Defending Spiderman

     There's no doubt about it: The Amazing Spiderman is a superior movie to the original webslinger trilogy. The graphics are better, the acting is better, the humor is funnier, and the script is less cheesy; all around, it's just a higher-class act.  Yet something in me wants to defend the originals.  After careful thought, I think I have a handle on why I feel that way.
     Peter Parker's story, at its most quintessential, is the story of a kid growing into a man.  People mock the Tobey Maguire portrayal because he spends so much time crying and feeling sorry for himself.  In a culture obsessed with charismatic personalities who seem to have it all together, Peter definitely breaks the mold of Hollywood action-heroes.  There isn't an ounce of "cool" in him.  It's a far cry from Andrew Garfield's portrayal, with his skateboard and perfect hair.  Sure, he makes the occasional awkward remark, but I have a very hard time seeing anyone that attractive being ostracized at any public school.  At the very least, he would have hordes of adoring fangirls.
     But here's the thing: personally, it's easier to identify with an awkward Peter than with a Peter who's always ready with an unrealistically witty comment.  True, Spiderman is supposed to have classic snark, which is why I think the newer version captures the heroics better.  But it seems that the original captured the spirit of seeking manhood through life's difficulties.
     The best heroes, in my opinion, are the ones who teach us lessons.  Christopher Nolan's Batman teaches us to stand for decency and hope in an indecent, hopeless world.  Mathew Vaughn's Charles Xavier teaches us to defend even those who hate us, to become the better men.  And Spiderman teaches us that if we have the ability to help someone, to right a wrong, then we have the responsibility to do so.  "With great power comes great responsibility" is thrown around so often that it's become trite and cliched.  But unlike the "morals" found in many popular stories, this is more than a catchphrase.  Maybe we could better say, "With any power comes some responsibility."  Befriend someone lonely or do a mundane task to the best of your ability.  Exercise responsibility in the little things.  Later, when you face greater decisions, you'll possess a character that drives you to make right choices.  Along with Spiderman's story, this concept can be found another place: Luke 16:10.  "With great power comes great responsibility" possesses meaning that we can apply to our own lives, whether uttered by Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield.
     For myself, I simply find it easier to connect with that lesson when it comes from someone identifiable, with realistic struggles and emotions, rather than someone whose level of Hollywood perfection I can never hope to attain.