Tommy Olsen: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man!

#12 Spider-man

List of Movies: Spider-man, Spider-man 2, Spider-man 3, The Amazing Spider-man

Why I love these movies:

Like most fans of superheroes, Spider-man has always been one of my favorites. When Stan Lee created Spider-man back in the 60’s he wanted to make a hero that was different than the others. At that time in comics, superheroes were usually depicted as the guy with only one problem, save the day from the bad guys. When Spider-man was introduced not only did he have to face guys like the Green Goblin, Venom, and Doc Ock, but he had girl and relationship problems, homework, the stresses of paying rent, being on time to things, as well as struggling to make a living. Don’t most of those things sound familiar?

Along, with that he wasn’t your typical square jawed hero; he was a nerd with glasses. Spider-man is a normal guy with all the same problems that everyone faces, and that is what makes him so relatable, and likable. Sure he has some pretty awesome powers, (which at times I am pretty jealous of) and some of the most memorable villains, but without his relatable and enduring characteristics he would just be your typical superhero.

When movies are adapted from comics there are always things they leave out, but with the Spider-man films they were all able to show that relatable side to Peter Parker, and that’s why I love these flicks. Along with great acting (most of time), great actions sequences, and great stories, these films showed the journey of Peter Parker that made me feel like he is one of us. The films had heart to them, in a way that most action and superhero movies are missing. Sure there is some cheesy dialog, but remember it is comic book movie, and plus I’m sure we all talk pretty cheesy from time to time!

Favorite Film: The Amazing Spider-man.

I thought the newest Spider-man was the best, but not by much. I’ve been hearing a lot of people bash the old trilogy lately and I’m really not sure why, because I remember when they all came out everyone loved them (besides Spider-man 3). The reason I like the newest one the best is simply because I liked Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey much better than Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. They had great chemistry that really made me want to see what happens to them. (especially if they follow the comics with her story line)

Tobey was a great Spider-man, but overall I think Andrew Garfield did a better job, mostly because I thought he was better in the more dramatic scenes as well being a little bit more funny and sarcastic than Tobey’s version. When I first heard that they were doing Spider-man's origin story again I was actually really disappointed because they had already done it. Some how though, they were able to tell a familiar story in a new way that made me feel like I was seeing the story for the first time. For me, The Amazing Spider-man was exactly what a Spider-man movie should be!

My next favorite is Spider-man 2 because I like how it really shows him struggling to be Spider-man and trying to live a normal life. It also had the best villain of all the movies, Doc Ock! The first Spider-man is close behind number 2. This film introduced Spider-man to cinemas, and was one of the many reasons why superhero movies have became so popular today.

My least favorite is of course Spider-man 3, but like most people I don’t hate this one, I actually really like it. I realize it has some pretty awful scenes in it, like when Peter is walking down the street like an idiot, or the very unnecessary dance scene. Besides these few scenes, that I like to fast forward, it really is a great movie with some of the best action sequences of the whole series. It really contributes to the overall story arc and journey of Peter Parker. It also has some of the best scenes with J. Jonah Jameson, who I think was one the one the best characters of the old trilogy.

Final Rankings:

Favorite Scene:

The fight scene between Spider-man and the Lizard, in the high school during The Amazing Spider-man. This was an exciting action scene that demonstrated Spider-man in new way from all the other films. It showed the Lizard as ferocious opponent that can truly challenge Spider-man. It also has best cameo by Stan Lee!