Sentimental Spidey
I’m going to go ahead and get this out there for all you naysayers: this is not a bad movie. I understand if things were disappointing, a little convoluted or not as good as the last two, whatever, it doesn’t change the fact that this movie is still good. It’s not as good as the triumphant Spider Man 2 (a tough act for any comic flick to follow since it’s largely hailed as the greatest superhero movie of all time), and it’s not as fun as the first one, but the simple fact is that there are more things that work in this film than don’t and it is a decent entry into the Spider Man series and a very good entry into the superhero genre as a whole.
The main thing that this movie suffered from was success syndrome. The las two films were so loved by fans and critics alike that part 3 has a pretty tough act to follow, and let it be known that the same director using the same characters being expected to produce a new bag of tricks for every movie in a series that both critics, die-hard fans and the average popcorn-munching moviegoer needs to love is a near-impossible feat. Director Sam Raimi called this the most stressful movie of his life which is not hard to believe considering the amount of villains, plotlines and special effects that went into it. The film does feel a little overstuffed at points, but it does level out in the end and finish what it started.
The setup is that Spider Man/Peter Parker is on top of the world, the city loves him, Mary Jane loves him. He’s so full of himself that all it takes is some alien, outer-space goo to turn him into an overconfident, reckless superhero out to take revenge on all who cross him. The black suit is a physical manifestation of people’s tendencies to be brash and self-absorbed. The metaphor workds really well. The imagery of revenge and self-righteousness becoming like a venomous symbiote that can attach itself to you and never let go is an excellent picture. The 2 ½ hour film sees Peter Parker’s original mantra of power and responsibility being challenged by no one but himself.
But Parker’s dark side is not the only villain, oh no, there are three (count ‘em) villains in this picture, Sandman, Green Goblin 2, and ultimately Venom. Of all of them Sandman is the coolest; it was really great to see such a classic villain come to life so vividly. Harry Osborne’s new goblin has the same weird techno suit, but the chase scenes where he tears after Peter Parker down alleyways and up in the sky was breathtaking.
Anyway, there’s some stuff that didn’t work too. The story felt a little awkward around the middle as the Peter/Harry/Mary Jane love triangle was reintroduced. It felt a little forced, and there was one segment involving Harry forcing MJ to break up with Peter that was never really explained. Anyway, the point was that Peter needs to get pissed at Harry for the rest of the “revenge” story to work. There is also a scene where Peter is consumed by the black suit and in a daze of self-absorption walks down Michigan avenue giving girls winks and shooter fingers. He combs his hair down in a pathetic attempt to look “cool” and even does a comic dance in a Jazz club to spite Mary Jane. Contrary to many, I thought this scene was great. It was very true to Peter’s character. It’s important to remember that he is in his heart a total nerd, and when he is possessed by delusions of grandeur, the result is pathetic, not awe inspiring. This scene was comic genius. The Jazz club scene felt like it was right off Stan Lee’s hallowed pages.
Couple of nitpicks from a fan: It’s annoying to me when Spidey is unmasked in nearly every single fight. I understand how it plays up the humanity, but honestly, everyone knows who he is! Keep the mask on, Raimi!
Also, the villain geneses seemed a little coincidental. Oh man, that crook just happened to fall into a sand neuron quantum emitter experiment!!! Or oh no some asteroid just happened to land next to Peter in a park and the alien symbiote followed him home! Well, whatever, these things are minor.
In the end I liked this movie because it never departed from the natures of the characters and even explores another side of Parker that was stimulating, even if it wasn’t as fun to watch. The story of a hero becoming a villain is not very fun to watch because it leaves you not knowing who to root for. Sam Van Hallgren of filmspotting.net said it best: “Raimi has not given up on sentimentality.” It is true that the end of the film could be called “sappy”, but I thought it was an impressive attempt at making a superhero film more than just a special effects fest (Fantastic Four). Maybe it doesn’t work as well as the first two, but it is refreshing to see a summer movie with more of a heart than just money making action. I do not have high hopes for Pirates 3 in that department, but we’ll see. It’s just nice to hear a major motion picture that includes lines like “a man must put his wife before himself”. I don’t know about Sam Raimi’s faith, but he at least has a much larger conscience than do most action directors.
I’m going to go ahead and get this out there for all you naysayers: this is not a bad movie. I understand if things were disappointing, a little convoluted or not as good as the last two, whatever, it doesn’t change the fact that this movie is still good. It’s not as good as the triumphant Spider Man 2 (a tough act for any comic flick to follow since it’s largely hailed as the greatest superhero movie of all time), and it’s not as fun as the first one, but the simple fact is that there are more things that work in this film than don’t and it is a decent entry into the Spider Man series and a very good entry into the superhero genre as a whole.
The main thing that this movie suffered from was success syndrome. The las two films were so loved by fans and critics alike that part 3 has a pretty tough act to follow, and let it be known that the same director using the same characters being expected to produce a new bag of tricks for every movie in a series that both critics, die-hard fans and the average popcorn-munching moviegoer needs to love is a near-impossible feat. Director Sam Raimi called this the most stressful movie of his life which is not hard to believe considering the amount of villains, plotlines and special effects that went into it. The film does feel a little overstuffed at points, but it does level out in the end and finish what it started.
The setup is that Spider Man/Peter Parker is on top of the world, the city loves him, Mary Jane loves him. He’s so full of himself that all it takes is some alien, outer-space goo to turn him into an overconfident, reckless superhero out to take revenge on all who cross him. The black suit is a physical manifestation of people’s tendencies to be brash and self-absorbed. The metaphor workds really well. The imagery of revenge and self-righteousness becoming like a venomous symbiote that can attach itself to you and never let go is an excellent picture. The 2 ½ hour film sees Peter Parker’s original mantra of power and responsibility being challenged by no one but himself.
But Parker’s dark side is not the only villain, oh no, there are three (count ‘em) villains in this picture, Sandman, Green Goblin 2, and ultimately Venom. Of all of them Sandman is the coolest; it was really great to see such a classic villain come to life so vividly. Harry Osborne’s new goblin has the same weird techno suit, but the chase scenes where he tears after Peter Parker down alleyways and up in the sky was breathtaking.
Anyway, there’s some stuff that didn’t work too. The story felt a little awkward around the middle as the Peter/Harry/Mary Jane love triangle was reintroduced. It felt a little forced, and there was one segment involving Harry forcing MJ to break up with Peter that was never really explained. Anyway, the point was that Peter needs to get pissed at Harry for the rest of the “revenge” story to work. There is also a scene where Peter is consumed by the black suit and in a daze of self-absorption walks down Michigan avenue giving girls winks and shooter fingers. He combs his hair down in a pathetic attempt to look “cool” and even does a comic dance in a Jazz club to spite Mary Jane. Contrary to many, I thought this scene was great. It was very true to Peter’s character. It’s important to remember that he is in his heart a total nerd, and when he is possessed by delusions of grandeur, the result is pathetic, not awe inspiring. This scene was comic genius. The Jazz club scene felt like it was right off Stan Lee’s hallowed pages.
Couple of nitpicks from a fan: It’s annoying to me when Spidey is unmasked in nearly every single fight. I understand how it plays up the humanity, but honestly, everyone knows who he is! Keep the mask on, Raimi!
Also, the villain geneses seemed a little coincidental. Oh man, that crook just happened to fall into a sand neuron quantum emitter experiment!!! Or oh no some asteroid just happened to land next to Peter in a park and the alien symbiote followed him home! Well, whatever, these things are minor.
In the end I liked this movie because it never departed from the natures of the characters and even explores another side of Parker that was stimulating, even if it wasn’t as fun to watch. The story of a hero becoming a villain is not very fun to watch because it leaves you not knowing who to root for. Sam Van Hallgren of filmspotting.net said it best: “Raimi has not given up on sentimentality.” It is true that the end of the film could be called “sappy”, but I thought it was an impressive attempt at making a superhero film more than just a special effects fest (Fantastic Four). Maybe it doesn’t work as well as the first two, but it is refreshing to see a summer movie with more of a heart than just money making action. I do not have high hopes for Pirates 3 in that department, but we’ll see. It’s just nice to hear a major motion picture that includes lines like “a man must put his wife before himself”. I don’t know about Sam Raimi’s faith, but he at least has a much larger conscience than do most action directors.
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