As cinemas reopen and audiences feel comfortable socialising again, the latest superhero film, Spider-Man: No Way Home has just been released.
Spider-man has appeared on TV and film numerous times in the past, with some less memorable portrayals in the 1970s and 1980s but Sam Raimi’s Spiderman in 2002 being highly successful, building on the popularity of X-Men and some of the 1990s superhero films such as Blade. Superhero films also found a receptive audience in post-9/11 USA, the escapism and patriotic tone working well with the vicarious defeat of foes.
Spider-Man proved to be the perfect embodiment of American values as a high-school pupil facing the everyday challenges of day-to-day life as Peter Parker, then defeating enemies of society as his superhero alter-ego. As Peter Parker was not wealthy or reliant on technology his friendships and relationships could appear typical for a young American, his normality setting a benchmark of how typical citizens might live and behave.
The Spider-Man reboots of 2012 and 2017 saw Andrew Garfield then Tom Holland take over the role with different plots but comparable interpretations of Spiderman himself. This current movie is the third one to star Tom Holland and now parallels the Marvel Cinematic Universe, meshing in with Avengers films and Dr Strange.
There are thrilling actions scenes, excellent CGI and good performances but underlying it all is the superhero's reluctance to improve the world beyond dealing with a few random criminals, sometimes touching on a wider conspiracy but generally solving it through physical violence. Ultimately, these films are fun but refuse to ask hard questions about the world we live in.