To recap, Peter Parker went down a dark path in Spider-Man 3. He thought the black symbiotic entity would help him. Instead it brought out violence, hate, and aggression. When Peter finally saw what he had become, he had essentially alienated everyone in his life. How could he ever hope to restore the damage done? In a word: forgiveness. That’s why I say this film – as well as this entire movie trilogy – deserves an ovation.
There was an epic final battle to conclude this terrific
trilogy. The black suit that Peter had
rejected found a new host: Eddie Brock. Brock took on the persona of Venom. Venom immediately sought out Flint Marko
alias Sandman; a character that had several intense battles with
Spider-Man. A team-up is proposed. “You want to kill the Spider; I want to kill
the Spider, together he doesn’t stand a chance.” And Venom was almost right. Spider-Man was certainly taking a pounding. They had him on the ropes, ready to deliver
the knockout blow, so to speak. But
Harry Osborn heroically entered the fray and saved Peter.
Let me back up. Peter
was terrible to Harry Osborn while in the dark suit. Peter had injured Harry both physically and
emotionally. And yet, Harry chose to fight
by Peter’s side. He chose to forgive. He actually saved Spider-Man from death, not
once but twice. In the second instance,
it proved fatal. As Harry lay mortally
wounded, the life ebbing away from him, Peter laments, “I should never have hurt
you; said those things.” “None of that
matters, Peter,” Harry responds. “You’re
my friend.” Talk about famous last
words! This special scene deserves an
ovation.
The next example of forgiveness features Flint Marko. Peter had thought all throughout the film
that Marko had murdered his Uncle Ben in a malicious rage. But after another epic fight, Marko finally
explained what really happened that day.
Marko did have a gun, but he never intended to murder Ben, it accidently
went off, resulting in a tragic accident.
“I’ve done terrible things too,” Peter says in reaction to the
confession. After many moments of inner reflection,
he finally declares, “I forgive you.”
Both Flint Marko and Peter were liberated.
What about Venom/Eddie Brock? What became of him? This is the sad anomaly in the final fight. Peter tried to reason with Brock, he told him
that he knew what it was like; that the power felt good, “But you’ll lose yourself. Let it go,” Peter pleaded. Brock wouldn’t listen. Ultimately, as Peter was destroying the
horrible alien suit once and for all, Eddie Brock tried in vain to save it, and
he died in the process. He was enslaved
to his own unforgiveness, greed, and selfishness. And it cost him his life.
Last, but certainly not least, there’s Peter and Mary
Jane. Peter had been a jerk to MJ in so
many ways. His actions toward her while in
the throes of the dark suit are some of the painful moments of the film for me. However, at the end of the movie, in a moving
scene that always makes me cry, they reconcile.
The source I quoted from in the last blog puts it so eloquently:
In conclusion, the first film, Spider-Man deserves an ovation.
Spider-Man 2 was the best of the
trilogy; a masterpiece that deserves a standing ovation. But what about Spider-Man 3? I submit that
while this film has its issues (one of them being studio interference) this
final installment also deserves an ovation.
I’m not sure who said it, but someone said, “We can’t live without
hurting and being hurt.” It’s true. To love is to risk being hurt. But what can be done about it? It was Rebecca St. James who once stated, “We
don’t have to get caught up in the whole thing of anger, resentment, and
bitterness.” Like so many experienced in
Spider-Man 3, we can choose to
forgive.
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