"Ok let's take it from the top!" This phrase seems as if it's becoming all too familiar in the realm of comic book movies (and Hollywood for that matter). It occurred to me the other day that the comic book movie explosion began with X-MEN in 2000 but in a lot of ways soared to new heights in 2002 with the release of Spider-Man. This trend became more obvious as 2003 delivered Ang Lee's Hulk and Daredevil, continuing with the X-MEN sequel and so on and so forth. But back to my opening line, which states the obvious for what became of Ang Lee's Hulk and what is soon to become of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man: a reboot.
This is happening in too much of a frequent degree with the comic book movies, maybe because they failed to impress audiences(2003's Hulk) or that an attempt at a continuing storyline couldn't manage to take flight(Superman Returns) and left audiences feeling a little...awkward? Reboots and remakes are all too prominent in Hollywood these days, but it seems like there are no time limits on how fast they can be re-done in the superhero world.
It was a mere 5 years after Ang Lee's failed attempt that Lou Lettier's "The Incredible Hulk" was delivered and meant for audiences to "ignore" Ang Lee's version. Batman Begins got it right, but I remember the skepticism and people often saying "Isn't it a little too soon?" or even "So what is this, Batman 5?" And with 8 years from the last incarnation (the forgettable Batman & Robin) I suppose it wasn't. Understandably, Hulk and Superman Returns were awful films and I can see the studios opinion on wanting to give these heroes a second shot. But Spider-Man?
Was it really THAT bad?
Consider this: The first Spider-Man film made $114,844,116 in it's opening weekend, Spider-Man 2 made $180 million in it's first 6 days and Spider-Man 3 made $151,116,516 in it's opening weekend. I can agree(as many fans have said) that Spider-Man 3 didn't pack as good a punch as the first two films, but it certainly wasn't as upsetting as Ang Lee's Hulk or Superman Returns. So I guess my question remains: WHY THE REBOOT? Was it the falling out between Sony and Sam Raimi over the script and the angst that Sony had to get more milk from this cow? Is this just how comic book movies are to be treated-as easily erasable pieces of underappreciated work? The new Spider-Man film is set to open nationwide in the summer of 2012 with Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Let me know what you guys think...