I think one of the problems I have with superhero films overall is the direction. More specifically, am I supposed to take it seriously? Do I have to in order to like it more? I really do try and be fair with superhero films. A lot of superhero films contain a lot of comedy that deliberately makes fun of the circumstances the characters end up in. With Spider-Man '02, it just felt like it was clinging onto that late 90s/early 00s teen humour that made the film feel slightly dated. I also feel like much of my experience with the first film during yesterday's rewatch (July 26) came down to the noticeability and understanding of the memes that came from the film. Whenever I rewatch a film or a TV show that have recently become a part of modern meme culture, I often struggle with finding those sections funny, because the world has sucked out the comedy due to oversaturation. I feel like in Spider-Man 2, there was a lot less of that, and the film felt a lot more grown-up because of it. I don't know if that's because it came out in 2004, where the world have moved away from stereotypical teenage college jokes, or if it's because there was better character development. The first Spider-Man film might have felt tighter, but it has subsequently aged worse because that tightening has become irrevocably loose due to the internet's shift in culture. It's a product of 2002, which made it feel sloppier, less funny and less exciting than I think it would have been back when it was originally released. Superhero films made during the birth of its praise fall short compared to what we have now, not only due to the improvement in CGI and so forth, but because they came out during an era where silly, illogical humour came first. I hope that makes sense.
