Green Goblin's Last Shot

Last summer fans got excited about the Spider-Man movie. Some had seen it. Everyone else wanted to. Most that had agreed it is the best live-action Spider-Man ever committed to film. We're not talking about the big-budget Sony feature, that's due out in theaters May 2002. We're talking, of course, about The Green Goblin's Last Stand, and independently made 50 minute film adapting the web slinger's ultimate battle with the original Green Goblin.

The film is written, produced and directed by Dan Poole, who also stars as Peter Parker and does the major stunt work as Spider-Man. Made in 1992, Poole hoped GGLS would capture on film his passion for the Spider-Man mythos and his abilities as a filmmaker. This would provide him with a demo reel that, hopefully, would impress the producers of the big budget Spider-Man movie which, at the time, included James Cameron.

Sadly, Poole's efforts did not land him a job on the film, which became mired in a legal tangle that only got sorted out seven years later. However, the film did make the rounds at comic conventions and, last year, internet buzz on Poole's opus reached an all-time high.

The film, which Poole hoped fans would copy for one another for free (the director calls convention pirates who sell the video "low life little parasites"), is an action packed retelling of Amazing Spider-Man #121 and 122. In both its look and storyline the movie is incredibly faithful to the comics.

Now, Poole's Alpha Dog Productions has released The Making of the Green Goblin's Last Stand, a documentary detailing the production of this film.

The thing that everyone talks about in GGLS are the stunts. Poole performs some hair-raising feats that look both painful and dangerous in the finished film. So the first thing on my mind watching the documentary is 'how those were accomplished?' It turns out, what you see is what you get. The stunts really were as painful and dangerous as they look on screen.

MOGGLS paints a portrait of Poole as a driven filmmaker, living by the motto of "get the shot." So, if the film needed a shot of Spidey swinging around the top story of a building on a web line, then Poole would not rest until he had the shot. This meant Poole himself would get into costume, attach a rope to the building, grab a hold and swing over the street below. These shots put Poole's life at risk and were also, very likely, quite illegal. But the young director would not be satisfied until he had a Spider-Man that looked as good on film as he did in the comics.

Putting himself on the line was only going to get the movie so far. Poole also relied on a dedicated crew, which included long-time friends as well as actors for hire. Fueled by Poole's passion, the crew suffered through all-night filming, uncomfortable costumes, pyrotechnic effects and, sometimes, difficult stunts. Like Poole, everyone seemed to be willing to do what was required to "get the shot."

MOGGLS reveals a film crew using a paltry $500 to do something spectacular. Innovative effects and camera tricks were employed to visualize all the hallmarks of a Spider-Man adventure: wall-crawling, web-shooting, swinging, climbing, acrobatics, pumpkin bombs and, yes, even a goblin glider.

The documentary is available now on VHS tape from the ADP Website. However, a posting on the site reveals that the documentary will soon be available on DVD as well. As an added bonus, the Green Goblin's Last Stand will be included on that disc.

Poole plans to resume work on his next film, called Natural Forces, which got put on the  back burner when GGLS started getting attention. "With the completion of the documentary I feel like I have answered it adequately and can continue moving forward with the original movie," Poole told me.

After seeing the Green Goblin's Last Stand, I told Poole that I thought it was the best live-action adaptation of Spider-Man I'd ever seen; much better than the TV show from the 1970's. Poole responded by saying, "The reason mine is better than the 70's series is that there was some heart in it!!!" 

After watching the fascinating The Making of the Green Goblin's Last Stand I'm even more impressed by how true that statement is.

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