More Heroes and Superheroes - Spiderman

Apologies For Delay:

For those of you out there who have checked out my website the last couple of weeks hoping for any form of new entertainment, I apologize for my lack of entries. It wasn't for an absence of ideas but merely due to an interruption in my bloggin hours. Because NBC decided to tape delay the Olympic Games by three hours here on the west coast, I didn't finish watching Phelps win golds until well after 11:00. Heck, it was after 2:00 AM by the time I saw the Redeem Team lock up the gold medal against Spain. Such poor execution by NBC (seriously, who thought that delaying the olympics so that the real events didn't start until after 10:00 AM was a good idea?) put a serious wrench in my blogging abilities. But for those who care or who simply have nothing better to do, I am back, well-rested, jazzed up about America, and ready to talk about anything and everything so long as it doesn't really matter. Without further adieu, here's my take on another well-known motion picture superhero, Spiderman

Spiderman

To be honest, I was never really into Spiderman when I was younger. I don't know what turned me off to the webslinger, but I have never read one Spiderman comic or watched one episode of the Spiderman cartoon. I was fully apathetic towards Peter Parker--that is, until Sam Raimi got ahold of him. Now, I rank him as one of my favorites. I am not suggesting that Raimi changed Spiderman or improved him in any way. Rather, Raimi simply got him onto the big screen and showcased the hero's conflicts in a way that so many can relate to. After all, Peter Parker started out as an unpopular nerd who didn't even have the guts to tell the girl next door that he was crazy about her. For those who know me well, that's like looking into a mirror (minus the next-door part). Thus, unlike Superman, Spiderman is a hero for the people because he really is just one of the people.

However, what captivates me the most about Spiderman is the constant internal struggles that he faces. On one hand, he wants to be a normal guy who can make a living and tell the girl of his dreams that he loves her without fearing reprisal. On the other hand, he recognizes that the gifts and abilites that he has received allow him to make the difference in the lives of the people around him. As Uncle Ben (now famously) stated, "with great power comes great responsibility." I think to a certain extent this mantra speaks to all of us. Each one of us has gifts and abilities that can better our families, friends, and communities. However, each one of us at times wants to take the easy route and spend our days napping, watching television, or (gulp) blogging. What I love about the Spiderman movies is that they show that these two sides are in constant tension. We don't just decide one day that we will be productive and then never face the procrastinator inside again. Instead, we have to constantly decide what we are going to do and consequently who we are going to be.

What makes Spiderman so great is that, despite faltering and wavering in his decisions over who was more important--himself or those he had the power to save--he always came through and sacrificed his own ease and luxury for others. Furthermore, each one of us can be like Spiderman. We don't need to be bit by radioactive arachnids or shoot webs from our wrists to sacrifice our own selfish desires for the greater good. Each one of us can be a hero like Spiderman. In fact, that is precisely what Spiderman 2 preaches: that, in the words of Aunt May, "there is a hero in all of us." (I actually rank Spiderman 2 as my all-time favorite comicbook movie. It's balance is incredible.)

It is this ability to inspire, to uplift, and to motivate that makes Spiderman one of my favorite movie superheroes. Sure, he's a dork, isn't smooth, isn't really that hot or stunning, and constantly trips up, but aren't we all in that same boat to a certain extent? It's Peter's desire to do the right thing and his courage to follow through with this desire that makes him great. Similarly, it is those same qualities that can make each of us great in our own right as well.

So Spiderman, this one's for you.

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