Spiderman

I went to see spiderman, and well it obviously wasn't as good a piece of cinema as the last two. The story (stories really it seems as though they were trying to cram 3 movies into one) was cliche. They attempted to pack in too much into too short a time, sacrificing depth for width and plenty of action scenes. But ya know what... I loved it.

I don't know what it is but I have always identified more with Spiderman than any other of our tights clad characters. He's a nerd, socially awkward, and attempts to make up for this with humor. He breaks things down and tries to explain things away scientifically. Tries to be empathetic and puts his foot in his mouth. Can be a little too introspective and full of himself. None of this has to do with his being a superhero, I'd watch a movie about Peter Parker if there were no special effects.

The fan boy aspect was excellent. They used a very old bad guy (Sandman), a classic arch nemesis (Goblin) and probably the most popular baddie in Spiderman (Venom). Sandman was played excellently, the traditional sympathetic bad guy. The Goblin, Harry Osborn this time, with ridiculously obvious foreshadowing, was pulled off well. Venom looked brilliant but they did not spend enough time developing the character, I was waiting for a good half an hour of wisecracking back and forth from Venom and Spiderman, but alas, there was no time for it.

I do have to say that I don't get the scene with Spiderman leaping in front of the American flag. Seriously this is not the quintessential American hero. This isn't some square jawed muscle bound hunk. This isn't Batman, Superman, or Captain America (RIP). Spiderman is somebody that more stands for the little guy. Not a billionaire, an Alien or a soldier but a kid who accidentally becomes something. This movie is gonna go all around the world, and everyone knows it's an American movie, no need to rub it in people's faces.

Lastly I was watching Army of Darkness the other night. This effected the way I saw Spiderman (and not just Bruce Campbell's laugh out loud cameo). I thought, as I was watching Spiderman, that Sam Rami is the perfect director for Spiderman. He is still that nerdy kid making three stooges movies as a teenager. That is perfect for this material. You have to be able to stay in touch with that 13 year old boy to make this stuff. The story is a thirteen year old boy's story. A thirteen year old love story, damsel in distress, sticking it to the jocks, that's what this crap has always been about.