The speaker, who introduces himself as a film theory enthusiast, starts by reflecting on the year 2018, particularly the success of the "Spider-Verse" animated movie. He mentions that the movie was a great tribute to the Sam Raimi "Spider-Man" trilogy, which redefined superhero movies during their darkest days. He also highlights the movie's role in the superhero Renaissance and its reference to the Thanos snap 17 years before it became popular.
The speaker then delves into a detailed analysis of the "Spider-Man 2" movie, focusing on the character of Peter Parker's powers and their connection to his mental health. He theorizes that Peter Parker's powers start to fail due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He uses the Anxiety and Depression Association of America's (ADAA) diagnostic criteria for PTSD to support his theory, pointing out that Peter Parker meets all the criteria.
The speaker also discusses how Peter Parker's powers come back when he is in danger, suggesting that this is a psychological response to the trauma. He argues that Peter Parker's powers are tied to his mental health, and that he starts to regain control over his life when he begins to address his PTSD.
In conclusion, the speaker suggests that the "Spider-Man" movies, including "Spider-Verse", can serve as a role model for psychological strength, showing that superheroes, like everyone else, have their own issues and that battling against depression or the effects of trauma is a real and important battle.
1. The speaker begins by welcoming the Internet to "film theory".
2. The speaker appreciates the year 2018, particularly for the "Spider-Man" PS4 game.
3. The speaker mentions that the "Spider-Man" PS4 game crashed and was nearly a game of the year.
4. The speaker finds the "Venom" movie more enjoyable than most people expected.
5. The "Spider-Verse" movie earned nearly a billion dollars.
6. The speaker describes the "Spider-Verse" movie as the best animated movie they have seen in years.
7. The speaker acknowledges the loss of one "Spidey" press f to pay respects.
8. The speaker mentions that "Spider-Verse" gave them another 6 characters to root for.
9. The speaker gives a tribute to the Sam Raimi "Spider-Man" trilogy.
10. The speaker mentions that the "Spider-Man" trilogy redefined what superhero movies were in their darkest days.
11. The speaker mentions that the "Spider-Man" trilogy was responsible for the superhero Renaissance.
12. The speaker mentions that the "Spider-Man" trilogy was the one that did the Thanos snap 17 years before it became a meme.
13. The speaker mentions that the references to the past movies in "Spider-Verse" were just that, references to those past movies.
14. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker is not the same one as the one from those older movies.
15. The speaker mentions that the "Spider-Man" trilogy was not just about the standard Spider Man but also about the mystery that was never explained in the movies.
16. The speaker mentions that there was a mystery that has remained unsolved for the last 17 years.
17. The speaker mentions that they believe they can finally answer this mystery.
18. The speaker mentions that in "Spider-Man 2", Peter Parker loses his powers.
19. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker briefly gives up the masks to focus on his personal life.
20. The speaker mentions that when the threat of the super-powerful Doc Ock emerges, Spidey's powers just conveniently come back.
21. The speaker mentions that this is probably just for plot convenience.
22. The speaker mentions that if there's an explanation that goes beyond, it was important to the theme of the movie.
23. The speaker mentions that they believe there is a legitimate scientific explanation for this.
24. The speaker mentions that the "Spider-Man" trilogy was about Norman Osborn, who does some sciencing on himself to gain laboratory-induced superpowers.
25. The speaker mentions that Norman Osborn does all the usual villain stuff, menaces New York, and turns people into spooky scary skeletons.
26. The speaker mentions that in the final battle, Norman drops both the tramcar and Mary Jane off the Roosevelt Island Bridge.
27. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker manages to save a bowl, gets dunked on by Andrew Garfield, but in the course of the final battle, ends up killing Norman.
28. The speaker mentions that this takes a mental toll on Peter.
29. The speaker mentions that after Norman's funeral, Peter rejects the advances of Mary Jane.
30. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker in "Spider-Man 2" qualifies in each and every one of the four categories of diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
31. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker in "Spider-Man 2" hits all three of the first set of criteria.
32. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker in "Spider-Man 2" checks off each and every one of these qualifiers.
33. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker in "Spider-Man 2" checks practically every item off the list.
34. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker in "Spider-Man 2" gives himself some rudimentary PTSD therapy in the movie.
35. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker in "Spider-Man 2" gives up his costume and starts focusing on his normal life again.
36. The speaker mentions that Peter Parker in "Spider-Man 2" gets his job under control, starts focusing on his normal life again, and reconnects with Mary James.