Now I wasn't going to write about the movie for this entry, But I thought since I have some thoughts on it, why not share a lil bit!
Last Friday, My studio took us on a noontime screening of "Spiderman 3". A very cool theatre that serves you up lunch or dinner right at your seat! I had a very good steak sammich, but skipped the alcohol..I did after all, have to get back to work for the rest of the day.
The movie: I liked it. Not sure if I loved it. I definitely have to see it again to make that determination. Although I did walk away a lil frustrated.
Not because its over two hours long, but because I just felt like so much valuable time was badly spent. For one thing there is just TOO many frigging villains in this. Raimi kept it in check for the first movie..just one villain. Did the same for the second movie...just one villain. Which makes me doubt that he's going to be doing another Spidey movie, because it almost feels like him saying, "well since this is my last...lets have FOUR VILLAINS!"
Yup..four villains. 1) Sandman 2) Venom 3) Harry aka goblin junior 4) Eddie Brock.
I'll get to Eddie and venom in a sec, first lets talk about 'Sandman'.
The sandman as played by Thomas Hayden Church, is just fantastic. I didn't think that they were going to be putting as much into that character as they did. But MAN! Was he awesome.
You really feel for him. You feel for his situation. You wish you could help him. I wish there was MORE of him.
Then there is Harry, who is still being freaky deaky with hatred for Spiderman/peter. BLAH BLAH BLAH.
But lets get to Venom. Venom was treated as a throw away character. Which is fine because Venom is and always HAS been a nothing character. I've never been all that crazy about him. The best thing about that character is the effect that he/it has on the people that it commits to.
You see the effect that he has on peter. And its played pretty well. UNTIL....and this is what really bothers me....Until its played for cheap laughs.
There is something that I always play in my head, no matter what I'm drawing,painting, etc..."remember what type of story your trying to tell."
Not too long ago, disney put out a film, called the 'hunchback of notre dame'. Now there are scenes in that movie that i remember saying "what the hell???"
The hunchback story first of all is a very dark story, So disney taking a stab at it immediately sends up warning flags. And sure enough....there's a song that the gargoyle comical sidekicks (ugh I cant believe i said 'comical gargoyle sidekicks') sing that is just soooo idiotic. It even has them all playing poker with 'quasi' wearing a visor!
WHAT TYPE OF MOVIE ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE?????
Well..that's what I was saying in my noggin at certain times in the Spiderman movie. One such moment is the jazz club dance between 'dark peter' and Gwen Stacy. Peter goes on this spider powered waltz in order to tweak Mary Jane.
Now don't get me wrong...it all looked damn cool, especially the chair stuff. But the focus should be on making you really feel how dark and nasty peter is turning. You should really feel it-the intention to HURT, really HURT someone he, peter, cared for.
Instead...its mainly played for laughs. Playing the piano like hes a jazz pro, waltzing as if ......I don't know. Silly.
For anyone that knows anything about movie history, it is what it is: An obvious tip of the hat to Jerry Lewis's "nutty professor". (geeky professor makes a serum, drinks serum-turns nasty and mean, but hip, dances around...etc).
I don't know..the whole sequence was pretty powerless to me. And it shouldn't have been.
Another thing that bothered me, was Eddie Brock....man! I loved the way Topher Grace was playing him! Lots of texture, lots of personality. While 'venom' the character is a throw away, Eddie Brock is NOT.
But they end up wizzing through some major important stuff like him being humiliated in front of the office staff. Which should have really been played up so that YOU felt it too...You should have felt the rough competition between him and peter. To lead into the harsh humiliation. Enough to JUSTIFY him wanting to "kill Peter Parker". And you don't. Not one bit. You kind of roll your eyes when he delivers the "kill peter parker" line.
Again....more time being fritted away.
Here's what I'd do:
movie is 2 hours 20 Min's.
1) Cut harry out all together. I don't want to see the goblin for awhile. Let us feel like a lot more time has gone by to justify Harry becoming a pro goblin glider and fighter. (sheesh).
2) Cut out silly scenes that shouldn't be silly- don't waste the time or momentum. There is ( I SWEAR!!) FIVE MINUTES of song and footage of 'dark peter' walking down the street to a song ( a cool song albeit) pointing at girls. Getting a suit, and doing a little jig. But I don't feel the threat of a darkening personality. I just see a geek who was a geek and well...still is a geek, who now for some reason can dance and play piano. (silly).
3) It shouldn't have been Harry coming to help Spiderman, It should have been Sandman. Therefore spending the time making 'venom' a more powerful threat. Rather than just a nothing.
4) Don't put Gwen Stacy in unless your going to have her be more than just a model.
jeesh....Gwen Stacy is as close to a 'canonized' character as your going to get. Give her something more than just a dance scene otherwise why have her in the movie at all?
(The actress DID look exactly like her tho--good choice).
5) Don't make 'dark Peter' look like 'lil nicky'. That kinda sucked. Again I didn't feel the threat of a changing personality as much as I saw a gay goth geek. Pretty much any fine art grad at cal-art.
Well...those are a few things that jump out at me. I have other things, but it would just be small nitpicky stuff. Not worth mentioning. Believe it or not, I did like it. I had fun and I'm just not going to hate anything that at least respects its source material, and takes it seriously.
And Raimi does do that. I just would have liked a little more coherent take on this story.
But it was fun.....and that steak sammich was da' bomb, baby!
although...now that I think of it....In hindsight, I should'a had that beer.
crap.
Go see it. Its doing bang up bidness and I'm glad. Cause its fun and its good for COMICS!
