Watching More Spiderman

watching Spiderman … 3

Heh, heh. I love this movie. Or these movies, to be precise.

Opens --

“Everything is wonderful”…. so they say. Love is in the air, people holding hands, everybody loves Spiderman. Next -- James Franco in his boxers, sinister and full of dark fury, walking out of a chamber of green mist. Maybe not so wonderful.

Enter villain two: Venom falls from the sky.

Enter villain three: Sandman the escaped convict in his kitchen, arguing with his truly terrible wife.

I like Aunt May. “A man has to be understanding, and put his wife before himself. Can you do that, Peter?” Peter looks so happy, so self-satisfied and beatifically content. A perfect contrast to the heyday of hell that is about to be unleashed. BAM!! HISSSSS!! ROAR!!

Our Hero

What I like about Maguire’s portrayal is the latent energy behind his mildly bemused, slightly sad face. I like people like that, who have so much going on under the surface, but never let you know it.  He’s very human, and that’s why we like him. He takes MJ for granted like any other guy on an ego high. He tells her what to think and how to feel, and then expects her to be ecstatic to marry him. But we know he has so much more in there. Character, strength, kindness, passion, grit. His gentle eyes belie a fierce resolve.

Maguire does this so well I cannot separate him from the character. In the newer movie, The Amazing Spiderman, I like the guy but keep thinking, “Well, that’s great. I wonder when the real Peter Parker is getting back.” Sorry. I know it’s different… and he’s good, too…and I have to admit – handsomer –blah blah blah.

Love that Tobey Maguire!

 

My Best Friend Harry

Harry is so happy until he lets revenge eat at him and take him over. While he forgets his father’s death and Spiderman he is able to be carefree and enjoy life. Then, he remembers. Shakespeare's Hamlet is all over this. The mirror, the ghost of his father, the revenge, the exact words, “Remember me.” Fighting with Laertes – I mean Peter – I mean his brother – ahhh it’s like a dream of Hamlet meets superheroes in New York! Something is rrrrotten in the state of Denmark!

James Franco is a wonderful tortured villain. I see shades of heroic Tristan and Isolde and echoes of the insecure James Dean. I am now on a quest to see more of his movies. This is unlikely to ever happen, but one never knows. I may break my leg and have to spend a month on the couch, which would be lovely.

The Symbiote

The concept of Venom is fascinating. Giving life and a black, twisted, tarry form to the evil that lurks in every heart is something we all understand. I know how horrible I can be if I let myself go, a perfect glint-eyed monster of selfishness. Angry.

     Giving vent to evil grants us power, for a moment, when always we feel powerless in this ugly world. Life hurts and hurts and hurts some more, and when we run out of ways to shut it out, we feel the anger, and it pushes feeling and power through our veins. A kind of inverted hope, a black hole that vacuums our soul and causes us to hurt everyone we can. Venom’s razor-toothed roar is frightening and seductive at the same time.

Le Finale

Watching Spiderman takes me away for a bit and yet leaves me with food for thought. Not to tread on the toes of the Cool People and overthink it (heavens!). There is a great deal of commentary on humanity that can be made. This is what makes Spidey 1, 2 and 3 my favorite type of movie. I watch, I enjoy, I gasp, laugh, and smile, and I think. Watching movies is not a waste of time at all; it moves me forward actually, depending. Helps me process life, and throws a little light on things sometimes. When I recognize a feeling or conflict a character is going through it helps me feel more alive. Some days the rest of my life is a lie and the movie is the only truth.

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So guess which one is my favorite.

Yep, Spiderman 2. It is smarter, more tightly woven, and looks deeper at the love story…and I am after all, a girl.