Hello…again:
Spider-man: Homecoming
faced a tough task: How do you make the 3rd reboot in a decade successful? Everyone’s
already familiar with the character and his backstory. And if you mention Uncle
Ben’s death one more time, you’re venturing dangerously close to Batman
territory. Essentially, what do you do when the low hanging fruit’s already
been plucked?
At the end of the day, there are two options: carbon copy
what worked before or venture deeper into your own unique narrative. Every
reboot, remake, sequel, and prequel faces this same dilemma. Whether it’s Ron
Burgundy reuniting his news team or the sisterhood sharing a new pair of pants,
the bottom line will always be safety versus creativity.
Welcome to the show:
Sony's answer to this riddle was…SHOW ME THE MONEY! They
elected to shoehorn Spidey into Marvel’s money factory instead of allowing him
to be his own unique personality.
I know, I know – we waited years to see the world famous
web-slinger accept an invite to the spandex slumber party. Why rock the Staten
Island ferry?
I acknowledge your fury, but here’s the point: studios will
always produce films to the level of their audience’s expectations because
that’s how they maximize profits. If we are just happy to see our favorite
characters on screen and ignore the quality of the story, then we will get low
quality movies that collect dust on the shelf.
Expecting more:
Compare that to the movies that inspire us, change us – the
ones we truly dive into again and again; those world-changing films are worth
more because they HAVE more. And the only way to get more is to EXPECT
more.
So how do you construct a worthwhile sequel that progresses
your narrative in a positive way? It comes down to three essentials: setup, setting,
and character.
Setup:
He’s rubbed shoulders and traded punches with the greatest
heroes in the world, but with the battle over just as quickly as it began, how
does Peter Parker go back to his oh-so-ordinary life? Who is “everyday
Spider-man”?
It’s a pretty solid setup and one of the strongest elements
of the entire film. There’s a past, present, and future all built into the very
DNA of the story. The audience is on board and invested in what happens next.
So, how do we transition to the meat of the story?
Setting:
A good setting subconsciously whispers details to the viewer
about a character and their plight. For instance, if a scene opens on a messy
bedroom, you know the inhabitant is most likely single and leans toward lazy.
Based on what you see, you know what to anticipate. Like when it’s your
birthday, you can expect presents and once-a-year, awkward family phone calls.
So, after the introductory setup, where does Spidey spend
his time?
Anywhere but NYC.
He bounces from a house party in the burbs, to a warehouse
in Maryland, to the incredibly un-New York Washington Monument. Just a
reminder, the setup supposedly established that the main theme of this movie is
“who is ‘everyday Spider-man.’” On the other hand, the setting suggests that Parker
is more jet-setting James Bond than friendly neighborhood Spidey.
Character:
The contradictory paradox folds in on itself yet again when
you consider the final foundational element: character.
In short, this was not a Spider-man movie; rather, it was an
Iron Man Jr. movie. Not only does he inherit his actual costumed identity from
the elder Avenger, but the narrative itself shifts into a rehash of Iron Man 3 – does the suit make the man
or the man make the suit? There was nothing truly unique or special connected
with the personality of Peter Parker outside of high school awkwardness.
For those of you playing along at home, we are up to 3,
that’s right, THREE wildly divergent concepts all vying for the title of main
storyline. To be fair, each one of these ideas has the potential to guide a
robust story; yet when they are packed into the same feature film, the
competing themes tend to muddy the narrative instead of enhance it. The same
character that exploded off the screen in Captain
America: Civil War now wanders the wastelands of mediocre movies.
So what:
In the end, Sony and Marvel will count their millions as audiences
amble on toward the next over-hyped summer blockbuster. The debate between
safety and creativity will begin anew. And just in time for Christmas, Spider-man: Homecoming will take its
place on DVD shelves and Netflix cues, but it will gather only dust instead of
value.
