Spider-Man 3: It's critic proof
Ah, it’s great to meet an old friend. Especially when it has been 3 years since the last time I heard that familiar Danny Elfman theme tune, and the entire theatre erupting in joy at the opening notes, and the “Marvel” logo. Yes, I am a nostalgic idiot. I have a rule when I review a movie like Spider-Man. I leave my critic glasses at home, while I am all set in fanboy gear to revisit a character that has been an almost integral part of my childhood.
Spidey 1 and 2 were absolute blasts from the past, a good old fashioned nod at everything that we associated with the word “superhero”. It did get very good critical acclaim, though a lot of critics have taken their daggers out when it has come to Spidey 3. A lot of reasons, they say, why Spidey 3 is an embarrassment. Do I think so too? No way!
Maybe because I am too biased. Perhaps. It’s the big summer blockbuster season for crying out loud… what did you expect, “The Shawshank Redemption”? This is that time of the year when we go ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ at the screen, when we take the kids out during their school break, when we dust out our old comic books and pass them on, when we shriek and yell at the at-times crazy fantasy unfolding before our eyes. Critiquing a movie which lets us enjoy all that is not just snobbish, but also terribly ungrateful. It is because of crowd pleasers like Spidey that Hollywood is surviving today… and how! Do we wish Hollywood to become those too-arty-for-me cinemas of Europe which relies on government grants to be financially viable?
And a crowd pleaser it is. Its got special effects to gawk at, sympathies which keep oscillating, old fashioned heroism, and that familiar feeling of warmth when god triumphs over evil. I refuse to point out the holes in the screenplay, the over the top situations, and sequences that were unnecessary. Yes, it’s a movie with tremendous flaws, but who the hell cares? Movies like Spidey 3 are the reason our cinemas are still packed to the brim on opening weekend, why kids still reel out statistics of their favourite heroes and try to climb the wall with imaginary webs. This is what the movie going experience is all about.
Spidey 1 and 2 were absolute blasts from the past, a good old fashioned nod at everything that we associated with the word “superhero”. It did get very good critical acclaim, though a lot of critics have taken their daggers out when it has come to Spidey 3. A lot of reasons, they say, why Spidey 3 is an embarrassment. Do I think so too? No way!
Maybe because I am too biased. Perhaps. It’s the big summer blockbuster season for crying out loud… what did you expect, “The Shawshank Redemption”? This is that time of the year when we go ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ at the screen, when we take the kids out during their school break, when we dust out our old comic books and pass them on, when we shriek and yell at the at-times crazy fantasy unfolding before our eyes. Critiquing a movie which lets us enjoy all that is not just snobbish, but also terribly ungrateful. It is because of crowd pleasers like Spidey that Hollywood is surviving today… and how! Do we wish Hollywood to become those too-arty-for-me cinemas of Europe which relies on government grants to be financially viable?
And a crowd pleaser it is. Its got special effects to gawk at, sympathies which keep oscillating, old fashioned heroism, and that familiar feeling of warmth when god triumphs over evil. I refuse to point out the holes in the screenplay, the over the top situations, and sequences that were unnecessary. Yes, it’s a movie with tremendous flaws, but who the hell cares? Movies like Spidey 3 are the reason our cinemas are still packed to the brim on opening weekend, why kids still reel out statistics of their favourite heroes and try to climb the wall with imaginary webs. This is what the movie going experience is all about.
posted by Faizan at
12:08 AM
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