Spiderman 2 review
Jul. 2nd, 2004 05:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drydemOkay, so, other people have some opinions, apparently favorable about Spiderman 2. My impression was not quite as favorable overall. So, without further ado
To begin with, let me say that my experience with the Spiderman franchise is primarily from the Ultimate Spiderman line and the late 60's cartoon series. I have never extensively read any other spiderman title, though I have read a number of titles that feature him. But one of my favorite things about Spiderman is that he is always pretty nervous and witty. Spiderman throws witticisms at those he fights, mostly to keep himself sane. The Spiderman from the movie did next to none of that. He's got a lot of energy even when he's not doing the superhero thing and is affable if geeky. This was not the Spiderman in the movie. Tobey Maguire spent most of the time staring blankly, unemotionally at whoever he was talking to or out into space. This didn't convey inner struggle, it conveyed someone without the wit to deal with what's going on around them. I didn't feel any chemistry between Peter and MJ and that just made it annoying when she gave up marriage for him. Strike 1
The movie seemed unwilling to decide between being over the top comic-booky or serious movie. The sequence with Peter Parker walking around and doing the successful guy thing would have been fine, as would the whole throwing away the costume thing, if the rest of the film had matched that intensity of imagery. But it didn't. Moments of sitting around a table with Otto and his wife discussing poetry and science just didn't quite mesh well with Jonah Jameson's swift 50's wit. Strike 2
Superhero stuff was wonky. Everything with the on-again,off-again nature of Peter's powers just bothered me and seemed kind of fuzzy. I mean, does he have some sort of conscious control over his eyesight or something? The disappearing powers just didn't seem well explained or well solved. It was a problem without a solution, compounded by the whole giving up superherodom issue. Plus the whole inhibitor chip thing with Doc Ock bothered me. The 'artificial intelligence' of the arms just seemed really weird and out of left field. Also, the fact that he only puts the harness on once really bugs me, because it seems like it was a one way trip from the start. All in all, too fuzzy, it could have been done more clearly. Strike 3.
Finally, in a bizarre note, I could not get over Alfred Molina's genius performance in Frida and thus was consistently thinking, jeez, Diego Rivera has kidnapped Spiderman's girlfriend! or Diego Rivera knows the secret of fusion! Which doesn't quite count as a strike as much as something odd.
To begin with, let me say that my experience with the Spiderman franchise is primarily from the Ultimate Spiderman line and the late 60's cartoon series. I have never extensively read any other spiderman title, though I have read a number of titles that feature him. But one of my favorite things about Spiderman is that he is always pretty nervous and witty. Spiderman throws witticisms at those he fights, mostly to keep himself sane. The Spiderman from the movie did next to none of that. He's got a lot of energy even when he's not doing the superhero thing and is affable if geeky. This was not the Spiderman in the movie. Tobey Maguire spent most of the time staring blankly, unemotionally at whoever he was talking to or out into space. This didn't convey inner struggle, it conveyed someone without the wit to deal with what's going on around them. I didn't feel any chemistry between Peter and MJ and that just made it annoying when she gave up marriage for him. Strike 1
The movie seemed unwilling to decide between being over the top comic-booky or serious movie. The sequence with Peter Parker walking around and doing the successful guy thing would have been fine, as would the whole throwing away the costume thing, if the rest of the film had matched that intensity of imagery. But it didn't. Moments of sitting around a table with Otto and his wife discussing poetry and science just didn't quite mesh well with Jonah Jameson's swift 50's wit. Strike 2
Superhero stuff was wonky. Everything with the on-again,off-again nature of Peter's powers just bothered me and seemed kind of fuzzy. I mean, does he have some sort of conscious control over his eyesight or something? The disappearing powers just didn't seem well explained or well solved. It was a problem without a solution, compounded by the whole giving up superherodom issue. Plus the whole inhibitor chip thing with Doc Ock bothered me. The 'artificial intelligence' of the arms just seemed really weird and out of left field. Also, the fact that he only puts the harness on once really bugs me, because it seems like it was a one way trip from the start. All in all, too fuzzy, it could have been done more clearly. Strike 3.
Finally, in a bizarre note, I could not get over Alfred Molina's genius performance in Frida and thus was consistently thinking, jeez, Diego Rivera has kidnapped Spiderman's girlfriend! or Diego Rivera knows the secret of fusion! Which doesn't quite count as a strike as much as something odd.
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-02 07:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-03 10:39 am (UTC)Metaphorical - Peter's heroism comes from his sense of Responsibility and dedication to the morals his Uncle Ben taught him. When he comes to doubt the neccesity of acting on these morals, his heroism slips, and thus so do his powers, which are the manifestations of his heroism. Peter Parker as a biological entity may have the powers, but Spider-Man, Peter's heroic aspect, does not, becuase Peter himself does not feel like/work to be a hero.
Physiological - When Peter feels like crap and hates his life, he loses his powers, I can dig it. It's been done several times in the comics (from my memory) and is therefore okay to bring into the movie, if done in a manner which enhances the narrative. Being Spider-Man, taking in stride the constant firings, the tension between him and Harry, his best friend, and the torment of having to stay clear of his True Love, is too much, and so his mind affects his brain, and the brain is cut off from Spider-Power.
Narrative- Peter losing his powers shows the tension and damage Peter/Spider-Man suffers by living a dual life. Peter is suffering, and therefore Spider-Man suffers as well. Peter cannot do anything right in his life, and therefore Spider-Man cannot do anything. They are interdependant personas co-habiting the mind of one person. Having Peter give up the suit allows us to get that wonderfully sweet montage of Peter with his life together which is feels like a rip-off of some movie or TV show, I just can't tell which. We see Peter being noticed favorably and even attracting girls (including his beloved Mary-Jane, but also the pair of girls passing by at school and Ditkovich's daughter. (IMDB names her Ursula), something that did not happen before.
Peter selfishly turns his back on heroism, and sees the consequences, and then when he tries to be a hero as Peter Parker, with the fire, is insufficient to save both people trapped in the house. When he is just Peter, he is only half a hero.
Apparantly, I've got so much to say about this movie I should write a paper. This bodes well. :D
no subject
Date: 2004-07-07 09:35 am (UTC)The glasses thing is my big issue when it comes down to it.
Also, I wish they had done some sort of internal monologue thing. The thought bubble is a big part of comics and needs some representation in the movie to be a true "comic book" movie.
And the montage is a rip off of a bunch of 1970's TV show things, like Mary Tyler Moore and That Girl.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-06 06:52 am (UTC)Its all in his mind. He starts to stress out and drive his body to the physical limits, so he starts to lose his powers. The fuzzy vision thing? I'd say that is all mental, but the glasses shouldn't have fixed it if it were. How many people have a mentally induced blindness after witnessing terrible accident?
The losing the powers thing was weird, although he shouldn't be shooting webbing from his actual wrists anyways because in the comics he made web-shooters as a technology thing.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-06 02:07 pm (UTC)