Disappointment

Rating: 5/10 (2 July 2004)

I guess I expected more. This is a film for kids, I guess. Given all the destruction and violence they encounter on TV and in video games, CGIs are just part of kid culture. They expect it and tolerate it. The bringing of comics to screen is hardly new and began back in the 30s and 40s. Back then, the limits were imagination of the goofy directors who were able to patchwork props together to suggest the special effects. Then, there were the old superman films with George Reeves which combined both...and they were pretty cheesey. But, underlying all of this was the comic book heroes themselves. Comic books were the epitome of the mythic journey where clear lines stood between the bad guys and the good guys. You always knew who the villains were, just like in the cowboy movies. They were invariably decked out in some symbolic feature like a tight-fitting costume, with the genitalia tastefully tucked away, which displayed the sleek, muscle-rippled bodies, all of which spelled out H-E-R-O.
So, why does this film fall so flat? It's got all the gimmicks, costumes, tension, unfairness, bad-guys who are basically good but taken over by some force they could not anticipate. The brilliant scientist turned evil by his lack of foresight...the underlying message being, there are some secrets of nature, thou shalt not mess with. Alas, the message is an anti-intellectual one and one that detracts from the power of the mythic struggle between good and evil. It seemed to work well in the first film but the message in this is worn thin in this rehash. There is a lack of continuity and the struggle of Peter Parker, which should be the struggle of every one, becomes a parody. He gets knocked down, he gets stepped on, he gets slapped, he begins to lose his powers and descends into hell and is reborn.

Those are powerful metaphors but they come across like a tune played on an old coffee can. All we're left with is Peter Parker's confusion, growing self-doubts and final commitment, undermined by the girl he loves. The sacrifice is made by the villain, Al Molina who refuses to "die a monster." We're left with the feeling there's still some good in the worst of us misguided souls.
So, what's the lesson here? Is Peter Parker willing to make that supreme sacrifice of love, career and normalcy, only to have it undermined by a now-understanding, woman who comes to him in the wedding dress she was wearing for another man, whom she ungenerously left at the altar?
Stay tuned, as the James Dean-lookalike is waiting in the wings to don his father's garb for the next big money maker...while the suits like up to sell lots and oodles of Spidey goodies, games and treats.
Could be, but maybe I'll pass the next one...I get the feeling I've seen it all before.