10 Ways Movies Blew Your Mind Without You Even Realising

9. Tobey Maguire Caught The Lunch Tray For Real (On His 156th Take) - Spider-Man

Perhaps the single most visually remarkable moment in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man isn't a bout of mighty superheroism, nor is it even that iconic kiss in the rain, but an early gag where a recently-bitten Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) uses his advanced reflexes to catch Mary Jane's (Kirsten Dunst) tray of food after she slips and catapults it into the air.

Conventional filmmaking logic would dictate that the various food items on the tray were simply added digitally in post-production, and so Maguire simply had the not-terribly-challenging task of catching the tray itself.

Except, that's not the case at all. The effect was executed entirely in-camera, with an adhesive applied to Maguire's hand to help him keep hold of the tray, while if you look closely, the falling apple appears to have a magnet on its underside, presumably helping it cling to the apparently metal tray.

But even with these aids, pulling off a successful take took Maguire 156 attempts over a reported 16-hour shooting day. The final result is fantastic, admittedly, though most everyone in the audience surely assumed it was a simple VFX shot, no?