46 reviews
Spider-Man 2003 is a cel-shaded cartoon series for adults that aired on MTV and in syndication. It features amazing computer animation and the story-line is not the worst, though it does leave on a mini- cliff hanger. The action is interesting and fast-paced but not so much that you can't absorb scenery details and what's happening on the screen. I recommend that you give this series a try, as long as you watch the episodes in the correct order sequence.
I have determined the order in which to watch Spider-Man 2003. (I voted it an 8, but only if you watch the entire series in the correct order.)
Spider-man 2003 comes in a 2-disc set: disc 1 is A, disc 2 is B. Episodes are numbered, as on the discs. Copy and print this for your records.
Disc 1 (A) 3 4 1 5 2 6 7 8
Disc 2 (B) 2 1 3 4 5
If you can watch the episodes digitally, without discs, then watch the episodes in this sequential order (base this sequence on Wikipedia's list of episodes for Spider-Man 2003):
5. Law of the Jungle --- 2. Sword of Shikata --- 1. Heroes and Villains --- 3. Keeping Secrets --- 9. Royal Scam --- 4. Tight Squeeze --- 6. Head over Heels --- 10. The Party --- 7. Spider-Man Dis-Sabled --- 11. Flash Memory --- 8. When Sparks Fly --- 12. Mind Games I --- 13. Mind Games II
I have determined the order in which to watch Spider-Man 2003. (I voted it an 8, but only if you watch the entire series in the correct order.)
Spider-man 2003 comes in a 2-disc set: disc 1 is A, disc 2 is B. Episodes are numbered, as on the discs. Copy and print this for your records.
Disc 1 (A) 3 4 1 5 2 6 7 8
Disc 2 (B) 2 1 3 4 5
If you can watch the episodes digitally, without discs, then watch the episodes in this sequential order (base this sequence on Wikipedia's list of episodes for Spider-Man 2003):
5. Law of the Jungle --- 2. Sword of Shikata --- 1. Heroes and Villains --- 3. Keeping Secrets --- 9. Royal Scam --- 4. Tight Squeeze --- 6. Head over Heels --- 10. The Party --- 7. Spider-Man Dis-Sabled --- 11. Flash Memory --- 8. When Sparks Fly --- 12. Mind Games I --- 13. Mind Games II
- ernie-70738
- Jul 24, 2015
- Permalink
This is a great Spider-Man Animated TV Series way better than any of those Spider-Man's TV Series.
This one is aimed towards Young-Adult/Adults if Teens maybe... but still. Why? Cuz there's lot's of Innuendos and a bit of adult stuff, I mean not every single Episode has Innuendos or Adult things but there's a good bit. I like the Story of it, especially the Characters are more I don't know... Themselves?! I don't know how to explain the Characters but I like'em way better than the Movie or even other Spider-Man TV Series.
Unfortunately, it only lasted 1 Season with 13 or 14 Episodes and for sure there'll be never more Seasons. Unless they do change things A LOT. Like, let's say MJ and Peter got Married and then they had a Daugther/Son. And then this KID also has a Spider ability but the kid doesn't know till his/her Teen-Age. Why? Well, the kid has to get bitten by a Spider as well. Well, not the same particular Spider that bit Peter but the same Species to activate his/her Spider Ability. But this kid is more Powerful than Peter because this kid is Peter's Son/Daugther. I don't know seems a bit stupid but it's an Idea well, of mine at-least and probably gazillions others too that thought the same way I did. Or even better a Remake of this same one.
Well, aside from that, overall this Spider-Man Animated TV Series is Great and I'd give it a 7.8/10 which is why I gave it an 8 because what's 0.2 points. And I'd recommend people this especially Spider- Man Fans.
This one is aimed towards Young-Adult/Adults if Teens maybe... but still. Why? Cuz there's lot's of Innuendos and a bit of adult stuff, I mean not every single Episode has Innuendos or Adult things but there's a good bit. I like the Story of it, especially the Characters are more I don't know... Themselves?! I don't know how to explain the Characters but I like'em way better than the Movie or even other Spider-Man TV Series.
Unfortunately, it only lasted 1 Season with 13 or 14 Episodes and for sure there'll be never more Seasons. Unless they do change things A LOT. Like, let's say MJ and Peter got Married and then they had a Daugther/Son. And then this KID also has a Spider ability but the kid doesn't know till his/her Teen-Age. Why? Well, the kid has to get bitten by a Spider as well. Well, not the same particular Spider that bit Peter but the same Species to activate his/her Spider Ability. But this kid is more Powerful than Peter because this kid is Peter's Son/Daugther. I don't know seems a bit stupid but it's an Idea well, of mine at-least and probably gazillions others too that thought the same way I did. Or even better a Remake of this same one.
Well, aside from that, overall this Spider-Man Animated TV Series is Great and I'd give it a 7.8/10 which is why I gave it an 8 because what's 0.2 points. And I'd recommend people this especially Spider- Man Fans.
- mrdangerous-98454
- Aug 24, 2017
- Permalink
I've always liked Spider-Man, and I have always enjoyed this show. Maybe it is not as good as the 90s series, but it is a hundred times better than Spider-Man Unlimited. It does have its problems, the show's ending did feel rushed and the Kingpin is rather bland this time around, too much of the standard crime boss sort of character. You also do wish that Aunt May was involved in this series, she always had that heart-warming sincerity and care for Peter that I think would have balanced the tone of the story lines even more if she was included. There is also not enough Jameson. That said, when I first saw the show I saw potential and on the most part the potential is lived up to. Having Spider-Man in computer-animation may be a shock to the system for some, but while I am a traditional-animation fan myself I really liked the animation here. The character designs are very well defined and the backgrounds are full of atmospheric colours and detail. The music is hauntingly beautiful, with a simply awesome theme tune. The writing is intelligent, thought-provoking and even Peter's wise-cracks raises some amusement, while the story lines have a very dark centre to them with the themes and the violence but does so in a way that does hit you hard but not in a heavy-handed way. The action sequences are very exciting, while of the villains Electro, Roxanne and especially the Lizard stand out. Kraven also intrigued me. The voice acting I think is very good, Neil Patrick Harris not only conveys Spider-Man's broodiness but also with the wise-cracks he gives a quirkier side as well, in short he makes the character his own while never deviating too far from it. Michael Clarke Duncan does do a fine job with the Kingpin, I just wish that the character was more interesting. Kathy Griffin as Roxanne is brilliant, as is Ethan Embry as Electro, and Rob Zombie gives a menacing and poignant edge. All in all, a very good show that should have lasted longer. 8/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Sep 18, 2012
- Permalink
Well, Spider-man stars in his first decent cartoon since '94. The show's actually pretty good, it's basically focusing on Peter's college days, as well as his friendship with Harry and relationship with Mary Jane. The final episode ended on a real cliffhanger, I hope it's continued. The "new" villains are pretty interesting, and it's cool seeing Kraven the Hunter, voiced by Micheal Dorn, and Kingpin, voiced by Micheal Clarke Duncan, who also played him in the Daredevil movie. As I said, hopefully this show is continued, because the ending made me want to see more!
I mean, it's new for MTV to show some actually INTELLIGENT programming. Maybe that's why it ended though, since the "Jackass," fans couldn't fathom something that intelligent.
I mean, it's new for MTV to show some actually INTELLIGENT programming. Maybe that's why it ended though, since the "Jackass," fans couldn't fathom something that intelligent.
It was good to see a rendition of Spider-Man with more focus on his friendship with MJ, Harry Osborne and others at the ESU, but the praise sadly ends here.
Aside from that, I must admit I didn't get super engaged in the series. I didn't find Neil Patrick Harris' voice of Spider-Man especially engaging, but oddly enough, I felt he did a good job as Peter Parker. The other voice actors did their jobs well.
Many of the villainous characters I normally love felt underdeveloped and forgettable like Kingpin and Kraven The Hunter. Lizard and Electro were good and had some great action scenes.
The CGI is normally not my cup of tea and I mostly felt the same way about it in this, but things like jumping off a building and swinging through the city looked great. When it was dark it usually looked great, too. That is a personal thing, if you like it, great.
The two part episode, "Mind Games", was the climax of the show with intelligent writing, the best villains in the series and really good suspense, but the fact that the series first became exciting in the end is not a good sign.
Perhaps if more seasons were added it could have developed into more, but overall I'm glad I gave this series a chance.
Aside from that, I must admit I didn't get super engaged in the series. I didn't find Neil Patrick Harris' voice of Spider-Man especially engaging, but oddly enough, I felt he did a good job as Peter Parker. The other voice actors did their jobs well.
Many of the villainous characters I normally love felt underdeveloped and forgettable like Kingpin and Kraven The Hunter. Lizard and Electro were good and had some great action scenes.
The CGI is normally not my cup of tea and I mostly felt the same way about it in this, but things like jumping off a building and swinging through the city looked great. When it was dark it usually looked great, too. That is a personal thing, if you like it, great.
The two part episode, "Mind Games", was the climax of the show with intelligent writing, the best villains in the series and really good suspense, but the fact that the series first became exciting in the end is not a good sign.
Perhaps if more seasons were added it could have developed into more, but overall I'm glad I gave this series a chance.
- The_Depressed_Star_Wars_fan
- Jul 30, 2010
- Permalink
Spidey on TV has always suffered from being intended for children, and blatant cases of cheesiness, and that was a part of the appeal of it. Recently however, they've come out with a new Spider formula: more mature, having characters die on screen, insanity, and dealing with a broad range of new subject matter like sex, violence, drug abuse, and murder. This show is Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (or MTV Spider-Man).
Being done in full cell shading animation, it loosely follows up on the events of the first Spider-Man movie, following Peter Parkers life as he tries to deal with college, women, life, and his responsibility of being Spider-Man. The 13 eps. series flows in a somewhat sequestered format, with each eps being cut off from the others, aside from a few exceptions (a new love interest being introduced halfway through, and the 2-part series finale), which takes away from the feel that you're watching Pete's life go on, since his actions in one eps don't necessarily reflect in any of the others. But overall it works to establish the villains which show up in every eps.
As said, there is a villain appearance in each eps, ranging from a college girl obsessed with Spider-Man, to Russian terrorists, to telepathic twins. Of course some of your old favorites make an appearance such as Kingpin, The Lizard, and Electro to name a few, though not all of them are handled appropriately. For example, Kingpin, who's basically the nexus with which all crime in New York revolves around, comes off as no more dangerous than a somewhat successful crime boss. While others, such as Electro and The Lizard, are almost epic in their presentation. Both of which will tempt a tear to be released if not making you cry openly.
The voice acting is decent, with Spidey sounding appropriate and having a good hint of silly sarcasm to his voice, but the problem is he doesn't really change it. In some serious scenes, it just doesn't sound much different than when he's taunting a villain, only in a slightly lower tone. The real shining voicework comes from the one-shot villains. Particularly from Rob Zombie as Dr. Kurt Conners and Kathy Griffin as Roxanne (a telepathic twin). Both giving amazing performances and convey their characters marvelously. Especially Kathy Griffin, who doesn't seem like she would be the type to play a psychotic killer at all, but her voice fits amazingly well. One special note I'd like to make is about Ethan Embry who plays Max Dillon/Electro. While his performance isn't really anything special in the first half of his eps, once he becomes Electro his quality skyrockets. With 2 lines being given by him that are the 2 most memorable, and emotionally stirring in the entire series:
It's not the lines themselves, but the way that they are said that just rips your heart out. The second line never fails to make me close my eyes and turn away slightly at his pain no matter how many times I see it. It's just that well delivered. You need to listen to it in order to understand what I mean, words can't explain it.
Overall, this is a well made Spider-man series with a more mature twist than what we're expecting to see from a spidey series. Though not without it's flaws (reuse of 3-4 people designs as extras continuously, repetition of Spidey's catch phrase "seriously.. ow!", etc.) it's definitely a worthy addition to the Spidey franchise, and is definitely worth a look if you're at all interested in your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man.
Being done in full cell shading animation, it loosely follows up on the events of the first Spider-Man movie, following Peter Parkers life as he tries to deal with college, women, life, and his responsibility of being Spider-Man. The 13 eps. series flows in a somewhat sequestered format, with each eps being cut off from the others, aside from a few exceptions (a new love interest being introduced halfway through, and the 2-part series finale), which takes away from the feel that you're watching Pete's life go on, since his actions in one eps don't necessarily reflect in any of the others. But overall it works to establish the villains which show up in every eps.
As said, there is a villain appearance in each eps, ranging from a college girl obsessed with Spider-Man, to Russian terrorists, to telepathic twins. Of course some of your old favorites make an appearance such as Kingpin, The Lizard, and Electro to name a few, though not all of them are handled appropriately. For example, Kingpin, who's basically the nexus with which all crime in New York revolves around, comes off as no more dangerous than a somewhat successful crime boss. While others, such as Electro and The Lizard, are almost epic in their presentation. Both of which will tempt a tear to be released if not making you cry openly.
The voice acting is decent, with Spidey sounding appropriate and having a good hint of silly sarcasm to his voice, but the problem is he doesn't really change it. In some serious scenes, it just doesn't sound much different than when he's taunting a villain, only in a slightly lower tone. The real shining voicework comes from the one-shot villains. Particularly from Rob Zombie as Dr. Kurt Conners and Kathy Griffin as Roxanne (a telepathic twin). Both giving amazing performances and convey their characters marvelously. Especially Kathy Griffin, who doesn't seem like she would be the type to play a psychotic killer at all, but her voice fits amazingly well. One special note I'd like to make is about Ethan Embry who plays Max Dillon/Electro. While his performance isn't really anything special in the first half of his eps, once he becomes Electro his quality skyrockets. With 2 lines being given by him that are the 2 most memorable, and emotionally stirring in the entire series:
- No one is innocent!! NO ONE!! - Spidey: I know.. what it's like!! Electro: No.. you.. don't!!
It's not the lines themselves, but the way that they are said that just rips your heart out. The second line never fails to make me close my eyes and turn away slightly at his pain no matter how many times I see it. It's just that well delivered. You need to listen to it in order to understand what I mean, words can't explain it.
Overall, this is a well made Spider-man series with a more mature twist than what we're expecting to see from a spidey series. Though not without it's flaws (reuse of 3-4 people designs as extras continuously, repetition of Spidey's catch phrase "seriously.. ow!", etc.) it's definitely a worthy addition to the Spidey franchise, and is definitely worth a look if you're at all interested in your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man.
- interslicery
- Jul 19, 2007
- Permalink
"Spider-Man" (2003-2003) is an animated series that combines superhero action, storytelling, and the struggles of Peter Parker. The series delves into the complexities of Peter's dual life as a high school student and a superhero, offering a nuanced portrayal of his challenges. The animation quality is top-notch, bringing the vibrant energy of comic book pages to life. The series features dynamic visuals, well-choreographed action sequences, and a genuine understanding of the Spider-Man mythos. It captures the spirit of Spider-Man in all his web-swinging glory, making it a nostalgic yet timeless journey for both comic book enthusiasts and newcomers to the superhero genre.
- Mysterygeneration
- Jan 11, 2024
- Permalink
Truly the BEST ever incarnation of Spiderman and the best animated show EVER!!! Compared to previous animated Spidey's this was bold move, taking it in new, more mature and realistic directions. The 60's and 90's shows seem tame and childish in comparison.
Taking place after the Spider-Man movie this show revolves around the college adventures of Peter, Mary-Jane and Harry who have much better chemistry, character and dialogue than the movie ever offered. Each episode provides more drama and development and creativity. The stories are very imaginative and are obviously written by people who are passionate about Spiderman rather than a studio hashing a product together.
The computer animation is superb and resembles The Ultimate Spiderman comic book (my fave) more than anything. And I know Mary-Jane is only a CGI character but she is so beautiful, and she's voiced by the equally gorgeous Lisa Loeb. Neil Patrick Harris is the voice of Peter Parker and even in this performance he is a hundred times better than Tobey Maguire.
The show also offers some new, interesting characters like Indy, Cheyenne and Silver Sable and gives us alternate takes on Electro and Kraven. Though I was curious as to why Aunt May was not involved.
There is plenty of action and excitement to be had in every episode, all backed up to great music, MAN IS THAT THEME TUNE AWESOME! Where is the soundtrack CD?
The show could not have asked for a better DVD presentation. Not only do we get an absolutely stunning 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation but a thumpingly good, totally engaging DTS 5.1 soundtrack too. Each episode is a 22-minute movie that is far superior to anything the live-action effort was. There are also an abundance of extras on this 2-disc set, some interesting, some not. But a seriously good package for a great show. You must buy! Fan or no fan of Spidey this DVD is too good to be without.
Taking place after the Spider-Man movie this show revolves around the college adventures of Peter, Mary-Jane and Harry who have much better chemistry, character and dialogue than the movie ever offered. Each episode provides more drama and development and creativity. The stories are very imaginative and are obviously written by people who are passionate about Spiderman rather than a studio hashing a product together.
The computer animation is superb and resembles The Ultimate Spiderman comic book (my fave) more than anything. And I know Mary-Jane is only a CGI character but she is so beautiful, and she's voiced by the equally gorgeous Lisa Loeb. Neil Patrick Harris is the voice of Peter Parker and even in this performance he is a hundred times better than Tobey Maguire.
The show also offers some new, interesting characters like Indy, Cheyenne and Silver Sable and gives us alternate takes on Electro and Kraven. Though I was curious as to why Aunt May was not involved.
There is plenty of action and excitement to be had in every episode, all backed up to great music, MAN IS THAT THEME TUNE AWESOME! Where is the soundtrack CD?
The show could not have asked for a better DVD presentation. Not only do we get an absolutely stunning 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation but a thumpingly good, totally engaging DTS 5.1 soundtrack too. Each episode is a 22-minute movie that is far superior to anything the live-action effort was. There are also an abundance of extras on this 2-disc set, some interesting, some not. But a seriously good package for a great show. You must buy! Fan or no fan of Spidey this DVD is too good to be without.
- CuriosityKilledShawn
- Apr 28, 2004
- Permalink
Okay there are many things wrong with this series. This is definitely not the Spider-Man series i was hoping for. I can tell you why.
1. Its not a comic adaption and lack of comic characters
Okay why do they even bother making a series that takes place after the blockbuster Spider-Man movie? I mean sure its great and wonderful but why make a series of it. There are hardly any villains and supporting cast from the comics. And because of MTV and their stupid rule of not having any adult characters there is little JJJ and Curt Conners and Robbie Robertson, MJ's father and or course Aunt May weren't even part of the series. And don't get me started on the villains. Why made such stupid villains while you can have those cool ones from the comics. Okay so we can't have Green Goblin because of the movie and Doc Ock, Sandman & Venom are a no no but why can't they use villains like Shocker, Rhino or even Mysterio. They only classic villain they have here are Kraven the best villain here sadly, Kingpin who is portrayed very badly despite being voiced by MCD, Electro who was quite good, Lizard who looks nothing like the original and i don't even count Silver Sable as a classic villain.
2. Aimed at the wrong audience
Okay if you want a series about a classic hero like Spidey there are only two markets that you should aim for, The Kids and the Core Fans. Kids love the fights, the action and of course the hero and Core Fans love the villains, the stories used, the supporting cast and the everyman hero. Along with that there is only one market you should avoid at all cost, the MTV Crowd. I mean seriously WHY MTV? They don't even care about book characters they only care about the movie. And they are not even interested in this new series which is why it gotten cancelled mostly because it was aired in 2003 and X2 was the most popular movie back then meaning that they lost interest in character and whatever MTV says is cool or boring their lemmings will always agree.
3. Cell shaded animation
Exactly why is it that people don't like traditional animation anymore? Ther is absolutely no reason to make a Spider-Man series computer-animated. The animation is not bad but its not good either. Why use those damn computers when pencils and inks are your tools FOR GODS SAKE!!!!
There i said. The only thing i actually find interesting about this show is the violence and Spidey. As a fan of the character i say thank goodness we are rid of this rubbish and we are going to have a new Spidey DTV series next year. Take my word for it if you are a fan of the character go see the 90's series.
1. Its not a comic adaption and lack of comic characters
Okay why do they even bother making a series that takes place after the blockbuster Spider-Man movie? I mean sure its great and wonderful but why make a series of it. There are hardly any villains and supporting cast from the comics. And because of MTV and their stupid rule of not having any adult characters there is little JJJ and Curt Conners and Robbie Robertson, MJ's father and or course Aunt May weren't even part of the series. And don't get me started on the villains. Why made such stupid villains while you can have those cool ones from the comics. Okay so we can't have Green Goblin because of the movie and Doc Ock, Sandman & Venom are a no no but why can't they use villains like Shocker, Rhino or even Mysterio. They only classic villain they have here are Kraven the best villain here sadly, Kingpin who is portrayed very badly despite being voiced by MCD, Electro who was quite good, Lizard who looks nothing like the original and i don't even count Silver Sable as a classic villain.
2. Aimed at the wrong audience
Okay if you want a series about a classic hero like Spidey there are only two markets that you should aim for, The Kids and the Core Fans. Kids love the fights, the action and of course the hero and Core Fans love the villains, the stories used, the supporting cast and the everyman hero. Along with that there is only one market you should avoid at all cost, the MTV Crowd. I mean seriously WHY MTV? They don't even care about book characters they only care about the movie. And they are not even interested in this new series which is why it gotten cancelled mostly because it was aired in 2003 and X2 was the most popular movie back then meaning that they lost interest in character and whatever MTV says is cool or boring their lemmings will always agree.
3. Cell shaded animation
Exactly why is it that people don't like traditional animation anymore? Ther is absolutely no reason to make a Spider-Man series computer-animated. The animation is not bad but its not good either. Why use those damn computers when pencils and inks are your tools FOR GODS SAKE!!!!
There i said. The only thing i actually find interesting about this show is the violence and Spidey. As a fan of the character i say thank goodness we are rid of this rubbish and we are going to have a new Spidey DTV series next year. Take my word for it if you are a fan of the character go see the 90's series.
- shantosh9500
- Sep 12, 2006
- Permalink
A fun show, really interesting and different, but actually not my favorite show of Spider-Man or even Marvel! It's not the plot or the characters, maybe it's the animation that didn't draw me in.
- AnnaPagrati
- Mar 28, 2022
- Permalink
This series was awful, but it's Spider-Man so I had to give it some stars. As a huge Spider-Man fan, I wanted this series to work, but it just didn't quite become what it should have. Things like his spider-sense telling him there's a bomb on the car instead of just warning him of danger. They couldn't even get that right. Yes, it's just wrong when they can't even get the character or his basic powers right. The show has quite the cast (the best by far being Michael Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin, reprising his role from the live action Daredevil), but so much of the casting and voice acting feels way off. The story lines want to be original, but in so many ways they could have been fill-in-the-superhero stories, not Spider-Man stories. They are often college stories and villains with only a few Spider-Man villains appearing, which is sad considering there were 13 episodes. Spider-Man of the 90's was great, and Spectacular Spider-Man was fantastic (though the Sony DVD releases are a Sony rip-off giving 3 episodes for $20). This Spider-Man was an weak attempt: they added nothing to the Spider- Man mythos, had no stories that grabbed me, the swearing geared the series to teens but there was still had no real intelligence to the stories. It wasn't just weak or a wannabe series, it was stale. Very very stale and disappointing. At times it felt like they had weak stories already written, and threw Spider-Man in just to make them more interesting...
This cartoon was awesome, especially for a show that utilizes so much computer-generated imagery skillfully combined with traditional hand-drawn animation. "Spider-Man" is everything a reader of the original Marvel Comics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko could want - everything they could ever want - on hyper-drive. "Spider-Man" comes to us from comic book artist Brian Michael Bendis, who has received some pretty strong accolades for his work on Marvel's recent "Ultimate Spider-Man" title.
As a reader of Spider-Man comic books, the new animated series "Spider-Man" features one adrenalin-charged action sequence after the other, and then slows down to focus on the characters and their personal matters, which is what the original Spider-Man comics did to completely change the game after the character made his debut in "Amazing Fantasy #15" in 1962. And this show also features one of the best electronic soundtracks I've ever heard for a cartoon (too bad it's not for sale anywhere).
As we find in this series, which is more or less a follow-up to "Spider-Man" (2002), Peter Parker (Neil Patrick Harris) is now a promising student at Empire State University, together with gorgeous, on/off would-be girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (Lisa Loeb) and rich-boy best pal Harry Osborn (Ian Ziering). Peter divides his time between hitting the books as Everyman Peter Parker and hitting the streets as New York City's favorite wall-crawling vigilante superhero Spider-Man.
In "Spider-Man," a slew of familiar characters get brilliant, hyper-stylized makeovers, including Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, Kraven the Hunter, The Lizard and Electro, plus some new villains including a Japanese samurai swords-woman, a trio of high-tech ex-KGB terrorists, and a Robin Hood-esquire would-be costumed crime-fighter.
And "Spider-Man" also features some pretty high-priced voice talent, including Michael Clarke Duncan (who played The Kingpin in 2003's "Daredevil"), Ethan Embry, Eve, Gina Gershon, and comedienne Kathy Griffin. This show is something that comic fans have been waiting for, since the animated series that aired in 1994 is no longer in production. This "Spider-Man" has been on hiatus for four years now; when's he coming back?!?
10/10
As a reader of Spider-Man comic books, the new animated series "Spider-Man" features one adrenalin-charged action sequence after the other, and then slows down to focus on the characters and their personal matters, which is what the original Spider-Man comics did to completely change the game after the character made his debut in "Amazing Fantasy #15" in 1962. And this show also features one of the best electronic soundtracks I've ever heard for a cartoon (too bad it's not for sale anywhere).
As we find in this series, which is more or less a follow-up to "Spider-Man" (2002), Peter Parker (Neil Patrick Harris) is now a promising student at Empire State University, together with gorgeous, on/off would-be girlfriend Mary Jane Watson (Lisa Loeb) and rich-boy best pal Harry Osborn (Ian Ziering). Peter divides his time between hitting the books as Everyman Peter Parker and hitting the streets as New York City's favorite wall-crawling vigilante superhero Spider-Man.
In "Spider-Man," a slew of familiar characters get brilliant, hyper-stylized makeovers, including Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin, Kraven the Hunter, The Lizard and Electro, plus some new villains including a Japanese samurai swords-woman, a trio of high-tech ex-KGB terrorists, and a Robin Hood-esquire would-be costumed crime-fighter.
And "Spider-Man" also features some pretty high-priced voice talent, including Michael Clarke Duncan (who played The Kingpin in 2003's "Daredevil"), Ethan Embry, Eve, Gina Gershon, and comedienne Kathy Griffin. This show is something that comic fans have been waiting for, since the animated series that aired in 1994 is no longer in production. This "Spider-Man" has been on hiatus for four years now; when's he coming back?!?
10/10
- Rectangular_businessman
- Dec 16, 2012
- Permalink
Spider-Man: The New Animated Series ~ It's easy to see how this series could be a little polarizing, with its unusual usage of cel-shaded 3D animation, its mature elements, and a few unfortunate departures from Spider-Man tradition, such as Aunt May never appearing, J. Jonah Jameson having precious little role, and most of the villains not originating from the comics (though, since I'm a pretty new and inexperienced Spider-Man fan, I'm probably not as bothered by these things as long-timers). And as with any show, some episodes are better than others. Don't let that turn you off! I personally believe the show has quite a bit of merit and is definitely worth watching. (A bit of warning: The series originally aired out of order and as a result, the episodes are also in the wrong order on Amazon Prime. I recommend you use Wikipedia to determine the right order and watch it that way, as there is some continuity in the show even if it's not a whole lot.)
The first question someone might feel inclined to ask is, "What even is this show?" It's definitely a bit non-traditional. It was aired on MTV, is designed to be a follow-up to the first Spider-Man movie (though the movie sequels ignored it), it's not geared towards kids in any way, and of course, the cel-shaded CGI animation style. And it only lasted one season, though it wasn't intended to. In a sense, it feels like this show doesn't have a "place". It's an animated Western superhero show for teens/adults. You don't see many of those. Even other mature superhero 'toons, such as Batman: The Animated Series, still maintain some pretense of being children's shows, eliminating swearing and the like, while this one doesn't.
And you know, it's almost kind of a shame that such cartoons aren't a "thing". Because in my opinion, this show demonstrates the potential of action cartoons geared to teens and young adults. Sure, they may have gone a bit too far in the "gearing to young adults" thing considering it apparently kept them from showing much of "old people" such as Aunt May, Uncle Ben, or J. Jonah Jameson. But even though it takes a while to get used to, overall, I'm actually super sold on this show's aesthetics and how much they seem to jive with the target audience. The unique style seems to already separate this show from traditional kids' cartoons, the character designs are a bit more grounded and even sexier in places (though it's certainly not overkill), and then there's the neat EDM soundtrack. It all just seems to work together rather nicely.
Yes, I'm not gonna lie, at first the animation seemed weird and bad to look at because it was so unusual. But when you get used to it? Honestly, it's pretty cool. The character designs have a feeling of being relatively grounded and it has the capacity to be very expressive and dramatic. It just works a lot better than you might imagine. And they use it for some great action sequences in places, too.
Beyond aesthetics, this show has a ton else to offer. For me, how characters interact and their relationships with each other is one of the most crucial aspects to me really getting hooked into any series, and this show delivers on that front. The interactions between Peter, MJ, and Harry are well-developed and make them feel like a real group of friends. There's complexity to their relationships and room for growth, some of which happens, some of which is tragically unresolved. They're good friends, but there are plenty of rough spots. There's the fact that MJ and Harry are "normal" college kids with actual social lives, while Peter is the nerd dedicated to his studies...and secretly being Spider-Man. There's the fact that Harry has a deep personal grudge against Spider-Man due to believing him responsible for his father's death. There's the unresolved romantic tension between Peter and MJ that's made all the more complicated by Peter's interest in a show-exclusive character, Indy. There's an air of authenticity in the combination of casual, fun interactions and other hallmarks of friendship and the many problems the characters have. And the problems don't just exist, there are attempts to make progress on them...some more successful than others.
The interpersonal issues and superhero adventures are not only rather well-balanced, there's often quite a bit of overlap that usually works pretty well (there are even a couple times when Peter's friends have to help him save the day). There's quite a bit of quality dialogue, and the story lines are usually pretty good and sometimes very nicely dramatic. It's not a perfect show, and some of the episodes are rough in various ways. But there's still a fair amount of good plotting to be found.
The two-part series finale deserves a special mention as among the series' best, yet also rather heart-rending (it took me a little while to "recover"), as it's a MASSIVE downer ending that makes it seem like even more of a tragedy the series didn't go on longer. Extremely dramatic, gutsy, and well-done. They really pulled no punches here and it works! Even thinking about it gives me chills.
Overall, there's SO MUCH about this series that is great. It has drama, emotional depth and intensity, compelling character relationships, aesthetics that can be awesome when you get used to them, a splash of more dark and mature themes that work rather well, and much more. No, it's not perfect, but it's definitely worth a go for anyone interested in Spider-Man or superhero cartoons in general.
The first question someone might feel inclined to ask is, "What even is this show?" It's definitely a bit non-traditional. It was aired on MTV, is designed to be a follow-up to the first Spider-Man movie (though the movie sequels ignored it), it's not geared towards kids in any way, and of course, the cel-shaded CGI animation style. And it only lasted one season, though it wasn't intended to. In a sense, it feels like this show doesn't have a "place". It's an animated Western superhero show for teens/adults. You don't see many of those. Even other mature superhero 'toons, such as Batman: The Animated Series, still maintain some pretense of being children's shows, eliminating swearing and the like, while this one doesn't.
And you know, it's almost kind of a shame that such cartoons aren't a "thing". Because in my opinion, this show demonstrates the potential of action cartoons geared to teens and young adults. Sure, they may have gone a bit too far in the "gearing to young adults" thing considering it apparently kept them from showing much of "old people" such as Aunt May, Uncle Ben, or J. Jonah Jameson. But even though it takes a while to get used to, overall, I'm actually super sold on this show's aesthetics and how much they seem to jive with the target audience. The unique style seems to already separate this show from traditional kids' cartoons, the character designs are a bit more grounded and even sexier in places (though it's certainly not overkill), and then there's the neat EDM soundtrack. It all just seems to work together rather nicely.
Yes, I'm not gonna lie, at first the animation seemed weird and bad to look at because it was so unusual. But when you get used to it? Honestly, it's pretty cool. The character designs have a feeling of being relatively grounded and it has the capacity to be very expressive and dramatic. It just works a lot better than you might imagine. And they use it for some great action sequences in places, too.
Beyond aesthetics, this show has a ton else to offer. For me, how characters interact and their relationships with each other is one of the most crucial aspects to me really getting hooked into any series, and this show delivers on that front. The interactions between Peter, MJ, and Harry are well-developed and make them feel like a real group of friends. There's complexity to their relationships and room for growth, some of which happens, some of which is tragically unresolved. They're good friends, but there are plenty of rough spots. There's the fact that MJ and Harry are "normal" college kids with actual social lives, while Peter is the nerd dedicated to his studies...and secretly being Spider-Man. There's the fact that Harry has a deep personal grudge against Spider-Man due to believing him responsible for his father's death. There's the unresolved romantic tension between Peter and MJ that's made all the more complicated by Peter's interest in a show-exclusive character, Indy. There's an air of authenticity in the combination of casual, fun interactions and other hallmarks of friendship and the many problems the characters have. And the problems don't just exist, there are attempts to make progress on them...some more successful than others.
The interpersonal issues and superhero adventures are not only rather well-balanced, there's often quite a bit of overlap that usually works pretty well (there are even a couple times when Peter's friends have to help him save the day). There's quite a bit of quality dialogue, and the story lines are usually pretty good and sometimes very nicely dramatic. It's not a perfect show, and some of the episodes are rough in various ways. But there's still a fair amount of good plotting to be found.
The two-part series finale deserves a special mention as among the series' best, yet also rather heart-rending (it took me a little while to "recover"), as it's a MASSIVE downer ending that makes it seem like even more of a tragedy the series didn't go on longer. Extremely dramatic, gutsy, and well-done. They really pulled no punches here and it works! Even thinking about it gives me chills.
Overall, there's SO MUCH about this series that is great. It has drama, emotional depth and intensity, compelling character relationships, aesthetics that can be awesome when you get used to them, a splash of more dark and mature themes that work rather well, and much more. No, it's not perfect, but it's definitely worth a go for anyone interested in Spider-Man or superhero cartoons in general.
- sssuperman-dot-com
- Aug 5, 2017
- Permalink
- imaad-shahrukh
- Feb 27, 2015
- Permalink
When i first heard about the new series of Spider-man i was a bit hesitant of watching it as i was a such huge fan of the old series as i remember rushing home from school so i could get in on time and watch it. I felt nothing could match up to it but i admit i was pleasantly surprised and instantly got hooked on it watching one after the other. I admit the voice overs weren't to bad but i prefer the old voice overs in the previous Spider-man probably because i'm just sentimental. Animation was new and different comparing to other series i've seen. Over all i enjoyed it despite the voice overs and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Spider-man or not. So go watch it!
- bluegender_1
- Aug 18, 2006
- Permalink
Hi all. Relatively new Spidey fan (the Straczynski run), and long time animation fan here. First off, like many, I was afraid of the idea of a Spider-Man cartoon being on MTV, for fear they might needlessly make the characters more "hip" and "cool" (see: X-Men: Evolution, and comic book Ultimate X-Men) to appeal to those darn kids nowadays. Thankfully, this show does not do that. What it does do is break most of the censoring that has held back dramatic effects in cartoons for a while now by allowing characters to bleed and die, and given Spidey a form of animation that perfectly captures him. Now, while some may be taken aback by the cel-shaded look of the show, I must say I find it works well for the effect (then again, I am one who took to Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker's graphics without a complaint - make of that what you will).
One minor complaint I have of the show, however, is needless recasting the parts of the characters with so-called more "respected actors" like Neil Patrick Harris, when the people who did the voices for the series of the early nineties and several of the video games still work perfectly. I find it just a bit of a cheap ploy to mistakenly get what the producers may see as "real talent". While i'm not complaining on NP Harris' part (he's good, but he's no Christopher Daniel Barnes), does Lisa Loeb really need to be Mary Jane? And Eve playing the Black Cat was woefully miscast, her voice and animation contrasting way too much and taking me right out of the mood the show had set. Now while Rob Zombie as the lizard I can kind of understand, it just seems like MTV is using the "Music" in it's name to cast musicians in the show gratuitously. Please, don't use famous people for cartoons when their voices will pull you out of the moment when lesser-known voice and character actors can pull you in, and keep you there.
But, that medium sized, rarely appearing quibble aside, this show has great promise. Aside from trying to have "hip" voice actors, the show doesn't bother trying to appeal to any target demographic outside of the one that just wants a great Spider-Man cartoon. And, with Brian Michael Bendis on board producing and writing, saying no is nothing easy to do. Even if it means committing a minor sin by turning on MTV, it's worth it.
One minor complaint I have of the show, however, is needless recasting the parts of the characters with so-called more "respected actors" like Neil Patrick Harris, when the people who did the voices for the series of the early nineties and several of the video games still work perfectly. I find it just a bit of a cheap ploy to mistakenly get what the producers may see as "real talent". While i'm not complaining on NP Harris' part (he's good, but he's no Christopher Daniel Barnes), does Lisa Loeb really need to be Mary Jane? And Eve playing the Black Cat was woefully miscast, her voice and animation contrasting way too much and taking me right out of the mood the show had set. Now while Rob Zombie as the lizard I can kind of understand, it just seems like MTV is using the "Music" in it's name to cast musicians in the show gratuitously. Please, don't use famous people for cartoons when their voices will pull you out of the moment when lesser-known voice and character actors can pull you in, and keep you there.
But, that medium sized, rarely appearing quibble aside, this show has great promise. Aside from trying to have "hip" voice actors, the show doesn't bother trying to appeal to any target demographic outside of the one that just wants a great Spider-Man cartoon. And, with Brian Michael Bendis on board producing and writing, saying no is nothing easy to do. Even if it means committing a minor sin by turning on MTV, it's worth it.
Just watched this series all the way through and actually quite enjoyed it, OK the villains are a bit naff, compared to those we have seen before and a few key characters are missing such as aunt May, not a massively important character to the show, Peter Parker, voiced by Neil Patrick Harris still has his usual one-liners and i thought the animation was actually quite good whether done by CG or not, who cares? something new was tried, i would have liked to see a second season, to see if they built on the first one!, i would recommend this to spidey fans to try to see what they think. after watching previous series myself and reading magazines for many years i personally would give this an eight out of ten!
- ncvickers1
- Sep 1, 2008
- Permalink
This is a Farcry from what Spiderman shows have depicted Spiderman as, this version is much more of a darker and an edgy take on spiderman. I absolutely love the storylines in each episode and the way they've portrayed Spiderman. This could've been so great if it continued.
- sidthekid-81316
- Dec 9, 2021
- Permalink
Best animated series i've ever watched. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
This new Spider-Man series was very creative and the acting voices were pretty good. I remember I didn't miss any episode. I also remember watching this series all the time before a highschool football game and was just always fixed on it. The mini series was just incredible. I wish these directors could make more. Hopefully they will. The graphice were for sure better great and of course better than the older series. I think everything in this series beat out the older version. I was really happy that they made something like this since I'm a big Spider-Man fan. This was great to look at and hopefully they will make more in the future. But for now I guess they can give it a rest since after the Spider-Man 2 release.
9.5/10
9.5/10
- OriginalMovieBuff21
- Sep 17, 2004
- Permalink
The animation is off-putting at times. But the show tried to make something unique without ruining the soul of Spider-Man.
- paularjyarishi
- Oct 14, 2020
- Permalink