Although its now confirmed that Tobey Maguire will return for Spider-Man 4 this is who I think would be a much better fit for the role...
I've never really liked Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. Dont get me wrong - he portrays a fair few of Peter Parker's characteristics well on screen. Unforunately these only seem to be the whiney self pitying parts of Peter's personality instead of what the character is really all about. Its hard to explain, but to me when I see MaGuire onscreen I just dont see the Peter Parker from the comic books. Its not the fact that the movie version of the character hasnt always been written that well (X-Men Origins: Wolverine wasnt exactly the best film but Hugh Jackman just comes across AS Wolverine because he is passionate about the character) its just that he doesnt feel right for the part. Now admittedly this can be balmed on the writers but despite that I still dont feel that McGuire portrays etherthe Peter Parker or Spider-Man I know from any Spider-Man comic books!
However, whatever your opinion on how good a Peter Parker he is there is one very important aspect of Spider-Man that he just cant seem to pull off. That of course is humour. As has been explained in the comics throughout the years, Peter uses humour as Spider-Man to disguise his feelings over the dangers he faces. Apart from maybe two one liners over the course of three 2hr films, MaGuire's Spider-Man seems completely devoid of humour. Now admittedly, once again this is down to the guys who write the scripts not putting the jokes in but he really doesnt seem to be able to do the comedic aspects of the character even in scenes that are meant to be funny. I suppose that McGuire seems a little more adept at the dramatic side of things so why not find an actor who can do both? After all an actor who was perfect at nailing Spidey's funny side but couldnt handle the acting scenes where we see the dramatic side of Peter' life wouldnt work either!
Its for this reason that I think a new actor is needed. I know that right now its unlikely that they will cast a new actor unless Spider-Man 4 is a flop ratings wise like Spider-Man 3 was or if Sam Raimi or MaGuire decide to leave the franchise but on the chance that either of these things does indeed happen I think that the perfect replacement would be BRET HARRISON!
I hadnt even heard of Harrison until a few months ago when I started watching the now cancelled (and brilliant) TV show, Reaper (despite the fact that the show recieved great reviews from critics and had a large cult following it was still cancelled by the CW - but i guess that they find it more important funding crap like One Tree Hill and 90210!) Anyway, after seeing Harrison on the show I knew right away that he was perfect for the part of Spider-Man. He is a brilliant actor and coincidentally his character on Reaper is very much like Peter Parker. As both a drama and comedy, Reaper gave Harrison the chance to show off his fairly diverse range of acting skills - when it comes down to the more serious scenes in the show he performs just as well as when he is playing the character in more of a slapstick humour type of way. Physically, he definitely suits the role visually and in my opinion looks far more like the Peter from the comic books than MaGuire does. If he were to take the part he might need to buff up a little but he doesnt seem exactly all that much out of shape so this wouldnt be a huge issue by any means! In the same respect he also is pretty good at the fight scenes and stunts that Ive seen him perform in Reaper which again is pretty important for a physical role like Spider-Man. Finally, in my opinion the best thing about Harrison is that whenever Ive seem him on TV he automatically comes across as being incredibly likeable - the very thing that to me, MaGuire does not but Peter Parker should.
Here is a short promo for Reaper that might give you an idea about what Bret Harrison is like as an actor (though there are quite a few more clips on YouTube in which you can see a little more - i posted this as its mainly spoiler free for anyone who hasnt watched the show)
I know a lot of you like McGuire butthis is just MY opinion. By the time Spider-Man 6 arrives the guy is going to be at least 40 and there comes a point where a 40 year old guy doesnt make for a realistic college kid or even a man in his twenties! I would be perfectly happy for McGuire to stay as despite what it may look like, I by no means hated him in the part and a lot of the time I actually really enjoyed his performance! This editorial was just my take on who would perhaps be a little better and also my No.1 choice for a replacement! Anyway, Id love to know what you guys think! Thanks for reading!!!
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joshw24
9/16/2009
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