I wrote an article for Charles Colson’s magazine Breakpoint Worldview recently and the site has it up here. Due to the magazine’s deadline, I wrote it before seeing the film, so it’s not a review, but I think I pretty much nailed the film’s central them. See what you think.
Advertisement
Deep. Very deep. A couple of points though.
First, the Spiderman/David comparison is very creative. I don’t know about David and the spiders, but Mr. Weinstein makes an interesting comparison. The comparison goes even further, especially considering the third film. While David fought Goliath, he made it very clear that the victory would be God’s doing, not his own. Later in life, however, David forgot the true source of his power, and it destroyed his family and almost the entire nation of Israel. Peter also forgets the true source of his power. Besides being from a genetically altered arachnid, the source of his crime fighting abilities comes from his understanding that good must triumph over evil at all costs. In 3, he forgets that his web-slinging abilities are only a tool to help him achieve that goal, and begins to believe that the tool IS the power. He lets all that he has accomplished become his reason for being, and it becomes his undoing. In a sense, he believes that without the fame, the accolades, and the hero worship, Spiderman is just another guy in spandex long johns.
Point two, now that I’ve lost you completely. I loved the Capra analogy. But then, I love Capra, so I’m naturally biased. Even though he didn’t use the same character in all four films, in a way, Mr. Deeds, Mr. Smith, John Doe, and George Bailey are all the same person. They are the everyman. Sadly, they also represent a flaming ideal in America that seems to have died, or at least dwindled to an ember. We still hold these ideals of freedom, equality, work ethic, and family relationships somewhere in our hearts. But they’ve been so skewed and distorted they look nothing like they once did. it’s as tough we’re looking at life through a fun-house mirror. You can tell that it doesn’t look right, but you can’t really figure out what it is supposed to be, so you content yourself with the distortion. Peter is the refracting lense to his people. He takes the distorted veiws of good and evil, and shows them for what they really are. it seems, however, that growing up has caused the lens to become dirty, and even Peter isn’t really sure what matters anymore. He’s become a spoiled brat. Which is understandable, since every teenager goes through that phse, Spiderpowers or not. Which brings me to:
Point three. Just as we saw in the Capra films, it took two miserable failures, and one humiliating experience before Capra’s everyman finally got it right and learned that life is worth living, good is worth pursuing and love is worth giving above all. Fade to black. Roll the credits.
Not so for Spidey, in my opinion. I think our hero has one last adventure left in him. Whether or not another film is even made, I still say Spiderman has his epic ending yet to come. He still hasn’t had his Capra moment. Yes, he’s learned some lessons along the way. But I don’t think he’s finished.
To borrow from the Bible:
He has been weighed, measured, and found wanting.
To steal from Wordsworth:
CAPRA! thou shouldst be living at this hour:
Peter Parker hath need of thee!
Comment by Ashley — June 1, 2007 @ 8:55 am |