Post by fanliorel on Sept 17, 2007 17:00:05 GMT -5
That's cool MJ; it's kinda surprising to hear that something like a comic book hero truly helped people out as you say spiderman did for you in the 60s, rather than just being something that a company could sell to make money off children. I'm sure there are other examples, but I can't really think of any product (intellectual or otherwise) that made me relate to it and feel better thereby. Growing up in the 80s, I can't think of anything that really grabbed a hold of me emotionally, rather than just being something that I thought was cool and fun to collect/play with.
Anyway, and maybe I just need to see the movie again, but I have to say I did not like Spiderman 1, and because of that I haven't even bothered to watch the next 2. Spiderman was just so...I dunno...mainstream mass marketed. I mean, I went on opening weekend (a mistake, I know), and the audience just followed like cattle, laughing at everything they were supposed to, etc. It was like scripted. I never felt so phony sitting in a theater, and I think that's saying something. I haven't been to an opening weekend movie since then.
For another thing, but along the same lines, it was so forced as to be repulsive to me. It forced in bits and pieces of all sorts of genres (action, comedy, romance, scifi, horror, FX, etc) that, well...it felt forced, at least to me. It went from being some effects movie that wows the guys to a sappy love-fest for the chick-flick market, back to a "guy oriented" action sequence, then emotional pining, more bad guy vs good guy battles in the streets, etc. Back and forth, back and forth. I really wish it had keyed in on something at least semi-specific, rather than trying to cater to everyone. And what was worse was that opening weekend audience I talked about, which just got succored into everything like they were part of the script.
Truly the experience of Spiderman jaded me on movies. I've seen very, very few since then, whereas before I was a fairly avid movie-goer. The story of the original Spiderman story in the comics seems great, but the movie gave me a whole new perspective on cinema - and not a positive one. We're just cattle to them; it's all so obvious now, but Spiderman made me see it.
Anyway, and maybe I just need to see the movie again, but I have to say I did not like Spiderman 1, and because of that I haven't even bothered to watch the next 2. Spiderman was just so...I dunno...mainstream mass marketed. I mean, I went on opening weekend (a mistake, I know), and the audience just followed like cattle, laughing at everything they were supposed to, etc. It was like scripted. I never felt so phony sitting in a theater, and I think that's saying something. I haven't been to an opening weekend movie since then.
For another thing, but along the same lines, it was so forced as to be repulsive to me. It forced in bits and pieces of all sorts of genres (action, comedy, romance, scifi, horror, FX, etc) that, well...it felt forced, at least to me. It went from being some effects movie that wows the guys to a sappy love-fest for the chick-flick market, back to a "guy oriented" action sequence, then emotional pining, more bad guy vs good guy battles in the streets, etc. Back and forth, back and forth. I really wish it had keyed in on something at least semi-specific, rather than trying to cater to everyone. And what was worse was that opening weekend audience I talked about, which just got succored into everything like they were part of the script.
Truly the experience of Spiderman jaded me on movies. I've seen very, very few since then, whereas before I was a fairly avid movie-goer. The story of the original Spiderman story in the comics seems great, but the movie gave me a whole new perspective on cinema - and not a positive one. We're just cattle to them; it's all so obvious now, but Spiderman made me see it.