Overrated films part 15.

There are two genres of movies that I'm a sucker for and that's sports films and super hero pictures. The former keeps me engaged enough, whether they're wildly overrated homoerotic Bruckheimer flicks or the extremely underrated Cinderella Man and Friday Night Lights. Most super hero movies I disagree with the entire general public on as I don't worship at the altar of the Burton Batman films, nor did I think the last X-Men was all that bad. I actually loved Hulk which is a film that escalated the blood pressure of so many comic book fans they collectively came down a case of hemorrhoids.

I saw Spider-Man shortly after it first opened and walked out of the theatre numb like. It's not that I hated the movie, but I did have some problems with it. I still can't understand why they took an actor as talented as William Dafoe and put him in a dull, lifeless mask. This guy gave audiences chills with his portrayal of Max Schreck yet he's reduced to cackling in a ridiculous costume. Often times super hero movies are dependent on having an engaging villain and the Green Goblin is one of the worst super villains in all of DC and Marvel lore. Expecting me to enjoy this character was a stretch, one that I still don't get.

I didn't expect a dark film, but Sam Raimi felt compelled to ham it up with scenes such as New Yorkers throwing random objects at the Green Goblin all the while screaming statements about how the town's residents are always collective in their stand against the enemy. Isn't it nice that he throws in a 9-11 reference in a cheesy comic book film?

Some of the scenes looked impressive, but most were obviously animated and even when they weren't it still looked mediocre. The plot was fairly thin even by comic book movie standards.

I truly believe there is a conspiracy in Hollywood to try and make me believe that Kirsten Dunst is hot, but I'm still not buying it. They can throw her into all the lame movies that feature her in a cheerleader uniform all they want, but I will never spend quality time alone with her image. Having her in tight dresses soaked to the skin doesn't help either. Same goes for Liv Tyler and Sarah Jessica Parker.

I've never been a fan of the web slinger, but audiences and critics helped the film become one of the most successful movies in history with a huge box office showing. After this lifeless film became such a massive hit Raimi did decide to thank the viewing public by giving us a far superior sequel, which redeemed him enough in my book.

Spider-Man kiss:



"Plays like a sensitive 1980s-era John Hughes teen film ... Interrupted by really tawdry special effects and hammy appearances by a cartoonish villain played by William Dafoe." - Steven Rosen