Warning: Movie spoiler follows.
I grew up reading comic books and have loved most of the major motion pictures based upon the comic book heroes. Friday I attended the opening day release of Spider-Man 3 and was not disappointed. As usual the special effects were fantastic. Web spinning and swinging through the streets of New York were realistic. Tobey Maguire’s playing of Peter Parker is believable. The bad guys were bad but not detestable.
This time around an unusual other worldly presence attaches itself to Peter/Spider-Man. We’re told that the black and sticky parasite is a “symbiote”. It becomes one with the host and begins to powerfully influence in an aggressive, evil and vengeful way. Thus Spider-Man’s red and blue outfit becomes a sinister black and the film’s subtitle comes to the fore, “The Battle Within”.
Spider-Man treats Mary Jane, the love of his life, terribly and uses his special gifts and abilities selfishly and punitively. Under the influence of the dark presence Spider-Man becomes an ugly, dare I say sinful human being.
Interestingly, director and screenwriter Sam Raimi, then has Spider-Man go to church. As the church bell rings Spider-Man does battle with himself in the tower and seeks to get free from the evil presence. Finally Spider-Man ends up at the foot of a cross where he finds deliverance and the black substance releases its grip and departs to find another host.
I grew up reading comic books and have loved most of the major motion pictures based upon the comic book heroes. Friday I attended the opening day release of Spider-Man 3 and was not disappointed. As usual the special effects were fantastic. Web spinning and swinging through the streets of New York were realistic. Tobey Maguire’s playing of Peter Parker is believable. The bad guys were bad but not detestable.
This time around an unusual other worldly presence attaches itself to Peter/Spider-Man. We’re told that the black and sticky parasite is a “symbiote”. It becomes one with the host and begins to powerfully influence in an aggressive, evil and vengeful way. Thus Spider-Man’s red and blue outfit becomes a sinister black and the film’s subtitle comes to the fore, “The Battle Within”.
Spider-Man treats Mary Jane, the love of his life, terribly and uses his special gifts and abilities selfishly and punitively. Under the influence of the dark presence Spider-Man becomes an ugly, dare I say sinful human being.
Interestingly, director and screenwriter Sam Raimi, then has Spider-Man go to church. As the church bell rings Spider-Man does battle with himself in the tower and seeks to get free from the evil presence. Finally Spider-Man ends up at the foot of a cross where he finds deliverance and the black substance releases its grip and departs to find another host.
The parallel is unmistakable to the dark, sinister presence of Satan and the abuse and misuse we all have of our gifts and abilities, unless and until we find deliverance at the cross, where Jesus has died so that we might be free.
1 comment:
This is definatly a clear picture of deliverance. Sometimes we need to hit bottom to cry out but Jesus is always there waiting, strong to deliver us from all our sin and self nature. He gives us his life, nature and Spirit as we let go of the old man. Wondering if the person who wrote or dirrected fully intended this truth. You see how we each have a choice as Peter got his freedom at the belltower of liberation and Venom ranback to sin and reaped destruction.
So awesome. My favorite for sure.
Well done!!!
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