DOCTOR STRANGE 2 Director Sam Raimi Comments On SPIDER-MAN 3's Infamous "Emo Dance"

DOCTOR STRANGE 2 Director Sam Raimi Comments On SPIDER-MAN 3's Infamous "Emo Dance"

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi was asked about Spider-Man 3's "emo dance" scene in a new interview, and the filmmaker suggests fans may have taken it a little too seriously.

By MarkCassidy - May 06, 2022 10:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Spider-Man 3

At one point in 2007's Spider-Man 3, the recently Venom-ized Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) struts down the street while exaggeratedly pointing at passing women, before busting out some highly suspect dance moves to a remix of James Brown's "People Get Up And Drive Your Funky Soul."

The scene, which has come to be known as the "Emo Dance," is widely regarded as one of the worst moments in comic book movie history, but are fans being a little too harsh on a sequence that was always meant to be a bit of light-hearted fun?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi was asked about the infamous scene during an interview with Fandom.

"Well, we meant it to be funny, actually," he responded. "It was Peter Parker's version – this lame kid – of what it must be like to be his evil self. But he's so whipped. He's so out of it that that's his take on it. And that didn't go over well with the audience. But that's what we were trying to do. So I'm not surprised that people… I'm glad people find it funny! We wanted it to be fun."

Taken out of context, the scene is quite funny, but a lot of fans wanted to see a more serious, genuinely wicked side of Parker when he was taken over by the Venom symbiote, which the movie never really delivered.

What do you guys think? Is the "Emo Dance" unfairly lambasted, or does it deserve every bit of backlash that comes its way?

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KWilly
KWilly - 5/6/2022, 10:05 AM
I actually liked the whole James Brown montage of him acting cocky. That was legit funny.

It was the scene where he's in the jazz club that was awful. I mean, it just had no business being in the movie. It really just felt redundant tbh.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 5/6/2022, 10:11 AM
@KWilly - Should have read your comment before writing my own. Agreed.
Origame
Origame - 5/6/2022, 12:23 PM
@KWilly - yeah. That's the problem I had. It went from this goofy dance straight into slapping mj then it's all super serious out of nowhere. It was like tonal whiplash.

The emo dance wasn't really bad. And it's not like we didn't see the darker side of Peter (he nearly killed Harry remember). And I liked it for what it was, a dorky kid who had this boost in confidence but doesn't know or cares how lame he really looks.
DPSNUMBER1
DPSNUMBER1 - 5/6/2022, 1:16 PM
@KWilly - I agree. When I saw the street dance, it was pretty cringe for me, but it was funny and I thought it couldn't get any worse, but when he suddenly started playing the piano into the club and then he did the whole choreography with Gwen, I really thought that movie couldn't be redeemed at that point.

That scene was not necessary, it would have worked better if he just took Gwen to dance in a normal way while MJ was singing to make her feel jealous.
HulkisHoly
HulkisHoly - 5/6/2022, 5:21 PM
@KWilly -

Agreed. The emo dance was for laughs and it is genuinely funny. But the club dance is meant to be taken seriously and that’s the problem. It’s ridiculous to think that peters evil way to get back at MJ is to...dance a crazy routine with Gwen?! Like I get making her jealous with Gwen, but the whole routine was just executed so sillily.

I think the scene would have been fine if Peter just goes into the bar with Gwen, staring at Mj the entire time then goes up to dance romantically with Gwen, looking at MJ the whole time. Finally Mj leaves out of hurt and Peter follows her into the alleyway to scream at her more about how it feels to be cheated on, then have security come out and Peter beats them up and hits MJ just like in the film.

Much cleaner.
MV081199
MV081199 - 5/6/2022, 10:06 AM
Spider-Man 3 was released on May 4, 2007 so Happy 15th Anniversary, Bully Maguire!
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 5/6/2022, 10:07 AM
Girls walking by didn’t think he looked cool and we all agreed UNTIL NWH came out and some kid did his dance… you know what the kid did look cool but poor Tobey stupid didn’t. Weird.

OT: wonder what opening night box office Gon look like
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 5/6/2022, 10:28 AM
@TheWalkingCuban - In the DVD commentary, Tobey himself mentions he actually was going for that, him looking like an absolute loser was the point, I think the description of the scene in the script probably just said "CRINGE"
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 5/6/2022, 10:10 AM
I like the scene. I found it funny and had the intended fun with it. I'd say the dance scene later at the jazz club is far more questionable.

TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 5/6/2022, 10:29 AM
@MosquitoFarmer - It was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too dumb, and you cant go from this to him hitting MJ.
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 5/6/2022, 11:25 AM
@TheHumanSpider2 - it was way too dumb.
kg8817
kg8817 - 5/6/2022, 12:15 PM
@TheHumanSpider2 - And honestly that MJ sequence is perfection (for the lack of a better word). It’s how Peter with the symbiote should be.

When he tells the bouncer “take your hand off of me” and you can tell the bouncer thinks nothing of him and puts his hand on him, then Peter grabs it, he just shows off a rare view of his raw power on display. It’s a legitimately threatening scene.

But the tone of that scene juxtaposed with the dance scene minutes prior just dampens it’s effectiveness so much that it seriously harms the entire narrative in an almost irredeemable way.
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 5/6/2022, 1:00 PM
@kg8817 - yes, the scene itself is great, but you cant put it right after the goofiest scene in the entire trilogy.
HulkisHoly
HulkisHoly - 5/6/2022, 5:21 PM
@MosquitoFarmer -

Agreed. The emo dance was for laughs and it is genuinely funny. But the club dance is meant to be taken seriously and that’s the problem. It’s ridiculous to think that peters evil way to get back at MJ is to...dance a crazy routine with Gwen?! Like I get making her jealous with Gwen, but the whole routine was just executed so sillily.

I think the scene would have been fine if Peter just goes into the bar with Gwen, staring at Mj the entire time then goes up to dance romantically with Gwen, looking at MJ the whole time. Finally Mj leaves out of hurt and Peter follows her into the alleyway to scream at her more about how it feels to be cheated on, then have security come out and Peter beats them up and hits MJ just like in the film.

Much cleaner.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 5/6/2022, 10:13 AM
Y’all been hating on him too long. Peter was getting groovy man.
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 5/6/2022, 10:16 AM
This is the sequence I continue to hate:
MahN166A
MahN166A - 5/6/2022, 10:19 AM
@Reeds2Much -

BEST SEQUENCE IN THE MOVIE!! Lmao
generictheeric
generictheeric - 5/9/2022, 10:16 PM
@Reeds2Much - That scene almost single-handedly re-energized the Raimi Spider-Man fandom with the "Bully Maguire" meme, and that surge in popularity lead the way for Tobey's return in No Way Home.

MahN166A
MahN166A - 5/6/2022, 10:18 AM
“The scene, which has come to be known as the "Emo Dance," is widely regarded as one of the worst moments in comic book movie history,“

(Josh making an objective statement)

“Taken out of context, the scene is quite funny”

(Josh immediately backpedaling on his statement because Raimi gave an explanation of why they did it)
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 5/6/2022, 10:35 AM
@SatsuiNoJXA - We were about to put some dirt in his eye.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 5/6/2022, 10:21 AM
Asking a gonzo style director about a gonzo style scene lol
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 5/6/2022, 10:24 AM
Sadly, people in 2007 didnt got the point of the scene, Peter isnt suppoused to look cool, he is suppoused to look like a nerd trying to look cool.

Having said that, and as defender of Spiderman 3 since it came out, the jazz scene is a disaster, and Sam Raimi going full Sam Raimi, similar to some scenes in Army of Darkness or Oz...can backfire sometimes.
IKidYouNotMan
IKidYouNotMan - 5/6/2022, 4:57 PM
@TheHumanSpider2 - my reference point with Peter getting the symbiote at this point in time was how he acted in the animated series. So, naturally I saw the movie and I was mortified. I laugh at it now though.
grif
grif - 5/6/2022, 10:34 AM
sm3 all day long over current sm
generictheeric
generictheeric - 5/9/2022, 10:18 PM
@grif -

BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 5/6/2022, 10:57 AM
Thats how I always saw it. LOVE Spider-man 3!!!!
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 5/6/2022, 11:02 AM
to be fair since then it has become an unironically fan-favorite part in a meme kinda way. hell, the guy made a meme before the term was even a thing on the internet.
dragon316
dragon316 - 5/6/2022, 11:04 AM
I like dance showed Peter Parker never would have done bad dance fun to watch
OmegaDaGrodd
OmegaDaGrodd - 5/6/2022, 11:15 AM
Sam Raimi is having one of the best weeks ever

newhire13
newhire13 - 5/6/2022, 11:39 AM
That’s exactly how I’ve always took it. He’s supposed to look ridiculous lol. He’s oblivious to the fact that he’s not as great as he thinks he is. You turn a nerd evil and you get an evil nerd haha
kg8817
kg8817 - 5/6/2022, 12:18 PM
@newhire13 - This scene really isn’t the problem.

The scene at the Bugle with him talking to Jonah and flipping his hair, and then the jazz club scene is what is seriously unforgiving.

This scene could’ve been the start of his slow burn into darkness that by the near end of the movie he was almost corrupted - instead the near end of the movie we get the jazz club scene.
newhire13
newhire13 - 5/6/2022, 5:58 PM
@kg8817 - Again it’s supposed to be funny lol. He thinks he looks cool and edgy but he looks and sounds ridiculous, that’s the point. We see him slowly becoming “darker” when he tries to kill Sandman and when he throws a bomb at Harry and just walks away. Finally comes to a head when he starts throwing around the bouncers and hits MJ.
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