Spider-Man 3: Back in Black

He's back. This time with a chip on his shoulder and an axe to grind.

In our previous Pop Culture post, we hoped for the best in Spider-Man 3.

We weren't hoping that the movie would smash every box office record in existence (which it did), but rather that it would retain the innocence and values of the last two movies while keeping the main character relatively squeaky clean.
In other words, we were hoping that Spidey would remain kid friendly and mother approved.

After viewing the movie, I can sigh a sigh of relief. Hollywood did not inject this one with its patented, morally perverse world view.

Amidst the dark tones (Spidey's new black suit amplifies his lust for vengeance, power, and fame), Spider-Man 3 still delivers a character kids can count on.

There's plenty of morality in this movie.

I was surprised to find such strong messages on self-sacrifice, forgiveness, repentance, redemption and choices.

Don't be afraid of Spider-Man's brief trip to the dark side. It's a lesson for all of us on the destructive power of pride and the deadly sting of sin.

We all have a "black suit" we like to wear from time to time. And like Spidey's, our black suit wants to bond with us and take over our lives, creating misery in us and in the people around us.

Spidey's black suit was eventually called "Venom". Ours is simply called "sin".

But just as Spidey goes to the cross to rid himself of his "Venom", (in the movie, he battles his black suit persona in the bell tower of a church), so we must go the cross of Christ to rid ourselves of ours.


Hebrews 11 reads:

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,
let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.
Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;
then you won’t become weary and give up.

4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.


Spider-Man 3 brings to the summer movie screen the "struggle against sin" in a big budget super-hero parable.

In his review for Focus on the Family, Bob Hoose writes:

"...the CGI web-slinging and sandy shape-shifting may be right off the pages of a comic book, but the struggle it represents is of biblical proportions. (Romans 7 chimes in with, "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.") And the movie's ultimate resolutions take on a scriptural tone as well."

(Click on the link above to read the entire article or click here.)

Last summer's comic book adventure, Superman Returns, gave us a super-hero as a saviour.

This summer's comic book adventure, Spider-Man 3, gives us a super-hero in need of a saviour.

Spider-Mans back in black? Yes he is, but thank God he doesn't stay that way.