With the release of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN the folks at Sony
have decided to re-release the original three SPIDER-MAN films in special
blu-ray editions that feature the newest movie technology, ultra-violet
editions. What is ultra-violet when it comes to movies?
With DVDs you purchase the DVD, take it home and play it in
any compatible DVD player. The same holds true for ultra-violet movies. Instead
of a physical movie in your hands though, ultra-violet movies you purchase go
into a storage area you create online and then can download to play from their
on various devices including PCs, tablets, smart phones, cable boxes, etc. When
you purchase a movie, for instance these Spider-man films, you receive a code
in the box that allows you to add these movies to your online collection. It
removes the need to have the physical box in your home and allows you the
ability to play the movie where ever you go. Some folks will love it while
others will continue to purchase the movies and have them in their hands.
So now the movies. If you've seen them then you know how
fantastic they are. These movies were the first time that a character from the
Marvel comic's universe were handled right. They didn't treat them as if they
were some cheap knock off films where you dressed someone in tights and had
them run around. A tremendous amount of money was spent on special effects to
create the proper look for Spider-man as he swung through the streets of
Manhattan. Not only that, they stayed true to the original story of Spider-man,
the creation of a hero who learned that with great power comes great
responsibility.
Here's a break down of all three films.
The first film, aptly titles SPIDER-MAN, tells the story of
wimpy geek Peter Parker (Tobey McGuire) who lives with his aunt and uncle. At
school Peter is picked on by the jocks and only seems to have found a friend in
Harry Osborn (James Franco), the son of wealthy scientist Norman Osborn (Willem
Dafoe). Peter is in love with his neighbor and the popular girl in school Mary
Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) who seems to notice him but spends her time with
the popular crowd.
Peter is bitten by a radioactive spider during a class trip
to a science lab. The bite gives him the powers of a spider, cling to or climb
walls, extra strength and the ability to shoot webbing from his wrist. Peter
sees this as a chance to make some money for his financially strapped family by
performing in an all challengers wrestling match. That all changes when he
fails to stop a robbery at the wrestling site only to have that same criminal
shoot and kill his uncle Ben. It is then he realizes the responsibility he
shrugged off and should have followed.
As all this is going on, Norman Osborn is in the midst of
losing his contract with the military. Tests on his super solider serum aren't
near ready but he tries it on himself. The results are increased strength but
also an increase in violent behavior. Norman dons a specially designed armor
that changes his appearance and becomes the Green Goblin.
Of course Spider-man tries to stop him and the two battle it
out until the final reel.
In watching this movie again I was stunned at how perfect a
film it was. The story telling was top notch and done with perfection. Each
screen moment never wasted a second of time in moving the story forward. The
effects were and remain breath taking. The acting from all involved never
looked down on the roles the were playing or lines they were handed, making the
characters fans have loved for years come alive. Best of all the movie stands
the test of time and with the blu-ray transfer looks absolutely stunning.
SPIDER-MAN 2 continues on with the story of Peter Parker.
Peter is still having personal problems galore but that was always the case.
Mary Jane is engaged to someone else, his grades are slipping and he's having a
hard time finding work. Frustrated he decides to stop being a super-hero. When
he's on hand to see a scientist Otto Octavious' (Alfred Molina) experiment go wrong,
he realizes he has to don the blue and red again.
Octavious had designed a set of limbs that could be
controlled by the brain that connected to the human spinal cord. When his lab
begins to explode, it damages his brain and makes him more violent. Now called
Doc Ock (short for octopus since he has multiple arms), Octavious wants his
life's work to go on. He continues to seek a way to make it all work while at
the same time caring for no one and destroying anyone who gets in his way. This
leads to a final confrontation between Doc Ock and Spider-man who then reveals
his identity to Mary Jane.
Once again the movie is marvelous in this blu-ray transfer.
The film repeats the successes of the first film by offering concise story
telling and never wasting a second of on screen time. The acting continues to
excel and the effects continue to get better.
This leaves us with SPIDER-MAN 3. As big a fan of the first
two films as I was, I was disappointed by this one and that remains even after
watching this copy. From things I've read there was a lot of studio involvement
in this one and that shows. The same thing happened the first time around with
the Batman films. The biggest problem is that someone begins to think that more
is better. Rather than have the hero battle one villain, lets have several.
This results in more products that can be sold, more action figures. The
problem is it makes a worse film. Too many characters and too many stories make
it lose focus and that shows here.
Peter and Mary Jane are now a couple and living together.
The first villain that Spider-man must face is his best friend, Harry Osborn
(James Franco). Having learned his secret identity, Harry now rides the skies
on the same flying platform his father used, tossing pumpkin shaped bombs at
Spider-man as he tries to kill him for the death of his father. This was a take
on the Hobgoblin character from the comics though it changed him radically. I
won't spoil what happens between the two.
The second villain that he goes up against this time is the
Sandman. Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) is a low level thug who finds
himself transformed in an accident into a man literally made of sand. He can
slide beneath doors or make himself hard as cement. But the character is a
sympathetic one, a man driven to a life of crime because its the only way he
knows to take care of his family. But once changed, even they turn their backs
on him.
At the same time Peter comes into contact with the substance
that will change him from the good person he is to bad. The substance is
actually an alien life form that attaches to the wearer and alters them.
Suddenly Spider-man is seen wearing a black outfit and behaving in a more cut
throat manner when handling criminals. The same holds true for Peter to the point
that he and Mary Jane split.
Peter eventually realizes what the costume is doing to him
and sheds it via sound waves from a tower bell. Unfortunately the alien entity
drops onto another nemesis of Peter Parker, a writer who was fired from the
Daily Bugle thanks to Peter by the name of Eddie Brock (Topher Grace). Now with
these new powers he becomes the evil anti-thesis of Spider-man, Venom.
So much doesn't work in this film. First and foremost, as I
said, is the fact that they crammed too many bad guys into the film rather than
focus on just one. You would think they would have seen how this worked in the
past with super hero movies that always got worse with more distractions to the
story being told. Apparently not. This film did the least business of all three
and remains a sore spot for fans of the comic and character. It still offers
some amazing effects and as part of the trilogy should be kept alongside the
other.
With all the super hero movies arriving in the summer of
2012 its nice to be able to go back and see where it all started. As long as
Hollywood continues to tap into the genre and do it justice, these films will
be around for a long time. Lets just hope they stick with the original stories
and don't try to "improve" them. Every time they do so we end up with
results like nipples on Batman's outfit. I for one don't want to know how cold
Spider-man gets.
Click here to order Spider-Man 1.
Click here to order Spider-Man 2.
Click here to order Spider-Man 3.
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