To be fair to the casts of the Schumacher Batman movies, even those with semi-developed character arcs were forced to deal with some of the most outlandish costumes ever seen in a comic book film. Willem Dafoe likely could have sympathised, since the Green Goblins suit in Sam Raimis Spider-Man resembles a Power Ranger suit which has undergone a Pimp My Ride makeover; it doesnt ooze gravitas. Then again, the Goblin has never been the straight-faced type, and Dafoe surpasses all expectations with his enjoyably nutty performance. In fact, Dafoes most triumphant scene doesnt feature the suit at all. Norman Osborn confronts the manifestation of the Goblin in the mirror, and Dafoe switches from the clear terror of Osborns human side to the snarling reflection seamlessly. He could obviously have given Christian Bale some tips when it comes to a suitably gravelly voice, but its his wide-eyed, toothy facial expressions which haunted childrens nightmares. Dafoes Goblin doesnt even die without a dramatic gesture: he delivers a final breathy line and then falls forward onto his glider with what can only be described as gusto. In hindsight, its a little bit sillier than we remembered, but Dafoe cast a long shadow over future cinematic Goblins. His performance is a fine example of a gloriously hammy performance which should be ridiculous, but somehow circles back around to fantastic. It seems unlikely that itll be topped any time soon.
