Spider-Man (2002)

11/11/2022 pilgrim stranger Movies

Superheroes

This movie should be avoided because it involves and/or promotes profanity (at least 17 instances, including profane oaths and the profanation of the Lord's Prayer and Genesis 1:3), blasphemy (God's name is taken in vain at least 20 times), immodesty, sexual immorality, infidelity, deceit, evolution, and disdain for authority. Since its hero and his allies practice sin, this movie conditions viewers to substitute evil for good and good for evil (Isa. 5:20) by praising evildoers who ought to be despised (Ps. 15:4; Pro. 28:4).

The movie presents the phrase, "With great power comes great responsibility" as some lofty code of honor Spider-Man aspires to. We are supposed to look up to Spider-Man as an honorable, responsible superhero because, he tells us, he will "never forget those words," all the while ignoring his shameful, immoral, and self-centered behavior. When the Green Goblin asks him, "You chose the way of the hero. … In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually, they will hate you. Why bother?" Peter responds, "Because it's right." If he was truly concerned with doing what is right, he would be committed to speaking truth, honoring authority, and pursuing moral purity. But since we find the opposite to be the case, the movie is attempting to uphold a different standard of what is right and good, one which allows for a superhero like Spider-Man to practice all sorts of wickedness. In short, Spider-Man is a hypocrite—he is made to appear as standing for what is good when in reality he is championing that which is evil. The only "evil" he fights against consists of imaginary villains.

Violations of God's Law

Defiance against God

This movie violates the First Commandment.

Evolution is referenced and promoted
At least two appeals to luck

Blasphemy and Profanity

This movie violates the Third Commandment. God has warned that he will not hold guiltless those who take his name in vain (Ex. 20:7). God requires oaths to be sworn by his name (Deut. 6:13).

Peter's uncle Ben and aunt May take God's name in vain at least 3 times each, including a minced oath
There is a scene in which May is reciting the Lord's Prayer, to which the Green Goblin laughs maniacally at the portion that references evil. This is a gross profanation of Holy Scripture, contemptuously using it merely for the sake of movie content, when it ought to be treated with utmost reverence and read for the purpose of believing and practicing the Word of God.
Norman, along with his assistant Mendel, each take God's name in vain at least 3 times
Mary Jane takes God's name in vain at least 3 times
A wrestler takes God's name in vain at least twice
A student utters "Jesus" in vain
Jonah swears a profane oath to cover up lying, when pressed by the film's antagonist
Profane references: hell (6), among others

Disdain for Authority

This movie promotes violations of the Fifth Commandment. Those who disobey parents are worthy of death according to the judgment of God (Rom. 1:30-32); those who despise government are likened to brute beasts who will be condemned (2Pe. 2:10-12; Jude 1:8-10).

Vigilantism: as a self-appointed masked vigilante, Spider-Man defies civil authority
Peter constantly treats his caretakers, his aunt and uncle, shamefully and abusively, ignoring them and lying to their faces
While being exhorted by his uncle, Peter raises his voice and yells, "Stop lecturing me, please!" and when his uncle tries to apologize, Peter interrupts him, demanding that he stop pretending to be his father
Mary Jane yells at her father to do the dishes himself, walking out on him. Though the man is depicted as an abusive wretch, it is no excuse to dishonor authority and render evil for evil (1Pe. 3:9; 1Th. 5:15; Rom. 12:21).

Immodesty and Sexual Immorality

This movie violates the Seventh Commandment. The Bible warns that those who do not repent of sexual immorality will not inherit the kingdom of God (1Co. 6:9-10), but will be judged by God (Heb. 13:4). We are commanded to "flee fornication" (1Co. 6:18).

Peter (Tobey Maguire, unmarried) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst, unmarried) are shown kissing
Just about every appearance of Mary Jane is an open display of immodesty, flaunting her upper thighs, midriff, and breast cleavage; there is even a scene where her nipples are clearly seen through skin-tight clothes drenched from rain
Spider-Man dons an immodest skin-tight costume, a fact the movie itself attests in a scene where a lustful woman says, "He had those tights and that tight little b…" she says while gesturing with her hands an imagined grasping of Spider-Man's buttocks.
Jonah utters a raunchy joke referencing "Julia Roberts in a thong," aimed to make the audience laugh
There is a wrestling ring scene that is grossly immoral, showing half-naked men and women, cheerleaders in bikinis and rubbing the wrestler's muscles
Pornographic pictures are shown tacked to the wall in an office wherein Peter tries to collect his wrestling winnings
Peter and Norman are shown shirtless

Deceit

This movie promotes violations of the Ninth Commandment. The Bible warns that all liars, whom God hates (Pro. 6:16-19; 12:22), shall have their part in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8). Spider-Man is depicted as an unabashed liar, lying shamelessly throughout the film, inspiring fans to follow his example.

Above all, Peter deliberately shrouds his identity as Spider-Man behind a web of lies, and takes advantage of the ignorance of others by vouching for himself, defending Spider-Man to his supervisor, and egging on Mary Jane to divulge personal details about her interest in Spider-Man.
Peter lies to his aunt and uncle, to his love interest Gwen and her father, to officials, and to his colleagues
Even though she's in a relationship with Harry, Mary Jane keeps secrets from him, including her employment status and personal get-togethers with Peter
None of the "good" characters are shown to have integrity or faithfulness; they are depicted as being self-centered, taking advantage of one another, and giving bad advice

Sinful Content in Spider-Man

Warning! The following table contains direct quotations from the film, which include instances of blasphemy, profanity, and other vices.

entries per page

Search:

Timestamp	Classification	Character	Quote/Description
00:03:59	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Immodestly dressed, showing cleavage
00:04:21	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Immodestly dressed, showing cleavage
00:06:53	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Immodestly dressed, showing cleavage
00:08:11	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Immodestly dressed, showing cleavage
00:09:46	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Immodestly dressed, showing cleavage
00:12:38	Blasphemy	Uncle Ben	"And the Lord said, 'Let there be light.' And voila! There is light." (he says this as he's changing a lightbulb)
00:12:45	Blasphemy	Aunt May	"Good boy. God will be thrilled."
00:12:46	Profanity	Aunt May	"Just don't fall on your ass."
00:12:50	Profanity	Uncle Ben	"I'm already on my ass, May."
00:12:58	Profanity	Uncle Ben	"I am on my ass."
00:13:25	Blasphemy	Uncle Ben	"My Lord, even the computers need analysts these days."
00:13:39		Aunt May	"You're the most responsible man I've ever known." (speaking to Ben)
00:14:11	Immodesty	Peter	Shirtless
00:15:34	Immodesty	Norman	Shirtless (scene lasts over 2 minutes)
00:15:39	Evolution	Norman	"40,000 years of evolution and we've barely even tapped the vastness of human potential."
00:17:16	Blasphemy	Mendel	"Oh my God."
00:17:18	Blasphemy	Mendel	"Oh, my God!"
00:17:22	Blasphemy	Mendel	"Oh, my God!"
00:17:48	Immodesty	Peter	Shirtless (scene lasts over a minute)
00:19:13	Minced Oath	Uncle Ben	"Jeez!"
00:19:40	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Wearing short dress with slit in middle, showing legs and thighs
00:24:05	Profanity	Student	"Kick his ass!"
00:24:57	Blasphemy	Student	"Jesus, Parker, you are a freak!"
00:28:30	Profanity	Mary Jane's Father	"Get up off your ass!" (yelling at his wife)
00:28:34	Profanity	Mary Jane's Father	"You're as stupid as your mother." (yelling at Mary Jane)
00:28:52	Disdain for Authority	Mary Jane	"You do them!" (referring to doing the dishes, yells back as she leaves the house)
00:29:21	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Wearing low cut shirt, showing midriff and cleavage
00:31:42	Blasphemy	Mary Jane	"Oh, my God, it's gorgeous!"
00:31:47	Blasphemy	Mary Jane	"Oh, my God! What a cool car!"
00:33:32	Deceit	Peter	"I'm exercising. I'm not dressed, Aunt May." (she asked what was going on in his room)
00:34:21	Deceit	Peter	"I'm going to the downtown library, I'll see you later." (a deliberate lie, he was actually heading to the wrestling ring)
00:35:07	Profanity	Uncle Ben	"Well, you sure as hell finished it." (referring to Peter's fight at school)
00:35:47		Uncle Ben	"Remember, with great power comes great responsibility."
00:35:55	Disdain for Authority	Peter	"Stop lecturing me, please!" Uncle Ben replies, "I don't mean to lecture or preach, and I know I'm not your father..." Peter interrupts: "Then stop pretending to be."
00:36:35	Deceit	Peter	After waiting for his uncle to leave, he changes course and heads to the wrestling ring
00:36:46	Immodesty	Wrestlers	Wrestlers in skin-tight costumes
00:37:10	Immodesty	Cheerleaders	Scantily dressed women in bikinis (they are featured in a scene lasting almost 4 minutes long), they're also shown rubbing one of the male wrestler's muscles
00:38:01	Blasphemy	Check-in Girl	"May God be with you."
00:39:25	Blasphemy	Wrestler	"Oh, my God!"
00:39:29	Blasphemy	Wrestler	"Oh, God, I can't feel my legs!"
00:41:02	Profanity	Cheerleader	"Kick his spider ass!"
00:42:03	Luck	Wrestling Promoter	"You're lucky to get that."
00:42:08	Immodesty		Pornographic pictures tacked to wrestling promoter's office wall
00:42:18	Profanity	Wrestling Promoter	"Hey, what the hell?"
00:42:40	Profanity	Police Officer	"What the hell's the matter with you?"
00:44:51	Revenge	Peter	Seeks revenge against criminal for killing his uncle, says "Did you give my uncle a chance?"
00:49:40	Blasphemy	Aunt May	"Oh, no! My God!"
00:49:43	Blasphemy	Aunt May	"Oh, no. Oh, my God, no!"
00:50:33	Profanity	Capt. Curtis	"What the hell is that?"
00:50:36	Blasphemy	Capt. Curtis	"Oh, my God!"
00:53:12	Superstition	Aunt May	After Peter says of his late uncle, "I missed him a lot today," Aunt May replies, "I know. I miss him too. But he was there" (referring to the deceased Uncle Ben being present at Peter's graduation)
00:53:20		Peter	"He tried to tell me something important, and I threw it in his face."
00:54:16		Uncle Ben	"With great power comes great responsibility. Remember that, Pete. Remember that."
00:55:22	Immodesty	Woman	Showing cleavage
00:55:30	Lust	Woman	"Guy with eight hands. Sounds hot."
00:55:32	Lust	Woman	"He had those tights and that tight little b..." (gesturing with her hands, grasping buttocks)
00:55:55		Jameson	"Who is Spider-Man? He's a criminal, that's who he is. A vigilante, a public menace."
00:56:57	Immodesty	Jameson	"If we can get a picture of Julia Roberts in a thong, we can certainly get a picture of this weirdo."
00:57:12	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Very short dress with a slit in the middle, exposing upper thighs
00:58:20	Deceit	Mary Jane	She is dating Harry, yet keeps her employment a secret from him
00:58:50	Infidelity	Mary Jane	"We should catch up some time." (speaking to Peter, even though she's dating Harry)
00:58:55	Infidelity	Peter	Suggests that he and Mary Jane should have lunch or coffee together, and she agrees (even though she's dating Harry)
00:58:57	Deceit	Mary Jane	"Don't tell Harry." (speaking to Peter about their planned lunch or coffee together)
00:58:58	Deceit	Peter	"I won't! I won't tell Harry."
01:01:21		Jameson	"They're crap. Crap, crap, megacrap."
01:01:28	Deceit	Peter	Acts like he's not Spider-Man, presenting photographs to Jameson which he took of himself
01:02:14		Jameson	"I'll send you a nice box of Christmas meat."
01:06:25	Profanity	Harry	"What the hell was that?"
01:07:12	Blasphemy	Mary Jane	"Oh, my God!"
01:07:38	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Upper thighs exposed
01:11:37		Harry	"You should know I'm crazy about her." (speaking to Peter about his girlfriend Mary Jane)
01:11:38	Infidelity	Harry	"It's just, you know, you never made a move."
01:14:35	Deceit	Peter	"Spider-Man wasn't attacking the city, he was trying to save it. That's slander." (Peter, acting like he isn't Spider-Man, vouching for himself)
01:14:38	Slander	Jameson	"It is not, I resent that. Slander is spoken. In print, it's libel." (he acknowledges his slander/libel)
01:15:06	Deceit	Jameson	After the Green Goblin asks, "Who's the photographer who takes the pictures of Spider-Man?" Jameson lies, "I don't know who he is; his stuff comes in the mail."
01:15:10	Profanity	Jameson	After the Green Goblin says, "You're lying!" Jameson swears a profane oath to cover his lying: "I swear! I don't know who he is."
01:15:22	Profanity	Green Goblin	"Speak of the devil!" (referring to Spider-Man)
01:16:37	Hypocrisy	Peter	After the Green Goblin asks, "You chose the way of the hero. ... In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually, they will hate you. Why bother?" Peter responds, "Because it's right."
01:17:37	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Showing cleavage
01:18:33	Infidelity	Peter	Invites Mary Jane to eat dinner with him (even though she's dating Harry)
01:20:07	Immodesty	Mary Jane	Wearing skin-tight clothes which are wet in the rain, showing cleavage and her nipples clearly seen showing through see-through clothes
01:21:23	Sexual Immorality	Spider-Man, Mary Jane	Kissing
01:23:08	Blasphemy	Woman	"God bless you, Spider-Man. Bless you."
01:23:17	Blasphemy	Woman	"Oh, my God!"
01:27:22	Hypocrisy	Aunt May	"Now then, everybody sit down and we can say grace." (Thanksgiving meal)
01:27:57	Deceit	Peter	"I stepped off a curb and got clipped by one of those bike messengers." (Lying about the bleeding wound on his arm)
01:28:11	Hypocrisy	Aunt May	"Then we'll say grace. This is the boys' first Thanksgiving in this apartment and we are going to do things properly."
01:28:19	Deceit	Peter	After Norman asks, "How did you say that happened?" Peter sticks to his lie: "Bike messenger knocked me down."
01:28:57		Harry	"Dad, what are you doing? I plan this whole thing so you can meet MJ and now you've got to leave? This girl is important to me."
01:29:15		Norman	"A word to the not-so-wise about your little girlfriend. Do what you need to with her, then broom her fast." (speaking to his son Harry)
01:29:40	Luck	Harry	"If I'm lucky I'll become half of what he is."
01:29:41		Harry	"Just keep your mouth shut about stuff you don't understand." (speaking to his girlfriend Mary Jane)
01:30:35	Hypocrisy	Aunt May	Kneeling at bedside reciting the Lord's Prayer
01:30:57	Blasphemy	Aunt May	"Deliver us!" (screams the portion of the Lord's prayer as Green Goblin blasts into her bedroom)
01:30:58	Blasphemy	Green Goblin	Yells at Aunt May to finish the line, which she does, "from evil" then laughs
01:31:35		Peter	"He knows who I am." (speaking of the Green Goblin)
01:32:55	Infidelity	Mary Jane	"The fact is, I'm in love with someone else. ... He's saved my life twice, and I'e never even seen his face." (speaking of Spider-Man, even though she's dating Harry)
01:33:26	Deceit	Peter	Acting like he's not Spider-Man, eggs Mary Jane on to divulge details about her love for him
01:33:34	Deceit	Peter	"I know him a little bit. I'm sort of his unofficial photographer." (speaking of Spider-Man, himself)
01:36:25		Harry	Walks in on Peter and Mary Jane holding hands, runs to his father, "You're right about MJ, you're right about everything. She's in love with Peter."

Showing 1 to 100 of 118 entries