An Untypical Typical Hero Story

Rating: 8/10 (13 October 2018)

Hero stories are enjoyed by people of all ages. It is common to see a child dressing up and playing as a superhero, or even someone talking about a heroic act done by a neighbor. The superhero genre has been explored inside out, and has become one of the most common type of story. However, Marvel's 2002 Spider-Man rendition of a superhero story twists traditional storytelling clichÃ©s to illustrate the hardships and responsibilities that come with power. With likeable and relatable characters played by Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco, Spider-Man is a superhero journey no one should miss.
The backstory for Spider-Man is rather common. Peter Parker, a typical high school student, went on a field trip to a science museum and found himself bitten by a spider, which mutated his genes and gave him spider-like abilities such as shooting webs, supernatural senses and reflexes, and enhanced vision. One key scene in displaying his powers was the fight against Flash, the school bully. Peter faces his school bully after accidently spilling a lunch tray on him. With his extraordinary senses, he feels a fly behind him, a spitball released, and Flash's fist coming towards him. He reacted by bending ninety degrees backward and stopping Flash's fist with one hand. The camera angles show Peter's inner monologue, his thought about the slowness of the fist and his own reactions dodging the punches. I like how the movie shows a disbelief even on Peter's face, which lets the audience know that even Peter has just realized his own powers. Unlike other movies where heroes can immediately utilize their abilities after knowing it, Spider-Man shows a transition stage where Peter, just like any other human being, needs time to adjust to the changes.
The main character, Peter Parker, is also a likeable character whom the audience can sympathize with easily. In the first scene, the audience sees how average or even weak Peter is, because he first shows up in the movie chasing the bus. We see the insults and mockery thrown at him, and even the bus driver sneers at Peter. When he got on the bus, no one offered him a seat, and in fact, everyone rejects him. To all in the audience who feels insecure or unconfident in themselves, Peter is a character the audience can relate to easily.
The characters in Spider-Man are alive. What Spider-Man do better than other typical hero movies is that it portrays its characters as very human and can make wrong decisions. In the Flash fight scene, what really made Peter as a character alive is that he didn't just gloriously beat down Flash, and thought it was the most natural thing in the world, he was surprised himself. In addition, not all people praised Peter one sidedly for taking down the school bully, there are mixed reactions of disbelief, surprise, and fear, one notably from Mary Jane Watson, Peter's crush. Peter's romantic interests add to the humanness of his character. The villains too, show not only their evil intentions, but also their human hearts, like Harry's concern for his son, Norman, or Norman's vow to take revenge on something his father's death. Although the audience know the villains are wrong, it's hard to hate them.
Peter makes wrong decisions, ones that are irreversible and would make him regret forever. There is no 'hero saves the day' trope because to Peter, no matter what he does, there was always someone he couldn't save. Peter's mistake originated from his lack of responsibility for his powers. To chase a girl, Peter decided to make money by participating in an underground fighting arena. When the people in charge cheated Peter out of his enemies, Peter decided to let a thief escape. This indirectly caused Uncle Ben, who raised Peter, to be killed when he met the thief. Having the power but not acting to save others and protect others around him made Peter feel guilty. He has a revelation about how heavy his responsibilities are by having his powers. Like Uncle Ben said, "with power comes responsibility", Peter learns to shoulder his new responsibilities through a very sad lesson.
I think the lesson of responsibility applies to all who has a position of power or is in a position to change something, like the president, the governor, or policy makers, because even without superpowers, they have powers. They have powers to change people's lives and their habits, so it is necessary to not abuse those powers. With the recent Kavanaugh hearings, I think we all have a grasp about how important people appointed Supreme Court have on deciding our ways of life. Spider-Man conveys that message with an intention to remind us all of our responsibilities and what we can do even without spider powers.