Spiderman III

[Mike Schutz]

Okay - right off the bat I am going to make very clear that I am not going to offer a review of this movie - or of any movie ever again - for fear of once again exhibiting the total ignorance of movies I so clearly demonstrated on a previous post. Some of you - and you know who you are - have suggested, no, overtly shouted - that you are the only ones qualified to have a truly intelligent opinion concerning the cinematic experience. I defer to your expertise. :rolleyes:


So, that being said, did anyone else see theological themes in Spidey 3?

[Jon Twitchell]

Nope...no theological themes whatsoever...I can't believe you would even suggest such a thing.

;)

[Garth Lahana]

Going to see it on Monday with a colleague of mine. Curious what it's going to like, considering that I thought the first 2 movies were very good.

Garth

[Jon Twitchell]

BTW...of course I'm joking... ;)

I thought the movie was well done, and contained a variety of Christian themes. It's always hard to know if these themes were intentional, or if I'm reading them into the movie because of my worldview.

John Granger ("Looking for God in Harry Potter") argues that, "As images of God designed for life in Christ, all humans naturally resonate with stories that reflect the greatest story ever told--the story of God who became man." He goes on to suggest that the greatest works in literature are those which echo themes of that Great Story.

An interesting question then is: Does an author intend their story to reflect these great themes that you and I might find, or are they attempting to write a great story--and end up incorporating the themes that they themselves are hard-wired to respond to?

[Ryan Scott]

I hope that wasn't directed entirely at me, Mike. I can get on my high horse about movies sometimes. I apologize if it came off that way.

I haven't seen Spiderman III yet (maybe tomorrow), but my Dad said he really liked it and those are his sort of movies, so I have to think there's something appealing there. He said he liked the themes of redemption throughout.

[Mike Schutz]

I hope that wasn't directed entirely at me, Mike. I can get on my high horse about movies sometimes. I apologize if it came off that way.



Oh, don't play coy with me, you cinematic elitist.

Of course these are your dad's type of movies. He has great taste. I can't remember if he used to run back to the dorm after supper with us to watch Star Trek. Maybe not. After all, he was dating your mom at the time, and she was so much more attractive than Capt. Kirk!

[Ryan Scott]

Oh, don't play coy with me, you cinematic elitist.

I will have to plead guilty on that one. I just hope to revel in my superiority in private more often.

After all, he was dating your mom at the time, and she was so much more attractive than Capt. Kirk!

If it was anyone but my mother, I totally would have disagreed with you. Shatner is the man!

[Gina Stevenson]

If it was anyone but my mother, I totally would have disagreed with you. Shatner is the man!


Talking about pleading ignorance [someone did here in this thread], uh, I'm sitting here wondering if that Shatner you mentioned is still on TV ... as an attorney ... or do I have my space-y type programs mixed up again? ;)

[Brad Mercer]

Talking about pleading ignorance [someone did here in this thread], uh, I'm sitting here wondering if that Shatner you mentioned is still on TV ... as an attorney ... or do I have my space-y type programs mixed up again? ;)

Yes, William Shatner, who played Capt. Kirk in the original Star Trek series and played a cop named T.J. Hooker in the early '80's (and for the real trivia buff was in a very short-lived series co-starring Doug McClure in the early '70's, I think named Barbary Coast or something like that) currently stars in Boston Legal as a senior partner in a powerful Boston law firm. For a guy who's in his '70's and famous for over-acting, he stays busy.

Brad

[Brad Mercer]

did anyone else see theological themes in Spidey 3?

I don't know that I'd give them credit for rising to the level of themes, but there were certainly theological concepts and images. The scene where Spiderman recognizes that he is being consumed by the black goo that amplifies his own evil impulses, and decides he wants to be free of it, is a pretty blatant Christian image. He looks across the street to a church and the camera pans up to the cross on top of the church, closes in on it, and lingers there for a moment. Spidey then goes into the church and there struggles to choose light over darkness and finds freedom and deliverance. Later, having found redemption himself, he behaves redemptively toward the Sandman, who also appears to receive forgiveness. Likewise, his unconditional love for his treacherous best friend also proves transforming of his friend's heart. On the other hand when Venom (in the same church where Spiderman finds his heart freed from anger and hatred and selfishness) seeks to use prayer to God for his own hateful ends, he winds up being consumed by his own lusts when he might also have found forgiveness and love.

I don't think it was the best of the Spiderman movies. There were too many subplots and an underdeveloped main plot, so that you never get the chance to care too deeply about any of the characters or their dilemmas, and for an action-adventure superhero special effects extravaganza there were disappointingly few battle climaxes worth cheering.

Still, it was a good movie, and plenty adequate to justify a Spiderman 4.

Brad

P.S. What kind of a pathetic dictionary doesn't recognize "Spiderman"? :eek:

I've added it now, so it won't be underlined by spell check in the future.

[Ryan Scott]

I'm sitting here wondering if that Shatner you mentioned is still on TV...as an attorney...


Yes, Boston Legal, one of my favorite shows currently on TV.

[Mike Schutz]

I have to admit that I was disappointed by Spidey 3. Character development was poor, the story was simplistic and silly, and the special effects were not exciting.

[Brad Mercer]

I have to admit that I was disappointed by Spidey 3. Character development was poor, the story was simplistic and silly, and the special effects were not exciting.

Yes, strange but true for a $250 million budget.

Brad

[Joanne Vergin]

Yes, William Shatner, who played Capt. Kirk in the original Star Trek series and played a cop named T.J. Hooker in the early '80's (and for the real trivia buff was in a very short-lived series co-starring Doug McClure in the early '70's, I think named Barbary Coast or something like that) currently stars in Boston Legal as a senior partner in a powerful Boston law firm. For a guy who's in his '70's and famous for over-acting, he stays busy.

Brad

Don't forget that 911 show. Dramatizing reall 911 calls.

[Billie Goodson]

The director of Spidey 3 could well learn that the camera does not have to be out of control during every fight sequence. I think the special effects were overwhelmed by the lack of the camera dwelling on anything during an action scene. First person perspective from 3 people at the same time is really stupid.

[Gina Stevenson]

Yes, Boston Legal, one of my favorite shows currently on TV.

I do watch it now & then; forgot to last night. Have mixed feelings about it. Some of the discussions are downright funny/interesting, and then they do what too many shows do ... think they have to stick sex into it to keep some viewers. But, it is interesting to hear some of the court arguments [worked legal field here long ago] ... wonder who their writers are to come up with some of those.

[Bob Evans]

I finally saw the movie tonight. There were some strong themes of forgivness, unconditional love, the power of forgivness being greater than the power of revenge, and to quote Rob Bell "love wins"

I guess I am really unsophisticated in my movie watching because I think it was really good. I resolved alot of questions from 1 and 2. The question I had leaving the theatre is will there be a #4 and if there is what will be the plot.

I also suggested to my wife that spider man was entirely sanctified because he yeilded his unknown bundle[trunk] to a force bigger than himself. My wife told me that I was trying to hard.

[Brad Mercer]

The question I had leaving the theatre is will there be a #4 and if there is what will be the plot.

As long as it's breaking box office records you can be there'll be another sequel. The great thing about any franchise about a long-established comic book superhero is that there are already a jillion plot lines that have been developed over the past 40 years, and really, you don't even need a new plot, you just need another new villian and, as Spiderman 3 showed, they always have more than enough villians already developed in the old comic books to fill a nearly infinite number of movie sequels.

There are enough old story lines from the comic books to do a whole series of sequels just featuring Gwen, this sequel's throw-away love interest, and her father. She was actually his original long-term girlfriend in the comics of my childhood and adolescent. Mary Jane just developed from girl next door to romantic interest after I quit reading it regularly sometime in the mid to late 1970's. I read it regularly during the late 60's and early 70's. (And of course I'd be filthy rich today if my mother hadn't thrown them all away sometime after I quit reading them. Honestly, I've priced some of the comics I know I paid 12-15 cents apiece for, and they'd total 10's of thousands of dollars today. Argh.)

I also suggested to my wife that spider man was entirely sanctified because he yeilded his unknown bundle[trunk] to a force bigger than himself. My wife told me that I was trying too hard.

LOL, yes, she's probably right. :basic03

Brad