Finally saw the movie. Yes...despite being a massive fan and it being out for a month, I
just saw it now for the first time. And I only saw it because my friend wanted to see it and dragged me to the theatre.
"Geez, why didn't you want to see it, Shika?! Were you
that pissed about the liberties they took from the source material?!" (Okay, not to sound like a self-important dukee, but it's late and I need humor to keep me awake
). Actually, it had nothing to do with that. See, I've been pretty disgusted lately on a
human level by the way the MCU's been romanticizing the relationship between Peter and Tony. So let me get this straight...you're making movies about a working-class hero...who also happens to be a symbol of 1960s youth independence and counterculture...and you're gonna romanticize his relationship to a guy that has more in common with Norman Osborn and the billionaire warmongers Spider-Man fans used to protest against? Then you're gonna show us through your BS rose-tinted glasses how "normal" and "great" it is that a guy like Tony helps Peter out so much...in an era where young people feel dependent on the rich due to how much they control their lives and in the most disturbing ways? You're furthermore going to do all this in an era of rising nationalism all over the globe?
And you're gonna market this Spider-Man to children as "the definitive screen Spider-Man" the way Disney's done?
MCU Spider-Man is, in every sense of the word, Late Stage Capitalism Spider-Man. And what happens in Late Stage Capitalism? Art becomes less subversive and more obedient to the rich.
That's why I wasn't crazy to see this. Because even at his worst - even during the Spider-Man 3's and the One More Day's - Spidey to me always represented empowerment. He made me feel strong when the whole world insisted I was weak - first as a bullied kid on the playground, then as a college kid struggling to get by, and now as an adult living in a corporate world that tries everyday to tell us we're powerless and to demoralize us.
I just wasn't down to risk seeing art get hijacked with right-wing themes like that. For the first time in my life, I might have walked away from Spider-Man feeling powerless. For reasons that have nothing to do with source material - really, you can make the most 616-accurate Spider-Man and still put some disgusting fascist themes in your story.
Oh and lastly, keep in mind this has nothing to do with Uncle Ben. Fine, I'll grant all the reasons why we can't bring up Uncle Ben. But you know who'd be the most logical choice after that? Steve Rogers. He's working-class. He's responsible. He's an old soul (in more ways than one now
). It would
not reek of Late Stage Capitalism if Ben's shadow in the MCU couldn't be seen due to Steve's. Instead it was covered by that of a guy who's the antithesis to Uncle Ben. And the fact guys like Ben get erased all the time from history by guys like Tony? Should bother no one...supposedly.
But anyways...the movie.
I'll go back and edit this after I had more sleep but surprisingly, I had a great time. It's probably my favorite Spider-Man movie. It's also the most unconventional Spider-Man movie. Peter going to Europe and having to cope with everything that just happened isn't exactly conventional Peter Parker conflict. It's hard to draw conclusions on him because so much of what Peter does/thinks/says in this is circumstantial to this specific story. Even him not quipping as much didn't bother me (for one, he's barely in costume). So just based on Homecoming, I still think Watts gets Peter Parker the most.
That's kinda a problem when looking at this as a franchise. Two movies in and I never felt like I was in Spider-Man's world until the last 10 minutes. I feel like he finally got to the status quo I think of when I think Spidey - him swinging through Manhattan with MJ with the Bugle in the background bashing him. That and I don't think there's much you can do with the Tony arc after this. I imagine the next film will finally
look the most like a Spider-Man film.
Mysterio was so awesome I can't do him justice in words. I've been praising Marvel a lot recently for being able to balance out their humor and drama well. Mysterio is their new best example of this. He's
horrifying, and yet the film is so funny.
The scene where Pete hands Beck the glasses however is just horrendous. There's nothing in the past five films to imply he'd think that or that he'd be that reckless. It came off like they couldn't come up with a way Beck takes the glasses. So they wrote Peter like an idiot for that one scene and expect we'd all buy it.
Peter also seems too shy around MJ. I get that he's socially awkward, but him coming up with
that grandiose a plan to ask her out is going into cartoon territory. I can't even see the Peter from Amazing Fantasy #15 doing that.
So was this Late Stage Capitalism Spider-Man? As far as his portrayal in the other Marvel films go, yes. And as far as how the corporate execs seem to market him, yes. But while there's definitely some elements of that that spill over to his films, I think Watts did a decent job at separating him from them as much as possible. Some critics called him Iron-Boy; I think Watts treated him more like a next-gen Iron Man, complete with the theme of how each gen should surpass the old gen. It's not ideal, and I'm not sure it's my cup of tea, but overall I think he did Spider-Man justice (again).
Of course, all of this could change on a second viewing. But so far I feel optimistic films like these can still get made in spite of living in a time with the problems I mentioned earlier...and especially if it's a Spider-Man film.
