Spiderman

This topic contains:

• details about Spiderman’s classification and consumer advice lines
• extract from the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) decision about classification.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

Extract from the OFLC decision about classification

Synopsis

Peter Parket, nerdy high school student, is bitten by a genetically modified spider and becomes the amazing Spider-Man, a hero who dedicates himself to fighting crime.

Reasons for the decision

In the Board’s opinion this film warrants M classification, as in accordance with Part 5 of the Films Table of the National Classification Code, it contains material that cannot be recommended for viewing by persons who are under 15.

Pursuant to the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Videotapes, this film warrants an M classification for depictions of violence that are considered to be potentially harmful or disturbing to those under 15 years.

The Board viewed this film on VHS format for 35mm with the distraction of text surrounding the screen, which resulted in limited vision. This format also operated on only one sound track which contained dialogue, but reduced the impact of the film by loss of music and sound effects.

Violence

Generally, depictions of violence do not contain a lot of detail and are not prolonged.

The impact of the action violence in this film is reduced by the stylised treatment of the hero Spider-Man and his arch enemy, the Green Goblin. There is also the softening effect of an interwoven theme of romance.

The stylised treatment includes lots of explosive action effects with Spider-Man swinging through the city streets and across buildings suspended from his web, being pursued by the evil Green Goblin in his glider.

Strongest depictions of violence occur at:

16 minutes–Norman is encapsulated in a chamber with electrodes attached to his body and, as green smoke rises up through the vents, he thrashes around and finally collapses. Upon being revived by CPR he grabs the scientist’s throat and throws him through the glass emerging with a huge roar as the powers of the Green Goblin start to enter his body.

24 minutes–Peter, with the first effects of his spider bite, hits the back of a male student in the canteen. The student pursues Peter striking at him violently with his fists throwing lots of punches, however he constantly misses as Peter ducks and somersaults, Peter grabs the boy’s arm and throws him away.

44 minutes–Peter finds his uncle on the ground as a result of a carjacker shooting him. Peter is so enraged he exercises his full Spider-Man powers for the first time, climbing walls, jumping buildings and swinging across the street on his web. Cars crash as they see this amazing display and as he lands on the bonnet of a car smashing the windscreen, he is fired at through the roof of the car.

48 minutes–Spider-Man is fired at by a man whom he realises is his uncle’s killer. He crashes his head into a wall and kicks his chest and, as the man pleads with him, he asks–“Did you give my uncle a chance?”

55 minutes–Spider-Man foils an attempt by men with guns to rob a shop and rescues a terrified woman as a man ties up her hands.

67–The Green Goblin’s glider crashes into a building with repetitive explosions and people screaming as the building starts to break up. The Green Goblin laughs in delight as Mary is trapped clinging to a broken balustrade hanging high above the street. Spider-Man battles it out with the Green Goblin as he tries to come to the rescue. Mary is left screaming in her precarious situation as the Green Goblin backs Spider-Man into the wall until he shoots his web into the Goblin’s eyes. Mary finally falls from the building screaming until Spider-man swings down on his web and saves her just before she hits the ground.

76 minutes–The Green Goblin crashes through the glass window of a newspaper office grabbing the editor by the throat. Spider-Man spins his web across the editor’s mouth and then takes off after the Goblin accusing him of being a murderer.

80 minutes–Four men chase Mary down a lane and trap against the wall. She kicks at them in fear of her life as they continue to taunt her until Spider-man fights them all off.

84 minutes–A woman screams hysterically for her baby in a burning building. Spider-Man rescues the baby and then is forced to battle it out with the Green Goblin as they dodge through the flames of the fire. The Goblin throws a spinning disc cutting Spider-Man’s arm. Shortly after, blood drops from the cut in his arm as he hides under a balcony.

101 minutes–Mary comes to on a metal grid high above a bridge. There are explosions and kids screaming in a swinging cable car as the Green Goblin attacks the bridge. The Goblin grabs Mary by the neck holding her over the edge of the girder. The Goblin drops her and Spider-Man saves her from her screaming fall as they swing together on his web above the cable car. Mary is terrified but has to climb down his web to the cable car as the Goblin jumps at her forcing her to swing out. She free falls until she manages to grab the edge of the swinging cable car before they all land safely on a barge.

110 minutes–The Green Goblin is pinned against a wall by the spikes from his glider. Norman appears to die simultaneously,

The Board notes that the impact of the above elements may be altered when viewed on a clear screen with full sound track.

In the Board’s opinion this film is appropriately located in M classification.

American review

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Spiderman