Not only the fans but the masses are still boiling to the outcome of what was to be the most expensive movie ever made. In short we all feel as if we were robbed. Although the movie itself was every bit the exciting thrill ride Superman Returns was, it unfortunately fallowed along the same lines as much of a disgrace it was to the storyline as well as the cast of the ever so popular characters of the original material.
The Spider-man franchise had been the first in a very long time to bring satisfaction to the incredibly demanding fans of the comic books. Before Batman re-began, Spider-man was to be THE chosen one to bring the comic books back to the box office. And because of the Hulk’s failure, it was also the one to keep the trend alive until DC/WB passed on the cape and cowl. Granted a few fans nit picked about a few details, the first two movies were still very accurate adaptations of the source. But as they say “Third one’s the curse” or is it… whatever. They merchandised the movie to a point where it became insignificantly the most expensive movie ever when there was obviously no need for it. They’re ambitions to break the record so to speak was their downfall in the end. From all the hype that was thrown at us on a daily basis, we all had expectation to which would never possibly be met. In short, they had created a monster that went out of control!
The main sacrilege that was committed by these infidels was of course towards the die hard fans. They obviously forgot how many of us actually exist. Here’s what the franchise did differently than Superman’s. In Superman’s case, we hadn’t even heard of him at the box office since the 80’s and his two last versions weren’t worthy of the paper they were written on so the last film to come our way rightfully had a 50% chance of failure. Where as Spider-man’s franchise had succeeded twice in the same decade and no logical reason to fail. They had a winning recipe and they spit in it. The so called “curse” exists because of them. They dropped the ball so now DC/WB is worried about the possible outcome and are patiently waiting on an insecure director’s whim to continue the bat franchise. They are also probably waiting on how good the fourth Spider-flick will do just to see if the curse sticks to the franchise past the third mark. Either way, if the production team spends less money on selling the movie and more time on creating a storyline that remains true to what has sold the comic book for ages, they should be fine.
I think that it is time for them to exploit a story line from the books that has sold in all out popularity with the fans. Although they have disgraced Uncle Ben’s killer’s aspect and had made it into a tie-in for their idiotic re-invention of Sandman’s character, they still incorporated interesting tie-ins for more popular characters which gives us hope that they can “revive” the franchise. Granted Venom’s portrayal was broken by Topher Grace but the character is not without fixing. Having Topher as Eddie kind of made me hesitant to if they would show Peter, MJ, Gwen and Eddie all around a table with the camera turning in the middle while they all enjoyed a “bahama stick”. But as he is still a talented actor, he did the best he could, he was just wrongly cast. Let’s face it, who here would say no to a chance to play Venom? Now a lot of fans have been hoping for a Venom spin-off to see the light of day however, I firmly believe that the character is not yet ripe enough for his “stand alone” feature film. Sure it has chances to sell but why not make his first shot a sure bet? We already have the character’s origins established now all he needs is a reason to jump on the other side of the fence so to speak. And I think Peter Parker's new love interest should be Felicia Hardy as Black Cat in the next movie. Now lately there has been this trend of incorporating more than one villain. If done correctly, I don’t foresee a problem but it is not needed. What is needed is a big enough threat and I think that that aspect is very much so what the last movie was lacking. The villains in the last movie were really not threatening enough in comparison to the destruction of the city which was to happen at the end of the second chapter. And I think that we’ll all agree that nothing is as threatening as Carnage! That was probably the most popular story of Spider-man’s existence and deserves its own movie. Let’s face it, Superman has his Doomsday, Spider-man has his Carnage.
Now the purpose for my article is not just to say how things should be done in the upcoming movie but more to point out the mistakes in the last one so that they don’t happen again. The storylines changes being the main “faux-pas” obviously means that the source material should not be compromised in it’s adaptation but the other main fault was in they’re casting. The cast needs to be accurate to make the characters believable as well as make the transition from comic book to film seamless. They will also need to cast popular enough actors to give the characters a valid chance of making their own spin-off movie a success. In my opinion, three ongoing characters were wrongly cast and should be past on to better contenders. Venom’s character being filled with rage and jealousy towards Peter Parker needs to have a darker and more intense actor than a clown from a 70’s show. Since the story also requires for Eddie to be in prison, I think a bit “experience” behind bars would give the character that much more realism. I had already used this actor in a previous article for a totally different role and did not have the fans’ unanimity. I find that he might just have what it takes to do justice to this previously wronged popular role. He has the intensity required but is less chaotic than his ex cell mate. I give you… Wentworth Miller as Venom!!!
Now this character has always been there since childhood in Peter’s storyline. She was brilliantly played in the first two movies however she seemed to have lost her edge. I don’t know if that happened intentionally but I think that if her character is to remain in the spotlight, someone else my carry the torch better. I give you… Alyson Hannigan as Mary Jane!
This next character is by far one of the sexiest super heroes ever to be part of the Marvel Universe. So you’ll understand why I cast this actress for the role. She needs to not only be attractive but incredibly seductive. The charm that transpires through Felicia should be overwhelming! And I believe this next pick has not only the perfect look but the undisputed rightful attitude naturally! I give you… Hayden Panettiere as Black Cat!!!
And last but not least, the most psychotic killer Marvel has ever spawned! Cletus Kasady was born to be evil! He has a troubled childhood, killing his grandmother by pushing her down a flight of stairs, and torturing his mother's dog who afterwards tries to kill him and is apparently beaten to death by his father, who receives no defense from Kasady during his trial. As an orphan, Kasady is sent to the St. Estes Home for Boys, where his antisocial behavior makes him the target of abuse from both the other orphans and the staff. Kasady vindicates himself by murdering the disciplinarian administrator and burning down the orphanage. He meets Eddie Brock being his cell mate in prison and that’s where Eddie’s symbiot spawned a raw version of it self and took hold of Cassidy! The actor I picked already portrayed a psychotic role of sorts but since the franchise is anticipated to be rebooted, I think he’s up for grabs. He has proven that he has exactly what it takes to play this chaotic role. I give you… Colin Farrell as Carnage!!!
The “Shaman” has spoken!