Turning points and Superheroes

Much has been heard about "Spider-Man 2 aping Superman 2" ruckus. Haven't they realized that turning points in life do happen to some of us?

I watched Spider-Man 2 to check on my childhood hero's latest and up-to-date crusade(talking of EBay, New York, and the seemingly inexistent Two Towers, but of course), and all I can say is that it was NOT disappointing. Sure there's the sweetie girl-next-door Kirsten Dunst and her special 'nips' cameo again, but I just cant ignore Peter Parker's sad and pathetic life story. I must admit that there's always a parallelism with his life and mine, the only difference is that he got the chick, and he's a superhero.

So what's with the ruckus? Comic buffs who were able to watch and memorize the classic Superman 2 storyline just cant stop comparing the story of Peter Parker to Clark Kent; when the latter decided to hang his costume for good and lived a normal life for his Lois Lane. Peter did just like that, with a bunch of misfortunes and the signs of his powers draining out (but I believe it will be a part of his evolution vital for the next sequels, when Venom joins the fray) before finally deciding his retirement(temporarily) as a hero. With the coming of the 3 Krypton villains to earth and a new threat from Lex Luthor in Superman 2, Kal-El changed his mind. When the threat of Doc Oc came to full-blast, and some inspirational words from Aunt May, Spider-Man is back.

Life choices came to both Spider-Man and Superman. When they re-changed their minds, and finally accepted their fates as heroes, another tough decision is about to be made by their girlfriends(Lois and MJ).

From here, the picture is clear about the similarities between the two movies. And it's not coincidental that they are both superhero films.

So does it mean S-M2 is a bad film because of the alleged rip-off? I dont think so. As long as the story's good, with lots of fresh stunts (including Aunt May!!!), and the subliminal re-fueling of the energy of that eternal "adult comics fandom," it is good. Actually, S-M2 is better than its first movie. With a nice selection of soundtracks that hit the spot, both modern and classical, this movie is not an easy one to beat. Burt Bacharrach's popular song working in a superhero flick is just unbelievable. That music video style, fused with the classic (and immortal) song will appeal to both the young and old. Bruce Campbell (off that Army of Darkness fame), does a surprising and funny role too.

So far, my verdict is this: go watch the movie.
It wont disappoint and more importantly, it might change your mind about superheroes having that quarter-life crisis.

For the first place, a hero gets a life too, just like you and me. No matter how pathetic that life may seem.