Ultimtately here's my issue with some of these changes.. such as Ned being Ganke but not being called Ganke... , flash being an intellectual rival, a Gwen look-alike betty, and a frumpy ally sheedy stand in initials only MJ...
I don't really care how well it's all pulled off, they could be amazing characters.. but no matter how great they're pulled off.. i'm still going to be pinning for a spider-man film that translates these characters better from page to real life... I love the characters in the books, and while i might love new versions of them.. i still want to see my old friends brought to life.. especially since most of them have been pooed on in their other live action iterations.
exactly.
I want to see the characters I'm familiar with. the characters I grew up reading or watching on tv or playing in games.
my problem with Homecoming, and why I have practically non-existent hype for it a mere week from release, is because nothing about it looks familiar aside from Peter/Spidey ( and even that is somewhat shaky with the tech suit and Stark influence ).
Like I've said before, if I knew nothing at all about this, and I looked at the set pics, that pic of the hs kids in front of the locker, or watched any of the trailers, I would be asking "Who the heck are these people?" "Where's Flash and the gang?" "Where's MJ? Where's Harry or Gwen?"
Now, with Gwen, I'd think the blonde girl is Gwen, because y'know she looks like her. But then if I do some digging and find she's actually BETTY, I'd be like wtf??!!
and that's my reaction in general. wtf??!!
I don't recognize anything or anyone.
I get they have to do something different. I get they have to make changes. I get they may not want to do a retread of a linear origin story.
I get all that. and I'm fine with it. I ( and I'm sure the other "critics" here ) don't expect 100% faithfulness and accuracy. I expect changes, though I'd like it to be as faithful and accurate as possible.
But, I also expect a degree of familiarity. There are certain core, basic tenets and principles that I expect these characters to adhere to. Otherwise, they might as well be different characters.
When I see a Superman movie or read a Superman story, I expect certain elements to be present and I expect Clark/Superman ( and his supporting cast and world ) to act and look a certain way. Sure, a writer could make Superman a degenerate, womanizing alcoholic who wears a wifebeater and jeans for a costume and swears like a drunken sailor. Heck, it may even be a compelling story. But, that's not any kind of Superman story I'd be interested in, cuz that character isn't Clark/Superman.
Sure, Peter Parker could be a hs jock who's dumb as a ******* brick and then gets his spider powers and becomes a star professional athlete. Oh sure, he's still called Peter Parker and he has all the spider powers. But, is that Peter Parker/Spider-Man? No, it isn't.
Just like a Tony Stark who's a lowly janitor who stumbles upon a secret lab with the Iron Man armor and tech isn't Tony Stark/Iron Man. That's just not who he is and that's not his story.
Or a Wolverine who's some charming, suave, dashing Robin Hood like rogue who's polite, refined, enjoys opera, and never drinks or smokes. Is that Wolverine even though he's still called Logan/Wolverine and has metal claws? No, it isn't.
Sure, you can write these characters any way you want. But if you make so many changes that they become unrecognizable and unfamiliar, then you've crossed the line and essentially made an original character.
Which brings us back to Michelle/MJ.
Michelle's situation is different from the changes they've made to Flash, Gwetty, Ned/Ganke, May, etc., because she IS an original character. She looks nothing like Mary Jane Watson; she acts nothing like Mary Jane Watson.
And here's the real kicker, she doesn't even have the right name. She's not even Mary Jane Watson. She's Michelle.
And that's fine, if they just kept her as Michelle the original character.
But no, for some unfathomable reason, they decide to give her the iconic nickname/initials of Mary Jane Watson and make Michelle "MJ." Which in turn, lessens the chance that the real Mary Jane Watson will be used in this franchise.
so, not only has this original character Michelle "robbed" Mary Jane Watson of her nickname/initials, she's also most likely robbed Mary Jane Watson of her appearance in these films.
and that's a double slap, a double insult to all of us Mary Jane Watson fans who HAVE been wanting a more faithful adaptation of the character.
Michelle is basically an impostor, a usurper.
