems to be "don't cheat people." There are two examples of this ending with catastrophic results:
2	** While Peter letting the thief get away had terrible consequences, the promoter caused the whole mess by stiffing Peter on his promised reward. If you deny people what you promised, you won't make them inclined to help you.
3	** Oscorp's board of directors later tried to kick Norman out of his own company and sell out to a rival out of pure greed. Granted, Norman as the Goblin [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge took his revenge]] [[DisproportionateRetribution way too far]], but the board still shouldn't have cheated Norman out of his hard work.
4	* AccidentalInnuendo: When Peter [[DistractedByMyOwnSexy is checking out]] his new HeroicBuild, he briefly looks down, before exclaiming "Change? Yep, big change" as a response to Aunt May, when she asks if he is feeling any change because he was feeling sick the day before. Peter may have been just looking at his abs, but since the camera only shows his face and his really happy reaction afterwards, it almost looks like he was checking if his dick grew bigger along with his muscles.
5	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
6	** Does the wrestling promoter refuse to give Peter his $3,000 because he's a selfish {{Jerkass}} who never intended to honor his deal, or because Peter misunderstood the rules of the contest and [[{{Kayfabe}} didn't realize that it wasn't supposed to be a real fight]]? If the wrestling league was just looking for a new amateur fighter who could put on a good show for the audience and a serve as a {{Foil}} to Bonesaw in their roster, it's understandable that the promoter might feel betrayed when Peter (who clearly isn't a wrestling fan) seriously injured his most popular fighter in a bout that was ''supposed'' to be a scripted performance. The novelization of the film seems to support the latter theory, as in it the promoter has an additional line where he angrily tells Peter, "You made my best fighter look like a little girl out there!" However, in the film, there's the fact that when Peter enters the arena, Bonesaw's previous opponent is being wheeled out on a stretcher yelling that he can't feel his legs (although this could just be part of the act--this is also supported in the novelization, in which the wrestler, revealed to be [[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} Battlin' Jack Murdock]], is shown walking just fine sometime later).
7	** Are Norman's last words, begging Peter, “Don't tell Harry” a PetTheDog moment for his son or a [[LastBreathBullet last-breath attempt]] to destroy Peter’s friendship with Harry? If the latter is true, then [[TheBadGuyWins Norman got exactly what he wanted.]]
8	** It's been speculated that Bonesaw [=McGraw=] is actually gay and [[ManlyGay using the hypermasculine image of his wrestling character to overcompensate]]. This also re-contextualizes why he seems so triggered by Spidey's jibe "That's a cute outfit. Did your husband give it to you?". While this is mostly PlayedForLaughs among fans, there are some who think it adds another layer to a fairly simple character.
9	** In light of the events of ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', [[spoiler: Was Norman's understated [[OhCrap "Oh"]], just him realizing he was seconds from dying? Or, [[YearInsideHourOutside did he experience the events of the No Way Home in the split second between the Glider flying forward and hitting him]] and just forgot about it until he [[ShaggyDogStory returned from Earth-199999?]]]].
10	* AwardSnub: Many thought Creator/WillemDafoe's performance (especially his depiction of Norman's split personality) was deserving of several awards, but aside from a nomination for the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain, he didn't get ''any'' award nominations, let alone wins, for his performance.
11	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
12	** Somehow, Music/DannyElfman always manages to compose an ''awesome'' title theme for a comic book superhero film. Evidence: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qcJS_e2_hY this film's main theme,]] re-scored for its two sequels.
13	** In a more mainstream example, [[Music/{{Nickelback}} Chad Kroeger]] and Josey Scott's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etp8L9pbqeM Hero]]" was ''everywhere'' when the movie came out in 2002. Even the most devout Nickelback haters have been known to admit how awesome it is, and of the songs provided for the three movies in the trilogy this is the most easily-remembered.
14	* CatharsisFactor: Although it had fatal consequences, Peter letting the thief get away to spite the asshole wrestling promoter was pretty cathartic. Particularly when he [[IronicEcho throws the promoter's dismissive words back in his face]].
15	* CommonKnowledge: One misconception about Peter's origin story in this movie, that a lot of people seem to have is that Peter got bit by the Super-Spider during a field trip to Oscorp. While that does happen in various different incarnations of Spider-Man, including ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' and ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', in this movie, Peter and his class are on a field trip to Columbia University. The goof up seems to occur because Peter and Norman Osborn meet during the field trip and because after Peter is bit by the spider, the narrative then shifts to Norman Osborn's origin story, which does take place in Oscorp. The reason Norman and Peter meet in Columbia university is specifically because he was there to drop Harry, not because he works there.
16	* CompleteMonster: In Creator/PeterDavid's {{novelization}}, [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogyGreenGoblin The Green Goblin]], depicted as [[AdaptationalVillainy far more of his own entity than in the film]], is a power-hungry, self-proclaimed god who seeks to be a "wolf among sheep". Created inside Norman Osborn's mind by imperfect performance enhancers, the Goblin quickly goes about overtaking Norman at various times to commit all manner of atrocity in the name of empowering Norman and subsuming his personality with the Goblin's own. After murdering Norman's assistant Dr. Mendel Stromm and an entire bunker full of military personnel, the Goblin attacks a massive parade and endangers dozens of people as he vaporizes [=OsCorp's=] board of directors. Nearly killing Norman's son Harry in his schemes with little care, the Goblin later sets an occupied apartment building on fire when [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogySpiderMan Spider-Man]] rejects his offer for a team-up, and the Goblin then goes about hospitalizing Spider-Man's Aunt May, kidnapping Spidey's close friend and LoveInterest Mary Jane Watson, and then trying to force the hero to make the SadisticChoice between saving Mary Jane, or an entire cable car full of children.
17	* DracoInLeatherPants: Many fans (understandably) side with Norman (not the Goblin) when he gets kicked out of Oscorp, but paint him as a "nice guy" who didn't do anything wrong. People tend to forget that he was perfectly willing to continue with a product that was demonstrably proven to cause violent insanity in live human subjects, instead of going back to formula (which anyone in the pharmaceutical industry would tell you is a major violation of established drug testing ethics and guidelines and thus a big no-no). Norman also tried to ''lie to General Slocum's face'' about it without presenting any proof of the contrary, and silenced Dr. Stromm when he tried to warn about the side effects. The board members and the general in charge of the funding may have been assholes in their own right, but Norman let his greed and ambition supersede his sense of ethics. There's also the matter of his and Harry's relationship, which is far from perfect due to Norman being neglectful and treating his son like he's never good enough. Norman was never a nice guy.
18	* EvilIsCool: Creator/WillemDafoe as Green Goblin. He's [[EvilIsHammy entertaining as all hell]], [[NightmareFuel genuinely terrifying]] at times, and gives Spidey a run for his money every time they fight.
19	* FanPreferredCutContent: A good number of fans prefer the [[https://youtu.be/W8PVMT2AmWE original, more comic-accurate design for Green Goblin]] shown in screen tests, over his final design.
20	* FashionVictimVillain: The Green Goblin's costume got this reaction from some fans, or at least those who know the character from the comics. It's less divisive to the audience who came to the character from the movies. Ironically for most examples of this trope, the ''suit'' itself is actually fine, it's only the [[{{Narm}} questionable]] mask that as Music/WeirdAlYankovic [[Music/PoodleHat pointed out]], makes him look like a ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' villain. Though in all fairness, the comics had some rather wacky costume designs that wouldn't translate well to live-action, and ''Power Rangers'' is also technically part of the superhero genre, so...
21	* FirstInstallmentWins:
22	** Some fans consider this film to be superior to both ''Film/SpiderMan2'' and ''Film/SpiderMan3'' because of its simplicity, for the iconic rendition of the origin in the first half, as well as for Creator/WillemDafoe's iconic turn as the Green Goblin, his fight scenes with Spider-Man, and for the chemistry between Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Most of the iconic memes, lines, and scenes of the entire trilogy are there in the first film, most notably the much parodied-much homaged upside-down kiss.
23	** ''Spider-Man 1'' had a higher gross commercially than its sequel. And as of July 2019, it still holds the record for the highest US domestic Gross at $403 million dollars. Adjusted for inflation to 2019, that comes to around $629 million dollars, putting its gross ahead of any Spider-Man film in the domestic market, whether it's the Garfield movies or the MCU (which overall, on account of lack of international distribution fees and other agreements and so on, constitutes the lion's share of a movie's profitability). To add perspective on what a massive success it was, it was the first movie to cross over $100 million domestically in its opening weekend, and only the third movie ever at the time to cross $400 million domestic (unadjusted) in its original theatrical run, joining ''Film/Titanic1997'' and ''Film/ThePhantomMenace''.[[note]]Other films like ''Film/JurassicPark'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'', ''Film/ANewHope'', and ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' didn't clear $400 million until re-issues, although adjusted for inflation, they match or surpass ''Spider-Man''.[[/note]]
24	* FountainOfMemes: Pretty much everything Norman says, both as his normal self and as the Green Goblin, has become a meme in its own right.
25	* HamAndCheese: With a stupid-looking, limiting costume, (at least for some) the best thing Creator/WillemDafoe could possibly do as the Green Goblin is go completely over the top. [[EnsembleDarkhorse It worked.]] Likewise it helped that Dafoe plays Norman as a staid, calm, and jaded middle-aged man, which underscores how drastic and scary the Goblin persona is.
26	* HarsherInHindsight:
27	** During the proposal he makes to the webslinger, the Green Goblin declares that no matter what Spider-Man does for New York, the public will eventually come to hate him. This comes to fruition in ''Film/SpiderMan3'' when the public briefly turns on Spider-Man after Eddie Brock doctors photos to depict him robbing a bank. Then ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' has the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse's Spider-Man gets that treatment from his universe's New York [[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome after being framed for a crime based on flimsy evidence]]. Even worse in that Peter's attempt to CosmicRetcon the situation with Doctor Strange's help brings back the Goblin from this trilogy into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a major threat once more.
28	** [[spoiler:The Green Goblin's first action after discovering Spider-Man's SecretIdentity is to go after Aunt May, giving her a horrific, almost fatal panic attack that requires her to be sent to the emergency room. Come in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', this very same Green Goblin manages to kill the MCU Spider-Man's Aunt May. Even worse, that whole film deals with the fallout of Spider-Man being publicly outed as Peter Parker, echoing the consequences of supervillains discovering Parker's life and targeting his loved ones this film explores.]]
29	* HilariousInHindsight:
30	** The film features Norman Osborn trying to get the military to invest in his SuperSerum to create SuperSoldiers. A competing company is instead proposing PoweredArmor. Then a [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse few years later]] at the end of ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008'', cue Tony Stark lecturing to General Ross about how he'd been telling them that PoweredArmor was a better idea than using SuperSerum to create a SuperSoldier. The big difference being which method the military brass in each movie was in favor of.
31	** Creator/BruceCampbell as a wrestling announcer saying that the nickname [[ItWillNeverCatchOn "The Human Spider" sucks]] is funny considering it later becomes the nickname for UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.
32	** As an alternative to "Green Goblin," Hoffman suggests "Green Meanie." Some 15 years later, there's a costumed slasher who goes by that alias in ''Series/ScreamQueens2015''.
33	** The beginning of the film has a girl [[AllThereInTheManual who turns out to be]] Liz Allan telling Peter to not even think about sitting beside her. [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming 15 years later]], she's Spider-Man's LoveInterest, [[spoiler:and they ultimately didn't end up together there, either]].
34	** During the field trip, Peter tells Harry how some spiders can change color to blend into their environment as a defense mechanism. Just nine years after this film, [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]] would be introduced and have this as one of his powers.
35	** The Oscorp board member Maximilian Fargas is a wheelchair bound bald man, bearing resemblance to Professor Charles Xavier (the novelisation lampshades this) who had already appeared in ''Film/XMen1'' two years before. Two decades later, [[spoiler:The actual Professor X, played by Creator/PatrickStewart, [[RoleReprise no less]], appeared in [[Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness another superhero movie directed by]] Creator/SamRaimi, who also gets killed, much like Fargas in this movie]].
36	** Norman Osborn said, "Out, am I?" in response to an Oscorp board member saying to him, "You're out, Norman." Nowadays, Creator/WillemDafoe is starring in ''Film/Inside2023'' as an art thief trapped in a high-tech apartment. If Norman Osborn were the protagonist, he'd say, "In, am I?"
37	* InformedWrongness:
38	** Peter is supposed to be in the wrong for letting the robber go instead of trying to stop him, which led to the death of Uncle Ben. However, this falls apart in the context of the situation. Not only was Peter just leaving and in a fury after being supposedly scammed by the asshole promoter, ''he was effectively asked by a security guard to stop an armed robber.'' Any sensible normal teenager, even one with fighting experience, would have stepped aside out of common sense like he did, especially since it's not a smart idea to tackle someone with a loaded gun that could end up getting you or the people near you shot and killed. Note that Peter isn't bulletproof and has no combat experience at this point, so even if the guard ''did'' know the kid had superpowers (which he didn't), it'd still be extremely unreasonable to ask him to risk his life so blatantly just to save at most a few dozen thousand dollars. ''Spider-Man 3'' makes the decision even more understandable in context, as the robber [[spoiler:wasn't even the one that killed Uncle Ben and seemingly had no inclination to actually hurt anyone, so Peter can't even be indirectly blamed for anything]].
39	** Peter fighting back against Flash is listed as one of the reasons Ben is concerned with Peter's behavior after he acquires his powers. However, Peter only fought in self-defense and spent most of the fight ''dodging'' Flash's blows. Furthermore, it's clear that Flash has been picking on Peter for a long time. While Ben had good reason to worry about his nephew going down a potentially bad path, fighting back against a bully wasn't one of them. Ben does acknowledge that Flash probably deserved it.
40	* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: The Green Goblin is a psychopathic {{Sadist}} who takes pleasure in committing mass murder and putting many innocent lives in danger. But Creator/WillemDafoe’s LargeHam performance makes him a blast to watch. The Oscorp board members who fire Norman on the other hand, are a group of callous, cold-hearted businessmen who want nothing more than to kick Norman out of his own company for their own selfish needs. Their remorseless firing of Norman can make the Goblin’s admittedly terrifying revenge on them, pretty satisfying to watch.
41	* JustHereForGodzilla: Even people who don't like the film or overall series have praised Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn.
42	* LoveToHate: Green Goblin may be a psychotic CardCarryingVillain but this also makes him absolutely enjoyable to watch, thanks to Creator/WillemDafoe's extremely LargeHam performance.
43	* MemeticBadass:
44	** This film's version of Flash Thompson is often depicted as a FearlessFool[=/=]BloodKnight who'll pick a fight with just about anyone, [[LetsYouAndHimFight even if they don't want to]].
45	** Bonesaw [=McGraw=], despite only having a couple of minutes of screentime, actually gives Peter trouble in the ring after defeating several opponents in series before him before Peter fights back. And Bonesaw did this [[BadassNormal without superpowers]].
46	* MemeticMutation:
47	** [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b5abnsecmaagxke.jpg This]] image of Peter in his first Spider-Man outfit has become involved in a meme where he is photoshopped in various recent events, typically tragic ones.
48	** Peter putting on his glasses has become a fairly popular meme typically used to express one's opinion on a certain subject.
49	** "[[https://i.redd.it/fjq6gbbhkk521.jpg You're on the wrong side of history, Spider-Man.]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]] Peter taunts Bone-Saw by asking if the latter's fighting outfit was made by his husband. Due to the obvious homophobic tone, many modern viewers have edited the scene to give Bone-Saw a comical response that gives him the moral high ground, mostly by having him embrace his sexuality or give a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Peter.[[/labelnote]]
50	** Bonesaw's method acting. [[labelnote:Explanation]] Due to being played by a real wrestler, a meme format has popped up where it states that, to get into the character of Bonesaw, Randy Savage wrestled for 30+ years and won multiple world titles.[[/labelnote]]
51	** "You know, I'm something of a scientist myself!" [[labelnote: Explanation]]A line spoken by Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn when first meeting Peter, it has been used in a variety of ways such as altering its' surrounding context or omitting certain letters to alter the message. [[spoiler: It got a CallBack in ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome''.]][[/labelnote]]
52	** "The ad said 3000." [[labelnote: Explanation]]This became a meme after ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' came out, with the rise of "I love you 3000" meme. This is usually used as a response from Peter when someone tells him how much they love him.[[/labelnote]]
53	** "I missed the part where that's my problem." [[labelnote: Explanation]]The wrestling promoter underpays Peter by over 95% for pinning his opponent a minute early and uses this line to dismiss his wage theft complaint. [[IronicEcho Peter then immediately throws it back in his face]] when an armed robber breaks into the office and steals the pot at gunpoint (due to a ContrivedCoincidence the same robber then shoots Uncle Ben while stealing his car to escape). This line has became a very applicable comeback to pretty much ''everything.''[[/labelnote]]
54	** "You either drip or drown!" / Willem ''Drip''foe. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A line from the film recontextualized with the release of ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', and used in conjunction with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh9yS7_JUMU a clip]] showing Creator/WillemDafoe showing off the clothes he's wearing for a fashion blogger in New York.[[/labelnote]]
55	* MoralEventHorizon:
56	** The robber crosses it when he [[spoiler:[[UngratefulBastard tries to shoot Peter Parker]], the same guy who, earlier on, deliberately got out of the way to let him get to the elevator to run from the cops, and who also had just now refrained from brutally attacking him.]]
57	** Green Goblin crosses it when he [[spoiler:terrorizes Aunt May in the dead of night and triggers a panic attack that sends her to the hospital. He then follows it up with [[SadisticChoice forcing Peter to choose between saving MJ and a cable car full of children from over a bridge, then attacking Peter as he tries to protect both to make him drop the hostages]].]]
58	* NarmCharm:
59	** The Green Goblin's costume is maligned for being a rather silly example of [[SpandexLatexOrLeather turn-of-the-millennium superhero movie costuming]], being comic-unfaithful, and [[SerendipityWritesThePlot clearly being designed around the problem with]] NoFlowInCGI [[SerendipityWritesThePlot at the time]]; but it ''does'' work well in some key scenes. For instance, the [[YellowEyesOfSneakiness reflective, golden-yellow eyes]], especially in the Aunt May prayer scene, where the costume really does make Goblin look like a demonic figure. Willem Dafoe's mouth is also faintly visible through the grille of the mask in closeup shots, creating a genuinely creepy NestedMouths effect when he's hamming it up.
60	** A ''lot'' of Green Goblin's dialogue is overwrought, clunky, and excessively theatrical. Willem Dafoe [[SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror makes it]] [[EvilIsHammy hilarious]] and ''[[NightmareFuel terrifying]]''.
61	** The Green Goblin in general. Creator/WillemDafoe knew exactly what kind of character and film he had on his hands, and by totally embracing the character's ridiculously hammy nature, he not only gives an actually engaging performance, but has the audience laughing ''with'' him, rather than ''at'' him. A lesser actor would've crumbled, but Dafoe truly shines.
62	** The scene with the New Yorkers pelting the Green Goblin with trash. Out-of-context, it comes across as a hokey, jingoistic moment that diminishes the supervillain's threat. But given that this was an escapist movie just after the United States -- and the world -- had been collectively traumatized by [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror the September 11th terrorist attacks]] that devastated New York City, a scene of the city's denizens coming together and assisting the superhero that embodies the spirit of NYC seemed to be exactly what audiences at the time needed.
63	** Peter literally ugly-crying when Uncle Ben dies is a bit overplayed to the point of MemeticMutation, but at the same time, it's such a genuine reaction to a family member's death that it alleviates the cheese factor quite well.
64	* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: Downplayed, but the tie-in game was regarded as a generally decent action game, brought down by an awful camera system and an overly short length. It helps that it served as a blueprint for the sequel, which is considered one of the best movie tie-in video games ever made.
65	* NewerThanTheyThink: When people read the comic ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'', they may feel that it was based on the film franchise. Actually, the comic is from 2000, before the film, and established its style from the get go. Of course, there [[https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/8ocvog/sam_raimi_and_tobey_maguire_reading_an_issue_of/ exists a set photo]] of Creator/TobeyMaguire and Creator/SamRaimi reading an issue of ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' that proves that the comic already existed when the movie began its production.
66	* OlderThanTheyThink: Let's see -- a villain without any grand plan, who just "does things", whose climactic plot involves a SadisticChoice that forces the hero to choose between pairs of civilians, whose main dynamic with the hero is to convert him to subscribe to his nihilistic worldview, who in one crucial scene dresses up in woman's clothing to terrifying effect -- a lot of the shtick practiced by Creator/HeathLedger's Joker in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' is already there in the first film in its second half. The fact the Green Goblin in the comics is often seen as Marvel's AlternateCompanyEquivalent to Joker only cements this further (likewise, Creator/WillemDafoe was one of the contenders to play Joker in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/{{Batman\|1989}}'').
67
68	* OnceOriginalNowCommon: For some, though not all. It's hard for some more modern audiences to comprehend that while this film wasn't the ''first'' superhero movie on the block, it was the first one to strike it big and be one of the highest grossing films ''in filmmaking history'' in its first run, effectively solidifying the ideas and formula for superhero flicks going forwards. By today's standards, the film does firmly codify the ideas and formula that even the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse would end up following, though some feel that its pacing is slower and a bit more padded out than what would refine its ideas in the future. For many, it's this reason that helps distinguish it from even its own sequels, and the film still holds strong on its own as a legend of cinema despite its age and [[SpecialEffectsFailure occasional questionable CGI]], which in and of itself was a big deal back in 2002.
69	* OneSceneWonder:
70	** Bonesaw [=McGraw=] is well remembered by a lot of people. Being played by "Macho Man" Wrestling/RandySavage himself certainly helped in that regard.
71	** In the climax, two men stand out among the crowd that pelt the Goblin with debris so as to save Spider-Man, MJ, and a group of kids with their counselor in a cable car. One of them shouts, "Leave Spider-Man alone! You're going to pick on a guy saving a bunch of kids?!" and another hits Goblin with a pipe shouting, "You mess with Spidey, you mess with New York!" Even more awesome is that the Goblin is too far to retaliate and stunned at how basic human decency won out over Jameson's SmearCampaign. They both later appear in the sequel, playing different roles where the first guy notes that Spider-Man is no older than his son.
72	** In the montage of Spider-Man fighting crime, one of the two burglars he leaves webbed up for the cop is a female in a crop top and both WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic and Nick Mason from Podcast/TheWeeklyPlanet compared her to ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''.
73	* QuestionableCasting: Surprisingly, this was the initial reaction when Creator/TobeyMaguire was cast as Spider-Man himself, as fans thought he was too "doughy" for the role (which he was at first, [[DyeingForYourArt but months of long, hard training can change a man]]). He is in fact a perfect fit for the original lanky and scrawny Creator/SteveDitko design of Peter Parker. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Spiderman/comments/d71pzc/is_it_just_me_or_does_young_tobey_maguire_look_a/ Some fans have also pointed out]] that in The90s, Maguire with longer hair looked a lot like the [[ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan Ultimate universe Peter Parker]].
74	* RetroactiveRecognition:
75	** Future Oscar winner Creator/OctaviaSpencer as the receptionist at the wrestling event who initially laughs off Peter's desire to wrestle Bonesaw.
76	** Creator/JoeManganiello as Flash Thompson. He would eventually become a notable actor years after the film.
77	** Creator/ElizabethBanks as J. Jonah Jameson's receptionist Miss Brant.
78	* RomanticPlotTumor: The film complicated Spider-Man's origins by giving him a "love motive" in that Peter's inspired to wrestle and make money to impress Mary Jane, when in the comics, Peter Parker took up wrestling for fame and to make money for his aunt and uncle (though the film's novelization indicates he had those goals as well after getting a car). This combines his character arc of WorkingClassHero with the GiveGeeksAChance romantic dreamer that he established with characters like Liz and Betty in the Ditko run.
79	* SignatureScene:
80	** The Upside-Down Kiss is one of the film's most famous scenes and usually the first thing that pops to mind when people think of Spider-Man and MJ's relationship.
81	** The montage of Peter drawing up costume ideas on a piece of paper is well-known and often-referenced in parodies, and later ''Spider-Man'' works (for instance ''Videogame/SpiderManPS4'' pans over a book of sketches in the opening cutscene).
82	* SpecialEffectFailure:
83	** As awesome as the effects generally are, there were a handful of instances where the effects team used obvious short-cuts, most notably with the rather amorphous and undetailed CG model of Spidey used in some of the instances of him swinging through the city.
84	** Time has been very unkind to most of the film's visual effects work; not only with the cartoonish CGI models of Spidey and Goblin used for stunts, but also the incredibly fake CGI webbing and some pretty poor chroma key (green/blue screen) work with obvious halos around foreground objects. It's especially jarring when compared to the sequels and Andrew Garfield movies, which have much better VFX.
85	* {{Squick}}: In the novelization, Norman actually ''touched the drop of blood that Peter accidentally bled on the floor''. '''EW'''.
86	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
87	** The scene where a bunch of New Yorkers come to Spider-Man's aid and one shouts "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!" definitely serves as a reminder of the mood of post-9/11 solidarity that was prevalent for over a year or so after the attack. Especially given that that particular scene was [[EnforcedTrope added in post-production]], after the attacks had occurred.
88	** Macy Gray making a cameo at the parade. Hell, much of the soundtrack is this. The credits end with Chad Kroeger of the band Music/{{Nickelback}} (when they were new and the backlash against them hadn't hit yet) and Josey Scott of Saliva (who was also new back then), and the soundtrack album is filled with acts that were big back in 2002 but faded by TheNewTens, such as the aforementioned Macy Gray, Music/Sum41, Music/TheStrokes, and the one-hit wonder Music/AlienAntFarm.
89	* ValuesDissonance:
90	** A minor but very notable example: the wrestling match against Bonesaw [=McGraw=], his opponent, Peter taunts him by saying "That's a cute outfit. Did your husband give it to you?", which comes off as a homophobic remark nowadays. Bonesaw reacting to said quip by angrily lunging at Peter makes him come across as homophobic too. It should be noted that casual homophobia used to be common in early [[UsefulNotes/The2000s 2000s]] media, but given the acceptance gay people have now, this joke has aged poorly. There are, however, some gay or queer people who [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales don't mind the joke and actually chuckle at it]].
91	** Even though it's shown that Norman Osborn's actions as the Green Goblin are a result of the serum negatively affecting his mental health and creating a SplitPersonality, the film doesn't treat him with much sympathy and still holds him responsible for the Goblin's actions. To viewers in the 2020s, this comes across as rather harsh given the greater awareness of mental health has resulted in media and society treating those suffering from mental illness more compassionately. It's telling that in 2021's ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', the character is given AdaptationalSympathy and it's made clear Norman's Goblin side is an illness.
92	* ValuesResonance: Due to media bias from news corporations still being seen as controversial in the 2020s, the Daily Bugle subplot aged very well.
93	* {{Woolseyism}}: In the Hindi dub of the movie, Peter's quip is changed from "That's a cute outfit, did your husband give it to you?" to "That's a cute outfit, did you get it from the flea market?", changing it from a homophobic insult to just a juvenile insult where he is calling Bonesaw a cheapskate.
94	* WTHCostumingDepartment: While Creator/WillemDafoe's [[EvilIsHammy performance]] as the Green Goblin was widely acclaimed, his actual ''appearance'' in the goofy-looking armor was anything but. However, at [[WhatCouldHaveBeen some point]] in the production, his character was going to be depicted by a hybrid of prosthetic makeup and an animatronic mask. Some feel it would have been much scarier than the infamous "Power Rangers Goblin", whereas others feel it would have glossed straight into the UncannyValley (which, in itself, may have been the point). Check it out for yourself [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fXAGC_B2Ys here.]] Notably, the best thing Creator/TobeyMaguire had to say about the suit in a behind the scenes interview was that "there was room for a lot more to go wrong with the Green Goblin's costume."

Context YMMV / SpiderMan1