Franchises That Need to Die
The Spider-Man Franchise
Jul. 27, 2009 - by Katharine O'Brian – buzz Writer
The first Spider-Man is everything a comic book movie should be. It’s fun, exciting and just a little corny. Tobey Maguire is a perfect fit for dorky Peter Parker, and the character evolves appropriately. He has fun discovering his new powers. The audience has fun watching him. Spider-Man 2 is a little more somber, but it’s a well-made movie with a terrific villain. The ending promises a happy future for Peter and Mary Jane, and that’s all anybody really needs to know. The studio naturally wanted to make a third movie to make more money, but there’s no excuse for making the complete mess that is Spider-Man 3. The problem? There’s nothing left to say.
Spider-Man 3 should have been good. It has a good cast—Thomas Hayden Church, Topher Grace, James Cromwell and Bryce Dallas Howard are the notable newcomers. Still, between Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship problems and Harry’s amnesia, the plot starts to resemble a soap opera rather than a comic book. Throw in the overcrowded cast, and the movie makes no real sense. The Sam Raimi’s version of exploring Peter’s dark side is giving him a side part and some guyliner. Topher Grace has nothing to do but whine and bare some freakishly pointy teeth. They should have stuck with one villain, but that might not have solved the problem.
Comic books can go on for years, so it makes sense to assume that their big-screen adaptations should do the same. Still, the film should have a purpose. In the first movie, Peter discovered what he was capable of. In the second, he realized that people need him. With great power comes great responsibility, etc. He even gets the girl at the end of the second film, so that really wraps things up. Unless Peter has anything else to learn, or perhaps even teach, his story is finished.
Instead, a fourth film is in the works and slated for a 2011 release. Raimi recently said that the quality of The Dark Knight has increased pressure for him to make a better movie. Hopefully, he’ll follow through. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this franchise is going away any time soon.
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Jeff Brandt says:
I disagree that we didn't need a Spiderman 3, but it should have been a lot better. Especially with Venom in the picture. I grew up reading Spiderman comics, and I think he's the best villain.
I will watch Spiderman 4 and hope it gets better. If that sucks, too, I'll give up on the franchise.
And yeah, the Fox show was amazing.
Andy Herren says:
I'll still see Spider-Man 4, but oh boy was 3 a bummer. 2, on the other hand, is one of my favorite sequels of all time. It would have been a nice close to the story if it ended at 2.
Kevin says:
Perhaps Raimi will try to use one of the classic Fox Kid's episodes, namely when spidey begins to sprout extra arms and Kraven and the Punisher begin to hunt him....