Introduction
In May of this year, Spiderman 3 was released as a mammoth summer blockbuster . The DVD came out a few weeks ago. Invariably, the third installment stays true to the swinging, combat, special effects loaded structure of the previous two movies. However, Sam Raimi, the director-writer, and Ivan Raimi, co-writer, try to impart a message of forgiveness, loyalty, doing right, and reconciliation which though good, overloads the story until it is a preachy sermon on the subject.
General Overview
Spidey 3 picks up where Spiderman 2 left off: Peter Parker is basking in the glory of being the famous Spiderman and, finally, getting his girl, Mary Jane (MJ). Quickly, his world is disrupted, first, by the fact MJ breaks up with him and, second, by the mysterious substance from space. To top it off, Harry is trying to kill him, the city is in danger from the Sandman, and he (Peter) is struggling to keep his job at the newspaper and to rid himself of the evil space creature. Peter now has to fight not only the evil that has attached to himself but also the city's criminals.
Preach it, Preacher
To commence, the movie was more than a tad too long in telling the story. From the beginning, the film starts on its positive messages. Peter is cocky in his Spiderman success. So cocky in fact that he is blind to MJ's pain (she lost her starring role in a stage play). Lesson number one: don't get so caught up in your own glory that you fail to communicate with and aid others in their struggles. "A man's pride brings him low" (Proverbs 29:23).
Next, the filmmakers show us the negative side of revenge as both Harry and Peter contend to redress the death of their father and uncle respectively. Also, Peter who is struggling with the lost relationships with MJ and Harry, now finds out that his uncle's killer is still on the loose. Meaning that the man he interposed retaliation on in the first movie was the wrong guy. Lesson number two: Justice cannot be satisfied by revenge and it only destroys more than it rectifies. "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," [ Deut. 32:35] says the Lord" (Romans 12:19).
In this state, the martian creature from outer space attaches to Peter and his suit, transforming him into a darker version of himself. With this creature, he has more power but he is also more cocky, prideful, smooth with the ladies and down-right annoying. Lesson number three: If it is black goo from outer space, don't touch it! But seriously, "do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its evil desires" (Romans 6: 12).
Peter is freed from the goo and it, in turn, attaches to another man turning him into the creature Venom. In an attempt to kill Spiderman, Venom and the Sandman kidnap MJ. Peter and Harry are reconciled, working together to save their friend. In the end, Harry is killed, having taken the death blow from Venom in Peter's place. Lesson number four: The ultimate sacrifice is to die for someone you love. "No greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
A desperate struggle ensues as Peter battles Venom. The man, Eddie, entrapped by Venom "likes to be mad" as he puts it. He actually relishes the evil that has inhabited him. Peter finally extracts Venom from Eddie but in his love for the creature, Eddie joins it in its final destruction. Lesson number five: Giving into one's sin leads to destruction. "He who pursues evil goes to his death" (Proverbs 11:19b).
Since Venom is taken care of, Peter goes after the Sandman. He comes face to face, then, with his uncle's killer. Instead of a mad rush to destroy this man, Peter has a brief conversation with the Sandman, hearing the true tale of his uncle's death. The Sandman doesn't expect Peter to forgive him but a moment later, Peter tells him, "I forgive you." Both are then freed: one from guilt and the other from revenge. Lesson number six: Forgiveness is pretty powerful stuff and should be used instead of revenge. "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13).
Finally, Peter and MJ are reconciled and, the audience is led to believe, take up their relationship where they left off--in love. Lesson number seven: Never give up on a person, no matter how badly they may behave or inconsiderate they may seem. "Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:8a).
Conclusion
The above lessons are excellent and it is hard to find a film today which displays this kind of biblical truth. The problem is that this is a story, not a sermon. The multiple morals weight down Spiderman 3. Every story has a lesson or two to be learned but it doesn't beat the audience over the head with it. Never should a story bombard its audience with its lessons. Instead it should subtly and beautifully allow the audience to discover the lesson on its own. The lesson is a treasure to be found.
Spiderman 3's story is also old. It's the same one audiences experienced in the other two: Peter Parker struggles with his identity, his relationships, and the evildoers; in his relationship with MJ, every two steps forward result in three steps back. The tag line for this movie is: "the greatest battle lies within." Jesus summed up the law by stating that mankind is to love God with all his heart, mind, and strength and to love his neighbor as himself. This was his essential message, as the writers of the Westminster Confession showed, but Jesus varied the message through parables, stories or sermons. The Spiderman trilogy can be summed up with the quote from movie #1: "With great power comes great responsibility." Sadly, Spiderman 3 over uses this mantra and the result is a less than satisfying story.
--HM
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