A spiritual perspective on the new movie, Spider-man 3, opening nationwide May 4.
Whatever battle we have raging within us, we always have a choice. Wise words from Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man ), who learns the full weight of those choices as he battles with not only his own desire for personal revenge but others' desires for revenge on Spider-Man. Parker takes a walk on the dark side and finds that the power of rage is short-lived but the side effects may be permanent.
The black Spidey suit you've seen in previews is actually a living organism from another planet that aggressively makes a symbiotic takeover of whatever it touches — heightening negative feelings and traits and drawing power from those internal forces. Parker has been troubled for years by the murder of his uncle, and the creature-suit latches on to that frustration and the fresh wounds produced by the escape of the murderer. It turns a superhero into a vengeful vigilante.
Wise old Aunt May warns Peter that revenge is like a poison. It can take you over and turn you into something ugly. I've heard the same advice given a bit more elaborately — dealing with anger and dark thoughts of every kind:
"[H]atred is a plague-spot that spreads its virus and kills at last. If indulged, it masters us; brings suffering upon suffering to its possessor, throughout time and beyond the grave." (Mary Baker Eddy , "Miscellaneous Writings," Page 12)
A poison. A virus. A plague. Stuff you think we'd want to avoid! But just like Parker, we all face events in life that bring out rage we never knew we were capable of. Maybe something happens personally, or maybe it's an event across the country or even the world. The deep-seated desire to do something in response can be overwhelming. Justice must be done, anger urges into our thoughts. That rage would lead us to justify an act we would never normally consider to bring about that justice. But I imagine it is rare, if not impossible, that anything done in the heat of anger is done wisely, properly or correctly.
And what if we are wrong, as Parker is, much to his dismay, about the event that led to all this desire for revenge in the first place? What if the seemingly guilty are really innocent or not so terrible after all? How do we recover from the horrible things we have felt driven to do — both with those we have injured and within our own conscience?
"Self-ignorance, self-will, self-righteousness, lust, covetousness, envy, revenge, are foes to grace, peace and progress; they must be met manfully and overcome, or they will uproot all happiness. Be of good cheer; the warfare with one's self is grand; it gives one plenty of employment, and the divine Principle [God] worketh with you — and obedience crowns persistent effort with everlasting victory. (Mary Baker Eddy, "Miscellaneous Writings," Page 118)
That warfare with one's self is what Parker means by "the battle within" — the choices we make to follow vengeful thoughts or to release them and manfully (or womanfully) overcome them.
Though Parker has to use human will in his efforts for reform, I'm always inspired by the fact that divine Love walks with me and directs me toward actions that will bless my fellow man — even when he or she has not blessed me. Even when someone has wronged me. Vengeful thoughts have no place in the Christ-based life I chose to lead.
It's not about fear of hellfire or karma or any other such thing. I have just learned through hard experience that hating someone does nothing to harm them and very much to harm me. Being angry and holding on to that anger (no matter how justified it would seem) can bring me down faster than any poison or virus or plague.
Retaliation is not worth the price I would have to pay in my own consciousness. All that negative thought would only delay my spiritual journey and progress toward understanding my true nature as God's child. That's a walk that God supports and takes with me each day. And I can trust that He is walking with everyone else too, so that the whole race is uplifted and the balance is adjusted with divine justice — which is never mistaken or off-base.
"Spider-Man 3" may not take Peter Parker to that deeper spiritual level, but it does draw the conclusions that revenge is a downward spiral that brings nothing but destruction on everyone concerned. The temporary feeling of power that anger bestows is not worth the long-term costs.
While not the best of the Spider-Man trio, this film will still surely be a hit with the teenage and young adult moviegoing audience, not to mention doing well at the box office. I admit to getting a bit bored more than once with the multiple, lengthy fight scenes — some of which move so fast, it is hard to discern exactly what is going on. Definitely a guy flick.
But there is a valiant attempt at a moral message, including themes of friendship and honor, as well as some fun moments. Topher Grace is a horrifically nasty Venom (and probably the reason for the PG-13 rating) and Toby Maguire must have had a blast getting to be a bit bad and nasty himself when the black-suit creature takes over Spider-Man. My husband was even willing to easily forgive the misuse of characters from the original comic books, which often can ruin this genre of movie for him. Not bad for the third installment in a series — a number that rarely promises a good film.
So if you have an evening to kill and want to spend some time with the family, "Spider-Man 3" is a film free of nudity or excessive profanity and bloodshed, and a fun ride too. Maybe the kids will even leave thinking about how vengeance doesn't pay. Stan Lee would say, "'nuff said."
"Spider-Man 3" opens nationwide on Friday, May 4. Appropriately PG-13, there are scenes involving comic book-type violence and peril that may be too much for younger children.
Meg Welch Dendler is an avid moviegoer, always on the lookout for a uplifting, spiritual message. She'll tell you when she's successful and warn you when to save your money. You can reach Meg to comment on this piece or suggest a movie for review in this column at
