The Best Spider-Man Movie Effect Is 100% Practical And Was Painful To Pull Off
While we can argue about who the best live-action Spider-Man is now that we have three from which to choose, we cannot argue about how amazing Tobey Maguire is in the 2002 Spider-Man tray scene. It’s simply stunning. And what is especially spectacular about this scene is that it included no CGI at all and very little assistance. Maguire nailed it, and it only took 156 tries.
As Peter is walking toward Mary Jane, she slips and her tray, and all the items upon it, fly into the air. In the Spider-Man tray scene, Peter catches Mary Jane in one arm, catches the tray in the opposite hand, and then proceeds to catch every falling item on the tray, winning the attention and affection of the girl, and firmly solidifying his place in the hearts of Spider-Man fans.
Sam Raimi reportedly got into a major fight with Sony, the film studio, over the “wasted time” on a scene that Sony figured could just be cut out.
What looks so effortless on screen was far from easy on set. The scene took 156 takes and 16-hour days. As Kirsten Dunst confirms in an interview about the now iconic Spider-Man tray scene, the only special effect was that Tobey had some sticky glue on his hand to keep the tray in place.
From there, crew members stood on ladders out of view from the camera shot and dropped the items from above, and Tobey Maguire tried repeatedly to catch everything on the tray, while holding onto Mary Jane. Watch the scene, and you can see that the looks of wonder and amazement on both Peter and Mary Jane’s faces are authentic. “Finally!”
Notes from behind the scenes have reported that Sam Raimi got into a major fight with Sony, the film studio, over the “wasted time” on a scene that Sony figured could just be cut out. They argued that it was far too expensive to spend 16 hours on the Spider-Man tray scene, when CGI effects were quite handy.
The Spider-Man tray scene took 156 takes and 16-hour days.
When Sam Raimi took on Spider-Man in 2002, comic book fans the world over were excited. He really set the precedent for all future superhero films to come. Up to that point, Raimi had given us movies like A Simple Plan, The Quick and the Dead, and Darkman. He had set the stage for his practical approach to filmmaking, worrying that allowing too much CGI in a movie could dilute the action and the storytelling.
This approach is made clear in the Spider-Man tray scene. The first Spider-Man film of the trilogy introduces Peter Parker played by Tobey Maguire. He’s a science nerd who longs for the pretty girl, Mary Jane Watson, played by Kirsten Dunst. He lives with his Uncle Ben and his Aunt May, and he’s picked on by the school bully, Flash.
Until he’s bitten by that radioactive spider while on a school field trip.
The only special effect was that Tobey had some sticky glue on his hand to keep the tray in place.
Raimi stuck to his guns, and thanks to his reputation, won. The Spider-Man tray scene held, and is there for fans to enjoy over and over again. Just maybe not 156 times in a row.
