C’mon Hollywood #123

… bring Spidey back…but do it right!
by Sturdy

Like everyone else in the world, I saw SPIDER-MAN 3 over the weekend and I have to admit…I loved it! The action was great, the story was great, the characters were great and it even had some funny moments. I hate that so many critics are bashing it, because I thought it was fantastic. The brilliance of SPIDER-MAN 1, 2 and 3 was a joy to behold, but 3 also signaled what could be the end for Spider-Man…movies.

I loved the black suit.

I know the producer has already indicated she wants to make another three Spider-Man movies, and why not? Each one has managed to top the previous one, both in entertainment value (yeah, that’s right, I think 3 was better than 2) and in box-office success. As a businessperson, you can’t walk away from $148 million in three days. The film is sure to quadruple that and possibly even beat TITANIC as the top grossing film of all-time.

These guys have to come back for 4!

What I’m afraid of is that they’re going to make SPIDER-MAN 4 without the same people. I think Sam Raimi is a good director, but what makes him great with Spider-Man is his respect for the character. He really seems to “get” Spider-man and that love and respect comes out on the big screen. Making another flick without him would be a bad move. Then there’s Tobey Maguire. He’s the one that makes me the most nervous because he constantly hints that he doesn’t want to do another one. Tobey’s a fantastic actor and I can see why he would want to branch out and do different things, but I really hope he comes back for another go at Peter Parker. He was born to play that part and seeing someone else in that role would feel dirty.

The funny thing is that those are the only major players they really need to come back. Obviously, James Franco won’t need to return, most of the major villains are on to bigger things and the minor characters are probably a lock to return no matter what. Oh yeah, there’s Snaggletooth. Frankly, I don’t care if she comes back or not. I think the hardest thing Raimi has had to do with the films is make her tolerable, but I don’t feel she makes much of an impact on the franchise. Speaking of Raimi making actresses tolerable, did anyone else notice how hot Bryce Dallas Howard was in SPIDER-MAN 3? Seriously, she was amazing.

I don’t remember her looking this good in THE VILLAGE

Obviously, the example I’m going to use for what not to do is BATMAN FOREVER. As a matter of fact, the entire Batman franchise is a good example of what not to do. It’s not enough to have a popular actor and director take over, you have to actually find someone that matches. SUPERMAN is another good example of what not to do. Sure, Christopher Reeve came back for 3 and 4, but having the main actor come back isn’t enough. You have to have a director with talent and actually give them a budget to work with.

Please don’t let this happen to Spider-man!

So yes, I want another Spider-Man movie and yes, I want Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi to return. In this day and age of sequel-mania, it would be a crime not to do another SPIDER-MAN film. I think Raimi has a few more good ideas in him and I’d love to see what else he can do with the franchise.