# Why are the Raimi Spider Man films SO bland? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2012, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294 "2012-07-05T10:58:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/41 "2012-07-08T02:46:26Z")
I can’t understand the OP’s claim that he both likes the movie but thinks it’s bland. I think he must be thinking of another word, as bland is an inherently negative word. Also, general consensus before the current movie (which I haven’t seen and don’t want to be spoiled on) was that Spider-Man 2 was the best film, followed by 1, and that Spider-Man 3 sucked–mostly for Emo Pete. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/42 "2012-07-08T02:55:17Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I can’t understand the OP’s claim that he both likes the movie but thinks it’s bland. I think he must be thinking of another word, as bland is an inherently negative word. > > Also, general consensus before the current movie (which I haven’t seen and don’t want to be spoiled on) was that Spider-Man 2 was the best film, followed by 1, and that Spider-Man 3 sucked–mostly for Emo Pete. I would agree with the OP. To me, being bland means that it is not particulary interesting or exciting. Spiderman 1 was a perfectly servicible superhero movie, but it was not particularly exciting or interesting. Bland is like vanilla pudding, not bad, but not spicy. But sometimes, you’re in the mood for vanilla pudding. (I probably disagree with everyone, but I hated Spiderman 2, mainly because of the ending, where MJ leaves her nice fiancee who loves her in the most humiliating way possible, by leaving him at the alter. And we are supposed to cheer for this? And think its romantic? Really?) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/43 "2012-07-08T04:46:38Z")
Raimi didn’t want Venom in the movie - he was forced to include him by the studio. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/44 "2012-07-08T05:02:27Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > (I probably disagree with everyone, but I hated Spiderman 2, mainly because of the ending, where MJ leaves her nice fiancee who loves her in the most humiliating way possible, by leaving him at the alter. And we are supposed to cheer for this? And think its romantic? Really?) Not with everyone. I also thought that left a really bad taste at the end of a really good film. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/45 "2012-07-08T05:12:18Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Raimi didn’t want Venom in the movie - he was forced to include him by the studio. Raimi was right. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/46 "2012-07-08T07:00:31Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > (I probably disagree with everyone, but I hated Spiderman 2, mainly because of the ending, where MJ leaves her nice fiancee who loves her in the most humiliating way possible, by leaving him at the alter. And we are supposed to cheer for this? And think its romantic? Really?) She had always liked Peter, and was infatuated with Spider-Man. John Jameson was attractive because he was an astronaut, but Peter was attractive because he was a genuine hero. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/47 "2012-07-08T07:16:58Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > She had always liked Peter, and was infatuated with Spider-Man. John Jameson was attractive because he was an astronaut, but Peter was attractive because he was a genuine hero. But is that a reason to dump him like that? He was a nice guy, and we saw nothing to indicate that he didn’t love her. Couldn’t she have taken five minutes to break up with him? Also, she was marrying him because she was an astronaut, and not because she genuinely liked him and cared about him? What a shallow bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/48 "2012-07-08T07:19:03Z")
Also, I respect an astronaut a lot more than I respect someone like Spider-Man. John Jameson has to \*work \*to get to where he was; it wasn’t like he was bitten by a radioactive Buzz Aldrin. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/49 "2012-07-08T07:30:42Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > …it wasn’t like he was bitten by a radioactive Buzz Aldrin. Excuse me while I contact the Syfy Channel with a new script idea I just had… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/50 "2012-07-08T07:33:25Z")
Well, Bart Sibrel was _punched_ by an energized Buzz Aldrin. Has anyone checked him for superpowers? ---
**Author:** ![CyclopticXander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@CyclopticXander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyclopticXander)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/51 "2012-07-08T08:12:18Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > Watch out, I got thoughts on Spider-Man 3. > > Though oft-maligned, I loved it in theaters and still think it’s a solid, if flawed, movie. The big problem with SM3, to my mind, is that its clear Raimi knew this would be his last Spidey movie, so he tried to cram \*everything \*into this movie. Not only do you have Spidey vs. Sandman with the revelation that Sandman was involved in Uncle Ben’s death, you got Harry going batshit crazy, the introductions of Eddie Brock and Gwen Stacy, and of course Peter gets the symbiote and then encounters Venom. It’s TOO MUCH. > > Honestly, Raimi should’ve kept to Peter and Harry and Spidey and Sandman, and made one solid movie that way, and if he had a chance, kept Venom for a fourth movie. Because Venom appears so late in the movie and there’s no build-up, he doesn’t seem like a truly intimidating foe. It’s also too late in the game to bring in Gwen, when Norman died in the first movie (thusly wiping out her famous death in the comics). > > Harry’s amnesia in SM3 is hokey, but I’m not sure it’s any hokier than anything in the comics, and it served an important purpose: reminding Peter and MJ, and most importantly\* we the audience\*, why we love Harry and making us root for some sort of redemption for him. I completely agree, and it’s nice to see someone else defend it for a change. The weaknesses are evident, especially compared to the first two, but it’s still an entertaining movie that I like to revisit every now and then. I have similar feelings about X-Men 3. I just generally like the genre and it takes something that massively sucks, like say Green Lantern, for me to actively dislike it. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294/52 "2012-07-11T07:12:01Z")
Also, the new movie did a very good job of the "Peter Parker is vaguely complicit in a robbery ==\> Uncle Ben dies (doing **the right thing**!) ==\> Spiderman needs to use his great power with great responsibility " thing. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > Excuse me while I contact the Syfy Channel with a new script idea I just had… I would watch the shit out of that movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-raimi-spider-man-films-so-bland/627294.md?page=2)