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Spider-Man or Batman — who rules in superhero universe? t2 brought together two die-hard fans for a fitting face-off, a day after the release of The Amazing Spider-Man. Upanishad Ghosh, a student of film studies at Jadavpur University, swears by the web slinger. Anuraag Bose, a sociology student of Asutosh College, bats for the dark knight. Match on!
Spider-Man vs Batman
Upanishad Ghosh: There is only one superhero for me and that is Spider-Man. I may miss out watching The Avengers, Iron Man or The Dark Knight, but Spider-Man? Never! He has such a personality, a distinct identity.
Anuraag Bose: Come on, Batman represents tough justice, he’s a complete no-nonsense guy. And unlike Spider-Man or other superheroes, he doesn’t have a superpower, which I think makes him even more worthy of respect.
UG: But I love Spider-Man’s flashy costumes and those gravity-defying stunts, his flying around, casting webs, crawling up walls.... And please, Batman is involved in just too many things, like the Justice League, for one. He’s a billionaire by day and vigilante by night.
AB: Take out the spider bite from the equation, would Spider-Man still be the same superhero? No!
UG: But Batman also had a reason behind him being the way he is.
AB: Yeah, both of them did have similar [emotional] backgrounds before becoming superheroes, but Spider-Man was fortunate enough to be bitten by that spider.
UG: But he could have also cured it some way or the other. I’m sure if you had been in his place you would have taken the same route Spidey took after his Uncle Ben was killed... just imagine being able to jump from wall to wall (smiles)!
AB: I wouldn’t want that kind of a power at all….
UG: Okay, you wouldn’t be a superhero, but you will have to give Spider-Man credit for the fact that he actually has superpowers and is trying to use it for good... though even Batman does that.
AB: Exactly. And does it better.
UG: How? He can’t even fly!
AB: Neither can Spider-Man!
UG: He can jump.
AB: Fine, but Batman represents technical development.
UG: Wo ho! And Spider-Man doesn’t? Explain one thing to me — how does a superhero have a separate division for developing arms and warfare gadgets?
AB: That’s in the movie, it has nothing to do with the original DC comics storyline.
UG: Yeah, that’s a point. But Batman does take out stuff for himself [from Wayne Enterprises]. I get it that he’s the owner of the company, but he ships tonnes and tonnes of material for himself and the company doesn’t even know?!
AB: Chuckles
UG: Spider-Man is a genius.
AB: So is Batman! The comics say he is the ‘one’ person who builds his own equipment. What does that tell you? He is a genius! He also trained himself to build his physique, which Spider-Man got by default.
UG: So you are saying that it’s simply the chance encounter with a spider that made him a superhero?
AB: Yep, the spider bite made him decide that he could be a superhero. Batman had to work hard to reach where he has.
UG: Batman could do it because of his huge inheritance — go around the world and train himself. But Spider-Man definitely didn’t want to be bitten by a radioactive spider!
Spider-Man also stands out for choosing to be the best of himself. He could have gone the other way. See Batman had every reason to be good.
AB: No. Batman too might have gone on a killing spree following his parents’ brutal death....
UG: Spider-Man is better also because he has a personal life, a love life and he works hard.... He takes photographs, writes articles, goes to science class and lab but still finds time to stand up against evil. He also supports his widowed aunt....
AB: Batman could have done that too. He had contacts, friends, but he severed all connections to dedicate himself to his task. If Spider-Man had to eradicate crime, he would have done the same. But his motivation was to be a superhero, so he didn’t.
3 films vs 1
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| Upanishad Ghosh (left) came all revved up to the t2 office in his Spidey tee to spin a web around Batman fan Anuraag Bose. (Sayantan Ghosh) |
UG: You cannot compare the first three Spider-Man films (starring Tobey Maguire) with The Amazing Spider-Man because it’s a different entity. The only drawback with this new Spider-Man is Andrew Garfield. I prefer Tobey because in the Marvel Comics, Spider-Man is this geeky character, an introvert. But Andrew plays Peter Parker as uber cool. He couldn’t pull off the geeky bit.
The rest of the movie was absolutely brilliant because it was true to the comics in a number of ways. In the Tobey movies, webbing is a natural development within Spider-Man because of the bite. But in the comics, he develops the webbing system on his own with the help of OsCorp, which is shown in The Amazing Spider-Man. And he becomes Spider-Man while he is still in high school.
Here the big departure is Spider-Man falling in love with Gwen Stacy, Captain George Stacy’s daughter. We have grown up reading about Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. The movie just rejects the good and pure part of the original storyline. But technique-wise, this one stands out. I’m not comparing them any further.
AB: Why is that?
UG: The three movies were a continuation and Tobey Maguire did a pretty good job. But The Amazing Spider-Man has grand technical effects, which was lacking in the trilogy.... Hey, but you are not a Spidey fan, so how did you end up watching the movie?
AB: I have seen the Tobey films, so I thought it would be interesting to see how they were remaking a franchise that’s quite recent. Unfortunately, it wasn’t anything like I expected. The new movie doesn’t devote much time to how Peter Parker actually became Spider-Man.
UG: Yes, it is fast-paced….
AB: Fast-paced is fine, but I think they are banking on the fact that the previous Spider-Man films have already established the story. Though it was advertised as a brand new Spider-Man film, it does not delve much into the details… so, for me it’s not a movie by itself as it depends on the previous three for the character base.
Nolan vs Webb
AB: Batman, especially in the movies by Christopher Nolan, has re-established the entire concept of superhero. Until then, most superhero movies were a gigantic colour fair. After Nolan decided how Batman should be, everybody followed suit, including Mark Webb in The Amazing Spider-Man.
UG: I was never too much of a Batman fan. But after The Dark Knight, as a superhero fan in general, you start feeling for the character. There is a certain sense of patriotism in the movie towards the end. A superhero sacrificing his own image — he cares about the people and keeps his city clean. Credit should also go to Christian Bale for pulling off such a role. More so because the previous Batman movies were extremely plastic and childish. Bale and Nolan brought Batman up to a much more realistic height.
AB: Yes, in fact if you read the DC comics on Batman, from where Nolan got his ideas, the movies look like a direct translation.
UG: Before Nolan, Batman movies were completely for kids. I feel Chris Nolan would do justice to Spider-Man too. Nolan likes to portray the dark side of his characters. Though Spider-Man is flashy, Nolan has that talent to even portray a flashy character’s dark side. The third Tobey film is dark but if it was steered by Nolan, he would have done a much better job.
AB: Nolan’s Batman is grounded in reality, there are no monsters.
UG: Well, the basic idea of being a superhero is to have superpowers, that’s where I don’t like Batman at all. All superheroes have some power, be it Hulk or Flash... everyone has either genetically mutated or inherited a power. The moment you hear ‘superhero’ it equals superpower, right?
AB: Batman is human and he finds a human way of getting rid of every problem without relying on superpowers. That’s where his appeal lies — that even a common man can fight for justice. I rest my case.
t2 tracks the cute quotient of the amazing spider-man
# Peter Parker cries as he talks about his father with Aunt May and Uncle Ben… awww.
# Peter Parker asks Gwen Stacy out without asking her out… awww.
# Spider-Man saves a kid by asking him to wear the Spidey mask that makes people brave… awww.
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Forget being true to the comics, forget the superpowers, The Amazing Spider-Man scores big on the cute quotient alone.
The new movie has hit gold with Andrew Garfield who plays the awkward Peter Parker with aplomb and the cocky web-slinger even better.
Peter Parker’s character in the new film is more a troubled yet outgoing high schooler than the nerdy and terminally shy boy of the Tobey Maguire franchise. Spider-Man purists might say that this film doesn’t do justice to the geek in Spider-Man comics because he stands up to Flash, but who says geeks can’t have a backbone?
In fact, the film actually gives Parker the scientist more meat than the Tobey films did.
Garfield is a charmer, whether he is flirting, albeit awkwardly, with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) — the coolest geek ever, or trying to talk himself out of trouble with Uncle Ben. His cheeky grin, awkward smile, dopey look and troubled expressions are a welcome change after Maguire’s stony face. The fact that he looks cuter, crazy hair et al, doesn’t hurt either.
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He looks far more adorable trying out his newly acquired skills on his skateboard and designing his web dispenser than Maguire did saying “Go web”.
The scenes between Garfield and Stone make for some of the best moments of the film — whether it is Gwen suggesting Peter might have a concussion after getting beaten up by Flash, or talking about their first kiss, or Gwen tending to a bruised Peter.
Garfield and Stone have a sweet chemistry and Stone doesn’t even have to say “Go get them Tiger” to make it work (thank god!). Boy, is it good to have been rid of Kirsten Dunst. One doesn’t even feel sorry for not having the Mary Jane-Peter Parker romance on screen.
Even as Spider-Man, Garfield is cute. He talks non-stop while catching the bad guys, making cocky comments and insulting them. He is even cuter when he tries to justify Spider-Man’s actions, including the insults, to Gwen’s father, who is a policeman.
Who can resist a guy who comes back home to his aunt after saving the day from a giant lizard, all beat-up, but doesn’t forget the organic eggs she had asked for?
Awww…
