Sequels Tobey Maguire was miscast as Spider-Man

[sithgoblin]

Tobey Maguire was miscast as Spider-Man. His Peter Parker was good - no complaints there - but his Spider-man was severly lacking. Spider-man is supposed to have an easy going, yet razor sharp wit. He's supposed to be funny - that's a major part of his charatcer: his funny one liners.

Tobey was never able to pull that off.

When you look at this classic image of Spider-man, do you see Tobey's interpretation? Seriously think about the comic character here. Look at it objectively and see the character that is Spider-man, and then consider Tobey's acting performance.

I don't see Tobey's Spider-man. I see a Spider-man whose essence has yet to be captured on film. I hope now that Spider-man 3 was poorly recieved, it will give another filmmaker and actor an opportunity to do both Peter AND Spider-man justice.

 

[SpideyForPrez]

It was always my thought that Toby was a great Peter Parker but a lame Spider-Man. However the personality and one liners that were absent from the films aren't exactly Toby's fault. Spider-Man really didn't have much to say in the movies and when he did he was usually being serious at some big moment. There were a few jokes, but I agree that certain feelings were missing from the movie. But that's the writer's/Director's fault for not giving him the right lines.

 

[Gotham]

I don't agree. I think he did great as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. And no, I wouldn't like another director and another new actor to reboot the franchise. Didn't the third film gross more than the other two?

 

[SuperFerret]

Tobey did a good job with what he had, and in regards to the humor (or lack thereof) try to look at the Spider-Man video games. Tobey delivers the humor quite well there, and one can tell that that particular omission from the film is the script, not the actor.

 

[sithgoblin]

It was always my thought that Toby was a great Peter Parker but a lame Spider-Man. However the personality and one liners that were absent from the films aren't exactly Toby's fault. Spider-Man really didn't have much to say in the movies and when he did he was usually being serious at some big moment. There were a few jokes, but I agree that certain feelings were missing from the movie. But that's the writer's/Director's fault for not giving him the right lines.

He did have a few ("Here's your CHANGE!", for example), but he never pulled them off well. He has a naturally crackly/shakey voice that works well as Peter, but is completely wrong for Spidey. He's supposed to be able to throw off his nerdish ways when he dons the costume.

I think they toned that part of Spider-man down because of Tobey's limitations as an actor. He can do tortured and sad brilliantly, but he's never been particually charasmatic in any of his roles.

 

[sithgoblin]

Tobey did a good job with what he had, and in regards to the humor (or lack thereof) try to look at the Spider-Man video games. Tobey delivers the humor quite well there, and one can tell that that particular omission from the film is the script, not the actor.

I haven't played the games, I'm currious to see that though. But there were some one liners in the films (not nearly enough, I agree), but Tobey wasn't able to pull them off. Maybe it's down to direction, the video game director could get it out of Tobey, but Raimi couldn't?

 

[sithgoblin]

I don't agree. I think he did great as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. And no, I wouldn't like another director and another new actor to reboot the franchise. Didn't the third film gross more than the other two?

Well super for you. If you liked his performance so much, can I suggest another great film series? "Watching Paint Dry". I think you'll like it.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Tobey Maguire played a fantastic Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Also, he does have wit and even though he doesn't do as many in the comics, it's fine. Movies are different than comics and in reality, it just might not work just as good as it does in the comics.

 

[Venomfan]

Tobey Maguire was miscast as Spider-Man. His Peter Parker was good - no complaints there -
.

Peter Parker only acted like that in like the first issue, after that he acted nothing like how the movies portrayed him

 

[sithgoblin]

To the people who seriously think there was nothing wrong with Tobey's Spider-man, check this out:

[YT]y3dYCZk7Ui4[/YT]

THAT is what Spider-man is supposed to be like. He throws little jokes and one liners into everything he does. Maybe he keeps things light as a way of coping with the seriousness of the things he's dealing with. He's only a kid after all.

Also, what that cartoon Spider-man has, that Tobey lacks, is confidence. I think it's because Tobey's voice naturally wavers. Which works well for poor vunerable Peter... really makes you feel sorry for him. But for the wise-cracking, confident Spider-man, it really doesn't work at all.

 

[xxBlackCatxx]

Tobey Is A Great Spider-man/Peter.
His Perfomance In All 3 Films Was Brilliant t:
And I Want To See Him Come Back For The Next Trilogy.

 

[sithgoblin]

Tobey Is A Great Spider-man/Peter.
His Perfomance In All 3 Films Was Brilliant t:
And I Want To See Him Come Back For The Next Trilogy.

^ David Manning.

 

[nick_horror]

I have to admit that I was expecting a little more in the way of "banter" in the films. But what there was of it was lame. The "nice outfit" line during the wrestling match and the the "let mom and dad talk" line from J.J's office were pretty bad...but they tried.

But let's face it, there is just too much going on in those films to cover every aspect of the character. I don't believe they overlooked the change between Peter and Spidey in regards to his personality and confidence. But SM2 was the best of showing the duality of the character and the need for each one to be a separate entity while still thriving on the other. But it appears that your only argument with his performance is his lack of snappy wit; and you just can't judge the actor/character on that. We'll never know everything that was left on the cutting room floor, or what was snipped from the screenplay in its various stages.

Take a look at Cameron's treatment. The Peter/Spidey differences were so strong that it just didn't work. That was a "dark" piece and it never felt right to me. Peter turns into an a-hole rather quickly and his alter-ego is no different. The few one-liners that are there are harsh and out of character. So, I don't think that Spider-Man was ever going to be the witty guy he is on the comic page.

And that's because the comics have to keep the story moving with single images and lines of dialogue/monologue. And humor is one of the easiest ways of having the reader enjoy reading. But movies are different. They focus on characters and images. Spend too much time on making the character funny, and he looses that heroic heart we all love. Spend too little time developing the Peter vs. Spidey conflict and our hero is as flat as his silk-screened abs. There is a delicate balance, and Raimi and Co. went one way. There really wasn't enough time in the films. When we do see Spider-Man, he's usually doing something where he can't really talk--swinging, fighting, getting beat on. But in the comics, a single punch could consist of a complete sentence, complete with joke.

No, I think Tobey was a good choice. It's Topher Grace I had a problem with...but that's an old rant.

 

[Jick]

Tobey did a good job with what he had, and in regards to the humor (or lack thereof) try to look at the Spider-Man video games. Tobey delivers the humor quite well there, and one can tell that that particular omission from the film is the script, not the actor.

I completely agree.
his voice acting was great, and had some cracky funny lines.

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

Tobey Is A Great Spider-man/Peter.
His Perfomance In All 3 Films Was Brilliant t:
And I Want To See Him Come Back For The Next Trilogy.

Amen!

 

[Visionary]

Tobey isn't in charge of whether Spider-Man has a razor sharp wit or him being funny. That's the writer's job, Marvel and the director's responsibility. Tobey can only say and do what the script ask of him. This also goes for the next actor who plays Spidey, if it isn't in the script, then there wont be any banter from him either. Having said that, every single actor they cast is going to be a miscast, because you're not placing blame where it belongs.

Has it ever occured to you that Marvel/Sony/Raimi simply didn't want Spider-Man spewing banter, it's not like Marvel don't know he does this, they had to approve of the script in order for Spidey's movies to be filmed.

Personally, I'm not really fond of a bunch of banter in comic book films, especially under this already juvenile setting. It just doesn't work in my eyes, or it make matters worst. Love it in the comic books and cartoons, but seeing it consistantly throughout the Fantastic Four movie, makes me want throw babies from a freakin' rooftop. I loved the witty banter in "DIE-HARD" and "V for Vendetta," because these movies were written with balls. It had mature content/themes to counter its banter, so it doesn't look like your watching a cartoon on speed.

If the movie is written with balls, then I'm all for a witty bantering Spider-Man, and even then it must be timed accordingly.

 

[Blader5489]

Tobey isn't in charge of whether Spider-Man has a razor sharp wit or him being funny. That's the writer's job, Marvel and the director's responsibility. Tobey can only say and do what the script ask of him. This also goes for the next actor who plays Spidey, if it isn't in the script, then there wont be any banter from him either. Having said that, every single actor they cast is going to be a miscast, because you're not placing blame where it belongs.

Exactly.

And Tobey ad libs a lot of the Spidey one-liners. Miscast? Hell no, he's perfect for the role. If you want more quips, ask for a different writer or a different director, not a different actor.

 

[sithgoblin]

But Tobey DID do one liners in the movies, and they were really bad. He couldn't pull them off.

 

[Visionary]

Well now, that's just an opinion. Hell, they never really pull off one-liners in these type of films. That's because they're meant to be in comic books or cartoons. It's a whole different ball game on film. You can't go around saying..."What's Up Doc?" to Doc Ock, which was said in the comics, and not expect someone to say...WTF?

 

[Spider-ManHero12]

But Tobey DID do one liners in the movies, and they were really bad. He couldn't pull them off.

Yes, he did pull them off and very well I might add. As Visionary said, that's just an opinion.

 

[sithgoblin]

Yes, he did pull them off and very well I might add. As Visionary said, that's just an opinion.

No, it's fact. My first post wasn't an opinion piece, it was a factual article. I was letting you all know, because no one else had posted it yet.

 

[arachnid-guy]

Hm.

Tobey did do an amazing Peter Parker. Nothing short of tortured and he made the viewer genuinely feel sorry for him and his plight. The general Hard-Luck Harry. Therein lies the problem, Raimi spent so long trying to establish this realistic downtrodden view of a tortured soul, he forgot to add in the rush that comes with being a superhero.

What was important in the movie, was the burden and responsibility of being a superhero. Raimi and Maguire pulled that off magnificently imo.

We saw a cocky powerful Parker in the wrestling ring ['That's a cute outfit...'] but as soon as Ben was murdered, the dynamic changed. More or less, it became a burden and the stigma and guilt of Ben's death always lingered when Peter put on the mask. He had a responsibility and a duty to do right- and to fight crime.

The stakes, also, were quite high. I'd imagine myself not to concentrate on banter when there's a pumpkin bomb hurling towards me.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Hm.

Tobey did do an amazing Peter Parker. Nothing short of tortured and he made the viewer genuinely feel sorry for him and his plight. The general Hard-Luck Harry. Therein lies the problem, Raimi spent so long trying to establish this realistic downtrodden view of a tortured soul, he forgot to add in the rush that comes with being a superhero.

What was important in the movie, was the burden and responsibility of being a superhero. Raimi and Maguire pulled that off magnificently imo.

We saw a cocky powerful Parker in the wrestling ring ['That's a cute outfit...'] but as soon as Ben was murdered, the dynamic changed. More or less, it became a burden and the stigma and guilt of Ben's death always lingered when Peter put on the mask. He had a responsibility and a duty to do right- and to fight crime.

The stakes, also, were quite high. I'd imagine myself not to concentrate on banter when there's a pumpkin bomb hurling towards me.

Exactly, you're are not going to be spewing one liners when either A) You getting half beaten to death by an equally or even more powerful adversary, or B)When of the few people you love in this world is in mortal danger, and this was often the case in all 3 movies, i think people asking for banter in scene's like this are crazy, because no normal person would, and Peter is a normal person, despite having super-powers.

Oh, and BTW, i thought Tobey was fantastic as Peter Parker and Spiderman, and i hope comes back with Raimi to do more. Spiderman 3 was a slight blip, but it wasnt a disaster or even a poor movie, it just wasnt as good as the first two, if they learn from the mistakes of Spiderman 3, which, judging by the interviews we have seen with Raimi so far, they have, then Spiderman 4 with the same team could be awesome IMO.

 

[Venom'sDad]

Tobey Maguire was miscast as Spider-Man. His Peter Parker was good - no complaints there - but his Spider-man was severly lacking. Spider-man is supposed to have an easy going, yet razor sharp wit. He's supposed to be funny - that's a major part of his charatcer: his funny one liners.

Tobey was never able to pull that off.

When you look at this classic image of Spider-man, do you see Tobey's interpretation? Seriously think about the comic character here. Look at it objectively and see the character that is Spider-man, and then consider Tobey's acting performance.

I don't see Tobey's Spider-man. I see a Spider-man whose essence has yet to be captured on film. I hope now that Spider-man 3 was poorly recieved, it will give another filmmaker and actor an opportunity to do both Peter AND Spider-man justice.

Your point is well taken, but I just simply disagree. The only one that was miscast was Kirsten Dunst, because she didn't look how I thought MJ would look. Dunst look like a farm girl from the midwest... Iowa to be exact. Not someone who was born and raise in the SoHo district, with that New York City flash & personality that we have associate MJ of the comics with.

However, to address your concern, I think it was more how Sam Raimi & his writers, wrote honestly both characters Pete/Spidey and MJ that was lacking. Those actors can only do so much with what was given and how the director directs them. Spidey was written without the sarcasm and humor that we love from the comics. MJ was written as a manic depressant... the complete opposite of MJ funny loving attitude from the comics. Hell, one can nearly say the same about Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor. I thought he was a great cast for Lex, but the way he was written...BLAH.

I believe Tobey was good all around as Pete/Spidey... I just think the writing could have been a little more faithful to the character itself, and no doubt written better with better dialogue

 

[xxBlackCatxx]

^ David Manning.

What??
Who's David Manning??