After a less than stellar third movie, many want changes to Marvel's wall-crawler. We suggest a few.
Collectively, the Spider-Man movies are definitely the most lucrative superhero franchise in Hollywood history. Audiences can't seem to get enough of that wacky wall-crawler. Still, all the money in the world doesn't stop a franchise from falling apart. If anything, it only seems to speed the process along.
The Spider-Man franchise hasn't fallen apart, but it was hurt fairly significantly by the release of Spider-Man 3. This sequel was a definite step down from the first two. Even if the box office report remained rosy, it was clear to many devoted fans that Spidey had reached a turning point.
In recent weeks, news has surfaced that Sony and director Sam Raimi are in talks for another sequel. Not just one, either, but two sequels filmed back-to-back. This announcement fills us with equal part anticipation and dread. After the last movie, should Raimi really be trusted to guide the franchise forward? Are the actors up to the challenge?
With those questions burning in our minds, we've assembled a list of ways Sony can fix the Spider-Man franchise. In our opinion, these are the guidelines the studio needs to follow in order to put the franchise back on track. We may not be Hollywood big shots, but we've read hundreds and hundreds of Spider-Man comics, and that has to count for something.
Collectively, the Spider-Man movies have done a lot of things right, not least of which including almost singlehandedly kindling Hollywood's love for superheroes. However, they're not perfect, and one area Sony might want to look into changing is the actors.
As Peter Parker, Toby Maguire was an inspired choice. However, as the movies wear on and the characters get older, we're not sure that Maguire continues to be the best fit for the role. His voice in particular makes Peter still seem trapped in high school. It doesn't help that his chronic back problems have threatened to derail production in the past.
Far more problematic is Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane. Dunst has always felt like the weak link in the cast. By all indications she doesn't even enjoy working on the films, so why jump through hoops to keep her on as Mary Jane? Better that Sony find a new actress to play the part. It worked for the Rachel Dawes character in Dark Knight, and it can work for the Spidey franchise as well.
Perhaps the greatest challenge moving forward in the franchise is the selection of villains. Both the Green Goblins are out, as well as Doc Ock, Sandman, and Venom. The next movie is going to need to find the right villain to play off an older, slightly wiser Peter.
We're not sure any one remaining villain can support a movie on their own. At the very least, the script will need to fiddle with the villain's origin in order to create a greater sense of emotional resonance. Spider-Man 3 did this by tying Sandman's origin to the death of Uncle Ben. It made the character more suitable as a lead antagonist, and was a change to the Spidey mythos that worked well. What didn't work well was shoehorning Venom into the script at the last minute. If Spider-Man 4 is going to have multiple villains, they need to do more than just trip over each other and hamper the flow of the story.
As for specific villain choices, we'd recommend any of the remaining members of the Sinister Six. Electro could certainly work, and his displays of power might rival what we saw of Sandman. Mysterio is a possibility, though we'd be worried that villain might only worsen the series' slide towards goofy camp. Previous films have set up both Man-Wolf and Lizard as candidates. Unfortunately, even working in tandem, those two probably can't carry a movie on their own.
One thing we're absolutely sure of is that Carnage is a no-no. That's the last thing this franchise needs at the moment.
The Spidey franchise has always carried a certain campy quality. That's just comes with the territory when Sam Raimi is the director. We can appreciate camp when it's used sparingly and effectively. Case in point – the "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" sequence from Spider-Man 2. It was a silly interlude, but a charming one.
We don't really need to say where Spider-Man 3 went wrong in this area. Peter Parker cavorting down the street, the entire club sequence - a huge bulk of the second half of the movie was just bogged down in silliness. These sequences weren't the only flaw of the movie, but they were a major contribution. Moviegoers don't expect their superhero films to always be dry, serious affairs. They do, however, expect the characters to behave in logical, believable ways. Black suit or no, for much of Spider-Man 3, Peter was woefully out of character.
It's a well-known phenomenon that superhero movie franchises fall apart in their third installment. Just look at the history. Superman 3, Batman Forever, X-Men: The Last Stand, the list goes on and on. This trend isn't coincidence. Rather, it's a sign that studio interference is quite possibly the worst thing that can happen to a franchise.
By all accounts, Sam Raimi didn't want Venom to be a part of Spider-Man 3. He's admitted to not understanding the character or even liking him very much. However, Sony chose to take a heavier hand in the development of the movie, and they insisted that Venom (whom they perceived to be a massive draw) play a starring role. The result should have been obvious. Venom never felt like a necessary or legitimate element of the film. He could have made for a compelling villain in Spider-Man 4, but instead was rushed out the door and dragged the entire movie down with him.
Raimi has proved himself capable of earning hundreds of millions of dollars for the studio. If they're wise, Sony will learn from their mistake and just leave it at that.
One of the more disappointing trends across all superhero franchises is the tendency to kill major villains at the end of each film. For franchises with serious legs, this severely limits storytelling potential in future installments. The X-Men movies got it right. They kept Magneto alive and well for multiple sequels, and his continued presence in the series has never been a complaint of ours.
Spider-Man 3 also bucked this trend, leaving return appearances by Sandman and Venom as possibilities. We hope it continues going forward. We'd like to see a clear progression towards a bigger conflict in Spider-Man 4. With Sony strongly considering filming 4 and 5 back-to-back, it would be a crime not to connect the two movies. Naturally, we're envisioning a gradual build-up to the Sinister Six. Spidey needs a major threat to truly shine as a hero, and it doesn't get much more major than that.
As was said by the podcast crew, debuting the Sinister Six in Spider-Man 6 opens up a mine of marketing gold. Raimi won't be able to mange that, however, if the individual members are killed off before they can ever get together.
Spider-Man may be a largely solo hero, but he never swings very far without a strong supporting cast. We think back to the classic days where Peter used to hang out with the likes of Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, and the rest of the gang. Unfortunately, Harry died at the end of Spider-Man 3. Many supporting characters like Flash Thompson and Liz Allen have never had a strong presence in the series. In some ways, all the movies really have going for them in this area is J. Jonah Jameson. That's a huge boon, but it's not enough.
Gwen Stacy was wasted in the last movie, so we want to see her back and in a stronger role. There's no reason characters like Flash and Liz can't be brought back as Peter begins to rekindle old high school "friendships." Should Raimi want, he can even use some of the more recent additions from Brand New Day. What he shouldn't do is create another character along the lines of the Osborn family butler. Where was this old coot in the other movies? Why did he need to be in the third film anyway? In any case, Peter needs more characters to play off of than just Mary Jane and the villain of the week. What it doesn't need is more poorly conceived, shoehorned characters.
We love humming along to our favorite superhero themes. Unfortunately, Batman and Superman seem to hog all the best ones. Despite the fact that Danny Elfman has composed all three Spider-Man films, the music has never been a particularly strong point. With that in mind, we're hoping for a stronger effort in the next sequel. Elfman has crafted some truly memorable themes in the past, particularly with the likes of Batman and Edward Scissorhands. What makes Spidey so different?
All we know is that we're tired of the '60s Spider-Man cartoon theme popping up in our heads whenever we hear the character mentioned. We're also tired of the movies being remembered more for their bad alternative rock soundtracks than the actual score.
It's an increasingly worrisome trend in Hollywood right now. Various studios, salivating at the the thought of their own Dark Knight-style money maker, are using Christopher Nolan's film as a template for crafting the upcoming slate of comic book movies. No. No. No, no, no, no...
It shouldn't have to be explained to anyone why the Dark Knight approach doesn't work for all superheroes. Batman is a dark, gritty character, and the movie was bleak even by his usual standards. Spider-Man is not bleak. Sure, his life tends to suck at any given moment. He's constantly fretting about bills, keeping his web shooters full and his costume in one piece, and fending off a legion of New York's worst villains. At the end of the day, though, Spider-Man has to come out on top. Fans identify with him so readily because he overcomes great obstacles and never loses that happy-go-lucky charm.
That's why the sequels don't need Carnage. The character is dark, sadistic, and would just drag the movie dangerously close to an R-rating. Moviegoers don't want to see Mary Jane blown up in a warehouse or Aunt May gunned down in the street. They certainly don't want to see Spidey lose control and drop Kraven from a fourth-story balcony.
We said it in the Superman feature, and we'll say it again. What works for Batman doesn't necessarily work for other heroes. Studios are going to learn this lesson the hard way if they continue in their current direction. We'd just as soon not see the next Spider-Man movie be one of those casualties.
We'll be honest, the Spider-Man franchise got a lot right. That's one of the reasons we only have eight bullet points here - we couldn't even find enough to get to ten (let alone more). Most of our problems with the franchise arrived in the third installment and seem relatively clear and easy to avoid.
But we are curious what you think of Spider-Man. What do you hope to see in Spider-Man 4 and 5? Did you like 3 at all? What would you change about the franchise? Do you think Sony should restart? Do you like the darker tone? The questions are endless, so sound off on your thoughts in the comments below!
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