This is a continuation of my other article, The Amazing Spider-Man : Deeper Meanings. You can find that article here : http://www.comicbookmovie.com/spider-man_movies/news/?a=63098
Not Ready To Listen To The Voice Message At First :
I have seen countless people suggest that they do not portray Peter's guilt for his Uncle's death very well in this move. I personally disagree and here's why. After Ben has died, Peter is in his room very distraught and begins to listen to a message from his Uncle. During it, he cuts it off midway through because not only is he unable to listen to it because it is still very raw for him but also because he is not ready. Throughout this film they showcase Peter growing. The format of this is extremely different from the Raimi version because in the Raimi version the situation was resolved rather quickly. In this film Peter is learning to cope with the loss of his Uncle and when someone is grieving it can make us do some very stupid things. We are not thinking straight. The death of his Uncle also happens at a time where he has gained these extraordinary abilities and it is a confusing time for him. He feels the way to get over the death of his Uncle is to avenge him and hurt the man responsible for doing so. During this quest Peter attacks people who he believes to be the potential killer. The truth is though it is not about Peter finding the killer it is about the anguish he is feeling at himself. He hurts others because he himself is hurt and doesn't know how to let all this emotion out. He in essence is like a kid who has just found his Dad's gun. He is pointing it at people but does not know the full consequences of doing such a thing. He is doing it for his own personal gain, to make himself feel better. This basically tells the responsibility lesson why in a slightly different way around. In the original, Peter uses his powers for personal gain, which then leads to the events of his Uncle's death. in this version he uses his powers for personal gain after his Uncle dies. Personally I prefer the latter because from a human and emotional standpoint this version, mentally makes more sense.
Once we get to the end of the film, we see Peter finally being able to listen to the message fully. This is very important because again for the people who are saying why did he not listen to his Uncle's words at the beginning, it is because he didn't. He cut it off half way because he did not understand the meaning of what his Uncle was trying to say and he wasn't ready. By the end of the film he is and this is when he fully starts understanding the concepts of responsibility. The picture of the killer still hangs there in his room and I think that is a way of saying to the audience " Don't worry, we know this has not been resolved yet but we have not forgotten about it". This particular theme, will probably play into the sequel as well.
A Bully, Turned Friend:
Flash and Peter's relationship is actually more complex and realistic then people think. Flash as we know in the film, is a bully and likes to humiliate people. Peter stands up to him but does not have the physical strength to put him in his place. It is not until Peter fully stands up to Flash and humiliates him that Flash begins to calm down.
I knew someone at school that used to be bullied by this guy. Everyday the guy would give him stick, until one day the person he was humiliating flipped out and put him in his place. After that they began to become friends and it is because the bully realised that he was going about things the wrong way. Sometimes they need to be taken down a peg to realise where they are going wrong.
The fact that Flash tries to say sorry to Peter about his Uncle, gives him a new dimension that was not explored in the original films. It proves that Flash is not a bad guy really. Flash and Peter have a lot more in common than you might think. They mirror each other. Flash has power that he abuses much like Peter does and about half way through the film their roles reverse. Peter now has the power which he abuses and attacks people that are weaker than him. I think this connection shows they have a lot more in common then one would think. It shows that even the bully is a human being with feelings. It shows that anyone can be a bully, if they choose to misuse their power over people.
Aunt May Understands The Truth
By the end of the film, I think it is safe to assume that Aunt May knows Peter is Spider-Man. When he returns home beaten and broken she embraces him knowing the truth but the scene itself has another meaning. When she embraces him, she is doing it because she feels so sorry for him and everything that has happened. This is a time period where he has lost his Uncle and she has lost her husband. It is a moment where she is basically saying, I know things have been rough but I want you to know that I am here for you and I love you, as if you were my own. I think this is a truly beautiful moment because it is the first time they have a moment to realise their grief. When you lose someone close to you it can sometimes become a very taboo subject. People become afraid to say something because they worry it will upset people. This is the first moment in the film they both are accepting what happened to them and that they are ready to move forward. People say Sally Fields was not given enough to do but in my opinion she was given enough of what was needed of her. She felt like a real parent who cares about her son or in this case her adopted son. She waits up for him if he doesn't return home and worries about him. You couldn't ask for much more than that really.
The Crane Scene:
This particular scene has been labelled "cheesy" by many, but for me it wasn't because there was much more to it than that. A helpless Spider-Man is desperately trying to make his way to Oscorp, to save the city from devastation. He is injured from the gunshot wound and all hope appears to be lost. Then the cranes begin to move into place and in a weird way it kind of reminded me of Moses and the sea breaking open to create a perfect and straight route for him, to make it to his destination. Spidey webs the gunshot wound to put pressure on it and even though he is in pain and could easily give up there he doesn't. He manages to find the courage in himself to continue moving forward. He starts off limping and goes into a full run and at that point is him embracing the needs of others over his own. That scene screamed the heart of a hero for me and really got my heart beating. He then begins gaining momentum as he swings through the city and this is the first time we see him swinging high above the streets of New York. He is embracing the hero within and it is a very exciting ands satisfying moment in my opinion.
This film has really left me hungry for the sequel because most CBMs do not have this kind of depth to them. The most notable ones are Spider-Man 2, Batman Begins and TDK. This film has managed to bring depth to the table and if this is a sign of things to come, I am very excited to see where they go next and hope they can continue this kind of depth. As I mentioned in my last article, there are flaws in this film. Some editing and pacing issues and the lack of character development for Connors but in all honesty this film is first and foremost about Peter Parker. I ave seen some review state that his character is one dimensional but I could not disagree more.
I personally feel this film has had a vendetta against it from day one. People have been very quick to attack this film but I ask them this are we forgetting Spider-Man 3 here ? It left that last series nearly in tatters and I feel a fourth movie of that series would have only made things worse. It was time for a change and I personally believe this was the right thing to do. We have been given a character who feels like a real person and that is a very hard thing to come by, especially in CBMs.
What do you think ? Was this film deeper than you expected or are you still disappointed they rebooted ? Sound off below.