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| Fig 1 |
Sam Raimi’s action packed superhero film, “Spiderman” (2002) is an excellent
example that focuses on the breakdown of two opposing characters. Beginning
with the personal history of the
protagonist, Peter Parker, he is a University student who is prone to bullying
and is not popular at all. He lives with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben and leads a
normal life. Norman Osborne (a.k.a the Green Goblin) is a wealthy scientist who
produces advanced machinery and inventions. His son, Harry, is best friends
with Peter.
The inherited world is
the present day of the films production – 2002 America. Peter begins at University,
is seen graduating, and then battling the green goblin on the streets.
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| Fig 2 |
Peter Parkers wants his
crush, Mary Jane, to like him back, and Norman wishes to continue to make
something advances and amazing to impress the board of examiners. However, it
is more clear that Peter needs to
avenge the death of his uncle, and to forgive himself for letting the robber
escape and end up killing Ben. Norman needs the funding from the board to
continue is research, but his funding is threatened if he doesn’t produce
something incredible.
Peters internal vs
external traits: as discussed, at the beginning of the film, he is a bullied
“geek” who is walked all over by everyone. These are also his flaws. By the end, he is Spider-Man: a
powerful superhero that everyone looks up to and relies on for their safety.
Norman is initially a committed scientist, but he ends up taking things too far
by experimenting on himself and losing his mind.
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| Fig 3 |
The overall story arc
includes Peter being bitten by a modified spider, and slowly discovering he has
super powers. Peter is also facing conflict
as he becomes very ill once bitten, and then doesn’t know how to use his
powers. He then graduates and uses his abilities to fight crime, and makes his
own costume and dons the name Spiderman.
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| Fig 4 |
Norman’s meanwhile experiments on himself with performance
enhancing chemicals that ultimately makes him go insane and kills his assistant
as well as destroys the laboratory. Norman is at conflict with himself, as one
minute he is normal, and the next, he hears voices and then returns to being
evil.
Another conflict is
when Peter unknowingly lets a robber escape, and then finds his Uncle Ben shot
and dying in his arms. Peter is determined to get revenge and races after the
murderer and realises it’s the same man he let escape. The robber eventually
falls to his death, but Peter can’t forgive himself.
Norman then goes on to interrupt a military experiment and
kills scientists and General Slocum with his modified weapons.
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| Fig 5 |
The Green Goblin and Spider-Man face off against one another
in an action-packed fight, and they are both wounded, and once again Peter is
facing conflict as he is forced to choose between saving a bus full of
children, or Mary Jane. He ends up saving both and they continue to fight, but
it comes to an abrupt stop (and value
change in a scene) as Norman reveals himself to Peter as the Green Goblin. Norman
begs for forgiveness, but that the same time is waiting for his glider to
impale Spider-man. Peter dodges, and this Norman is killed. At the funeral,
Normans son, Harry, swears to get revenge on Spider-Man for killing his father,
and Mary Jane finally confesses she’s in love with Peter. However, as Peter
wants to keep her safe from any more of his enemies, he hides his true feelings
and tells her they should just remain friends.
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