Goofs and mistakes are intrinsic to filmmaking. Even the Sam Raimi-helmed Spider-Man trilogy couldn’t prove an exception to this rule. Everyone remembers the sizzling and uber-iconic rain-soaked upside-down kiss sequence featuring Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson in the 2002 installment.
However, did you realize there was a continuity error in this segment that some of us failed to catch on the first watch?
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Just before the two characters engage in the romantic act, Peter, donning the Spider-Man suit, protects Mary Jane from getting attacked by a couple of thugs in a New York City alley. A blink-and-you-miss-it continuity mistake can be observed in this scene, which features a brief fight between the superhero and the hooligans.
Shattered Windows Get Magically Fixed In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002)
Many critics believe Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) redefined the modern-day superhero genre. The film became a landmark in CBM storytelling, characterization, and visual effects. The summer blockbuster became the third highest-grossing film of 2002, amassing $825 million at the box office against a budget of $139 million. Its ending and commercial success left room for more to come.
Soon, the eventual release of Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007) birthed a trilogy that people often re-visit through nostalgic lenses.
The first installment, in particular, cemented itself as one of the most iconic movies about the Marvel web-slinger. But as they say, nothing is flawless. And even this Sam Raimi classic has some mistakes that can be caught upon a second or third watch.
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One such example is visible right before Mary Jane and Peter (as Spider-Man) share their unforgettable upside-down kiss. As MJ walks into a dark alleyway, four men are about to mug her when Spidey comes to the rescue. After a brief altercation with the superhero, two men are thrown behind the redhead, straight into some windows that shatter with the impact.
According to Movie Mistakes, the camera switches to Spider-Man defeating the other two men before cutting back to Mary Jane. The shot then displays that the two wrecked windows are suddenly undamaged.
This continuity error may go unnoticed on the first watch, as the transition between the shots feels swift and well-paced. However, with closer inspection, you can easily observe the mistake.
However, given a narrative that endures among fans for decades after the project’s release, viewers might consider overlooking such mistakes.
Kirsten Dunst Didn’t Expect The Kiss Scene To Be Popular
The upside-down kiss sequence is often quoted among the most romantic scenes in film history. It has also been parodied and referenced several times in pop culture history. According to Spider-Man lead actress Kirsten Dunst, director Sam Raimi wanted the scene to be remarkable. But it wasn’t a comfortable or flattering experience for the actors going through the sequence together.
The Marie Antoinette actress acknowledged in an interview with W Magazine that Tobey Maguire was having trouble breathing and that rainwater was constantly seeping into his nose. This made the scene, in reality, not feel “romantic” or “special” to the actress with Maguire hanging upside down.
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Following was her statement:
“I did not feel like it was a famous kiss because Tobey was… Water was getting up his nose because of the rain, and then he couldn’t breathe in the Spider-Man suit, and then… And it just felt very late at night. I didn’t think about it that way.”
She added,
“But the way it was presented to me, Sam gave me this book of famous kisses. So that made me realize how romantic and special Sam wanted this to be. Even though it wasn’t necessarily feeling that way with Tobey hanging upside down.”
Despite the uncomfortable and suffocating reality of the scene’s execution, Dunst confirmed that she’s proud of the upside-down kiss’ reputation as one of the most famous movie kisses. She additionally affirmed that the scene looks “great” presentation-wise.
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) is available for streaming on Disney+.
