{"id":953,"date":"2004-07-08T14:31:51","date_gmt":"2004-07-08T22:31:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.amptoons.com\/blog\/archives\/2004\/07\/08\/random-thoughts-on-spiderman-2\/"},"modified":"2004-07-08T14:31:51","modified_gmt":"2004-07-08T22:31:51","slug":"random-thoughts-on-spiderman-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/?p=953","title":{"rendered":"Random thoughts on Spiderman 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

First, I highly recommend this animated Lego version <\/a>of Spiderman 2<\/i>. It’s pretty much spoiler-free, too.<\/p>\n

Second, if you’re a person who enjoys superhero movies, then you should definitely see Spiderman 2<\/i>. Much better than the first movie, and on the whole better than any other superhero movie I’ve seen. (That may be damning with faint praise).<\/p>\n

What most struck me about the movie, aside from the genuinely wowzerific action sequences, was Aunt May’s comment that “I believe there is a hero in all of us.” (Spoilers ahead).
\n
\nFor a change, this wasn’t just a speech; it is an idea incorporated throughout the movie.<\/p>\n

In fact, it seems like an extension of the best scene from the first Spiderman <\/i>movie. In that scene, Spiderman is dangling below a bridge, holding onto a broken cable car cable with one hand, which is all that keeps the cable car full of innocent children and other such props from falling to a Watery Doom. With both of Spiderman’s hands taken up, he’s a sitting duck for the Green Goblin’s fly-by attacks. There really doesn’t seem to be a way for him to escape.<\/p>\n

…until the Goblin is suddenly sent off course by some garbage hitting him. And then more garbage – a lot more garbage. Camera pans to the top of the bridge, where a bunch of New Yorkers have gathered and are attacking the Goblin by throwing litter. “What’s wrong with you? He’s trying to save some kids here!” one garbage-thrower yells. “You attack one New Yorker, you attack us all!” yells another. (I’m working from memory, by the way, so I’m sure I’m getting the exact words wrong, but you get the idea). This gains Spidey enough time to lower the cable car safely onto a helpful passing scow.<\/p>\n

It’s a great scene; for the spectator-props to suddenly become participants in the action is unexpected, funny and touching.<\/p>\n

And it’s a repeated theme in the second movie, where Spiderman is saved again and again by the people he saves. Aunt May hits Doc Oct with her umbrella, saving Spiderman from being skewered. (MJ tries the same trick with less success). Peter Parker saves a child from a fire, but falls through a hole in the floor and pulls himself up with help from the child.<\/p>\n

Most interesting example: After stopping a out-of-control train (a very old superhero clich\u00e9 that, much to my surprise, the film manages to make thrilling), Spiderman is saved from falling through elevated train tracks by the train’s conductor, and is then carried onto the train and laid gently on the floor by the combined efforts of the train’s passengers. Spiderman has lost his mask at some point (best line: “My god, he’s just a kid”), but the passengers all promise to keep Spiderman’s true face to themselves. The passengers then (unsuccesfully) stand up to Doc Oct when he comes to get Spiderman.<\/p>\n

What’s oddest about this sequence is that the director turns it into a Christ metaphor; Spider-man is crucified on the front of the train, and then his unconscious body is passed over the heads of the grateful crowd, costume torn and bloody, arms still splayed Christ-style: Peter Parker has become Christ being removed from the cross<\/a>. Spiderman has sacrificed himself to rescue New York, is the implication (which fits in well with the script’s emphasis on heroes being willing to sacrifice themselves).<\/p>\n

Near the end of the movie, Mary-Jane says to Peter\/Spiderman, “isn’t it time that somebody saved your life?” Well, yes, but that’s been going on all movie. Unlike Christ, the rescuing isn’t a one-way street; Spiderman constantly saves New Yorkers, and New Yorkers constantly save him in return.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Discussion topic: Bad guys for future movies?<\/i><\/p>\n

Spiderman 2<\/i> also continues the class politics of the first Spiderman movie; Spiderman delivers pizza for a living and lives in a genuinely squalid and tiny apartment. Also as in the first movie, his enemies – in this movie, Harry Osborne and Doc Oct, and to a lesser extent J. Jonah Jameson – are upper-class elites.<\/p>\n

One question is, if there are five or six Spiderman movies, who will the villains be? Clearly, Harry is being set up to be a new Green Goblin (or perhaps Hobgoblin). I hope they redesign the face to be more expressive. They’ve already used the best, scariest traditional Spiderman villain, Doc Octopus. And they’ve already included the Lizard<\/a> (albeit in his pre-Lizard form). But who else?<\/p>\n

On Crooked Timber<\/a>, reader Erik (of The Ghost of Howard Beale<\/a>) dismisses the Sandman as just muscle. Actually, I think Sandman <\/a>would be a sensational villain for a future Spiderman movie. Not only is his power (the ability to morph entirely into sand, mud or stone, and to reshape his body at will) very well suited for current special effect technology, but he’s one of Spiderman’s few signature lower-class villains. And like Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Sandman is from Queens. This would make him an especially interesting villain for later in the series, when Peter and Mary Jane have climbed further up the economic ladder (and away from their roots).<\/p>\n

(Here’s a page with lots of info about Sandman<\/a>, btw).<\/p>\n

Although he’s not primarily a Spiderman villain, I think the Juggernaut <\/a>would be cool, primarily because the Roger Stern\/John Romito Jr. “Nothing can Stop the Juggernaut” <\/a>story is one of the best, and most cinematic, Spider-man comics..<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First, I highly recommend this animated Lego version of Spiderman 2. It’s pretty much spoiler-free, too. Second, if you’re a person who enjoys superhero movies, then you should definitely see Spiderman 2. Much better than the first movie, and on … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-popular-and-unpopular-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amptoons.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}