Flashback (2002 - 2012): Decoding the legend of the Spider-Man

When director Sam Raimi embarked upon the ambitious project of capturing on celluloid the legend of comic creator Stan Lee's Spider-Man, little did he know that the franchise would one day not only be hugely profitable, but also gain cult following among legions of fans of the superhero. As Marc Webb's 'The Amazing Spider-Man' hits the theatres on June 29, let's revisit the four films that have captured the hearts and minds of comic fans across the world.

The 2002 film, directed by Sam Raimi had actor Tobey Maguire play the Marvel Comics' superhero.

Peter Parker is a nerdy high school senior who lives with his uncle Ben and aunt May at a quiet suburb in Queens. Bitten by a radioactive spider, he develops superhuman traits.

Toby as Spider-Man brought a nerdy quality to the character with his baby faced shyness and getting bullied in the cafeteria.

Kirsten Dunst plays Peter Parker's love interest Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man 1.

Peter Parker had a crush on Mary Jane since he was six years old and as Spider-Man he does not reveal his identity to her. Their iconic kiss in the rain has been reproduced and spoofed in several films subsequently.

Dr Norman Osborn, played by Willem Dafoe, is the president of the Oscorp manufacturing corporation, which is developing a performance enhancing chemical for the United States Army.

The Green Goblin is Norman's alter ego and Spider-Man's nemesis.

In the battle between the Goblin and Spider-Man, Norman gets impaled upon his own glider and dies. His son and Parker's best friend Harry vows to avenge his death at his funeral. Mary Jane confesses her love for Peter who decides not to endanger her life by the choices he has made.

The second of the trilogy was also directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. This was a sequel to the Spider-Man part I.

Mary Jane Watson is a Broadway actress in this film and struggles to come to terms with her feelings for Peter Parker, who is estranged from her.

Peter and Mary Jane's chemistry is this film is much weaker than the first one and the resolution of their personal crisis is unsatisfactory.

Parker now divides his time between crime fighting and attending lectures in Columbia University.

Peter's best friend Harry Osborn bears a malice against Spider-Man, blaming him for the death of his father Norman Osborn, who was the villain Green Goblin.

In this film Spider-Man comes face-to-face with Dr Otto Octavius, played by Alfred Molina, who turns evil after a failed experiment and the death of his wife. Octavius is dubbed 'Doctor Octopus' and threatens to endanger the lives of the people of New York City.

The Daily Bugle editor J Jonah Jameson is a memorable character who continues to believe that Spider-Man as a menace to New York City.

Octavius meanwhile has developed into a grotesque threat with his harness of powerful robotic arms with artificial intelligence. Parker has to fight for both his and his family's safety and defend his alter ego to his best friend Harry.

In this film, Peter Parker's Aunt May is threatened with foreclosure.

Spider-Man 2 ends on a happy note with Mary Jane and Peter reconciled to a happy albeit dangerous life.

Spider-Man 3 stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rosemary Harris, JK Simmons and James Cromwell in the main roles. For the first time Peter Parker is comfortable in the skin of his superhero alter ego.

Peter is planning to propose to Mary Jane while Harry continues his revenge saga on him.

Peter and Aunt May discover that 'Sandman' Flint Marko was Ben Parker's actual killer. While he sleeps a symbiote from a crashed meteorite bonds unleashing his dark side.

Peter wakes up hanging from a skyscraper and discovers his costume has changed and his powers have been enhanced.

Escaped prisoner Flint Marko adds a new dimension to this film after he falls into an experimental particle accelerator, which fuses his body with the surrounding sand and allows him to shapeshift at will as the Sandman.

This film is much darker than the previous two but is much weaker plot-wise. A lot goes on in this version.

In the epic battle of the good and the evil, Peter Parker and his alter ego Spider-Man are shown as two sides of a coin in almost a Dr Jackyl-Mr Hyde fashion in the grip of the symbiote.

But in the end Peter and Harry rekindle their friendship, though Harry loses his life in the fight between Peter and Sandman.

The fourth film in the 'Spider Man' franchise is a reboot of the earlier films. Andrew Garfield has replaced Toby Maguire in the latest film. The rest of the cast includes Emma Stone, Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans. The film also has Indian actor Irrfan in an important role.

The basic storyline of the film features a socially outcast Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) who discovers the truth about his parents.

Peter also explores about his super powers during the process. His high school crush Gwen Stacy is played by Emma Stone. A chance encounter with a genetically altered spider changes his life.

Gwen's dad is a policeman who initially does not believe Peter when he tells him that Dr Curtis Connors is working on cross genetics to regrow amputated human organs.

Soon, he is pitted against Dr Curtis Connors who is also known as the Lizard. Martin Sheen and Sally Field play Parker's well-meaning uncle and aunt, who do their best to keep him from doing wrong things.

Irrfan has several scenes in the film as the overbearing Dr Ratha who forces Connors to take a step further into human trials of a dangerous serum.

Irrfan is not new to Hollywood films; previously he was seen in Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

In one of his interviews, Andrew Garfield said that he didn't find the role very difficult as he was bullied several times at school.

Made at a budget of 220 million dollars, the film is expected to come up with more believable and vivid visual effects.

'The Amazing Spider-Man' is speculated to have a good run at the box office and may just set collection records in India.