Secret comic book movies: The Amazing Spider-Man TV pilot (1977)
By Mike McNulty
“That character in the clown suit…he worked out pretty good.”
While certainly not of the same caliber as the Sam Raimi trilogy or later cinematic entries, the TV pilot for Amazing Spider-Man is still a fun piece of 1970s nostalgia, complete with the grooviest of soundtracks. You also have to applaud the creators of the pilot and the series for their lofty ambition in attempting to bring to life a then-fourteen year-old comic book superhero.
Unfortunately, Sony and Columbia Pictures have never released the pilot or the series on DVD, Blu-Ray, or digital. The only official copies distributed by Sony and CBS are available only on VHS, CED videodisc or (in Japan) laser disc. The Japanese Spider-Man TV series, which aired roughly around the same as this one, was streamed by Marvel on their website. But the US version? Not even so much as a highlight reel on their official YouTube page.
That said, The Amazing Spider-Man TV pilot is a harmless way to spend your 90 minutes.
Next. The Incredible Hulk TV pilot review. dark
But this wasn’t the only movie-length television pilot Marvel would offer during 1970s. There were two more television series in the works aside from Amazing Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk which never got off the ground. And if you think the Spider-Man TV pilot isn’t faithful to the comics, wait until you get a load of the secret comic book movie we have for next time.