Postby bigsleepj » Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:16 pm
I can't help but feel that rebooting Spiderman at this stage is a very bad idea. I have my issues with the series, the cast and the director, but they're not that bad / unwatchable, and the series HAS established itself firmly. It is not like other reboots like Batman where the series had hit a low point critically and financially (Batman and Robin) or just died a slow death (Superman) or just did not work from the beginning (Hulk). The last three movies are too firmly set in people's minds, and they will psychologically hang over the fourth movie like a grim socialist phantom (don't ask).
The one thing Raimi did particularly well was map Peter Parker's emotional and psychological development, and to lob the story back to highschool is not progression, it's regression. It's a deliberate invalidation. Yes, the third film was not the best (on some level its a retread of the second one, complete with the same emotional arcs slightly altered), but it did not sink the franchise, it did not make every fan of the films and comic books swear a blood oath never to return to a new movie (well, maybe a few) and I actually looked forward to the fourth film. But highschool? Maybe they're trying to go the Ultimate Spiderman Route, but for most of his publishing history the original Spiderman did not stay in school as far as I know.
The only reason they're doing it (probably) is because Hollywood is not particularly original, and seeing how some reboots (Batman, practically the only one) paid off they're probably hoping to catch some of the same magic. Or maybe they're just trying to get Sam Raimi's goat; Hollywood has a pretty large, extended history for extreme pettiness.
Its impossible to tell if the movie will be any good at this stage, but the fact that they're yelling "REBOOT" days after losing their director is not a good sign. You have to wait more than ten minutes...
:)
