The Spider-Man Film Series
Hollywood loves a successful film series. The success of one film should in theory help to build the next one. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a great example. It’s the best of the Tom Holland era Spider-Man films and the most successful. It didn’t hurt that Tom Holland and Zendaya are the social media equivalent of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
Spider-Man is an IP franchise that’s been managed as a film series. The film series features an actor who becomes synonymous with the Spider-Man character. This works in a similar way to the James Bond films.
Some film series are associated with one actor. Harrison Ford was Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Arc (1981). Jennifer Lawrence was Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games (2012). Sigourney Weaver was Elen Ripley in Alien (1979). Keanu Reeves was Neo in The Matrix (1999). Clint Eastwood was Dirty Harry in Dirty Harry (1971). Unlike these, the James Bond film series has featured multiple actors. Sean Connery started the series with Dr. No (1962). Daniel Craig was the last Bond. He first appeared as Bond in Casino Royale (2006).
A key difference between the Spider-Man and Bond film series is that the Spider-Man character has essentially remained the same, whereas the Bond character has shifted more. This was noticeable with the tonal switch from Sean Connery to Roger Moore (which exaggerated the humour) and, more recently, with the Daniel Craig era Bond, which broke a key ingredient of the screen Bond character… his invulnerability.
Toby Maguire’s Spider-Man (2002) was essentially Paul Hood, the character he played in The Ice Storm (2002). He was a youthful, round-faced, comic-reading kid, finding his way in the world. His boyish portrayal of Spider-Man had an emotional core. It had a classic coming-of-age sensitivity and vulnerability that set the tone for the Spider-Man film series. This contrasted Peter Parker with other superheroes, like Batman, with their chiselled adult muscularity.
Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man was more confident, with a sarcastic wit. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man feels lovably goofy, with a high-tech Spy Kids (2001) vibe. While the actors bring something of themselves (or what they’re known for) to the role, the Spider-Man character stays the same.
The Spider-Man film series is an old fashioned coming-of-age story. A romantic first love tale. It is also a special effects action adventure with a sense of humour. Having a screen-friendly face, like Tom Holland in the role of Peter Parker, goes a long way to make the magic work – but it’s also about the writers, being true to the promise of who Peter Parker is, and not breaking that promise with the audience.