[OT] Spider Man origin modernizations - effective?

[PenguinKing]

Yep - another one of Sir Bob's random brainfarts. Just bear with me.

As many of you may have noticed, the nature of the origins of each character in the Spider Man movie were altered slightly from the original comic book versions. In the comic books, Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, while Norman Osborn was empowered by a chemical accident. However, in the movie, it's a genetically engineered spider, while Osborn's experiments are related to nanotechnology instead of organic chemistry.

Inevitably, I've heard people claim that these changes were horrible and unneccessary - just a pathetic attempt to make the movie more trendy by throwing in a few popular buzzwords. However, I've been thinking - certainly it is an obvious attempt at modernization, but doesn't the idea behind the original origin stories sort of demand these changes be made if you're translating the story into the present day? Back when Spider Man was first published, nukes - and, to a lesser extent, chemical weapons - were the big boogeymen in the public mind; thus, we have a radioactive spider and a mysterious gas. Today, the big scary monsters are biotechnology and robotics - so we have a transgenic spider and nanotech gas. It makes perfect sense - these origin stories might not be word-for-word identical, but they're true to the intent of the originals.

Or am I just going up my own fundament here?

- Sir Bob.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I would say that the movie was true to the fundamentals. I really liked how the new "infections" were managed. Nanotech and Biotech are the new, new, just like Nukes were in their day. Nowadays we know that Nukes cause Cancer, not super powers, and to todays kids a radioactive spider would not be very plausible. Next generation's Spider Man will be the result of something else.

As long as he's a Superhero with moral choices to make, and eventually finds the right ones, he will be true to the fundamentals. That's what makes him Spiderman.

Irda Ranger

 

[Crothian]

I liked the changes. There are certain aspects that deal with sciences that need changed with the advancement of science. In no way did it detract or interfior with the movie. In fact, they probalby could have left it how it was or even added a supernatural element and not much would have chganged in the movie. The movie was about the persons and how they dealt with the situation and the situations it lead to.

 

[Sulimo]

I havent seen it, but I'm more concerned about things like organic webshooters than whether Peter was bitten by a radioactive vs genetically engineered spider.

But yeah generally these kinds of changes rub me the wrong way. A bit like the reports from the Hulk that Bruce isnt the original Hulk in the film.

 

[Wolfspider]

But yeah generally these kinds of changes rub me the wrong way. A bit like the reports from the Hulk that Bruce isnt the original Hulk in the film.

Hmmmm? Could you please explain?

 

[Jack Daniel]

While it did seem to me that the organic webshooters were more of an outlet for comic relief than trying to deter from the comic, I wouldn't have it any other way in a campy comic flick directed by Sam Raimi. I mean come on!

 

[modin]

Just saw the movie a few hours ago. It was really good. The origins worked fine. The organic webshooters were good. Wasn't anything negative in the film that I can think of.

 

[Reynard]

On the subject of organic webshooters -- I agree that the reason was probably based upon jokes they could play with it, but I actually like it bettwer, if for no other reason than Peter Parker should not be able to, at 18, create something Oscorp never even though of, with all their emphasis on spider biology. Even in Ultimate Spiderman, Peter only puts the finishing touches on the webs, which his father created. I only miss the webshooter because there was never a scene in which he ran out, which is great fun in the comics.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The creation of Spider-Man and the Green Goblin comes down to man playing with forces that they do not understand, man playing at god. At the time Spider-Man was created radioation and chems were seen as cutting edge, dangerous, and man going too fast with them.

I think the updating was needed or many veiwers would not understand them, 40 years people forget. Did it effect story or plot, no.

$114 million opening weekend!

 

[Agamon]

I'm a Spidey fan from way back (got boxes full of the comics). I think it was indeed necessary to bring the origin up to modern standards. People that think otherwise must look at Comic Book Guy as their hero.