From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"Actually, we can understand it this way."

"The core of the 'Spider-Man' story, from the first to the second film, is choice. Every character has the opportunity to choose. Peter hesitates between choosing justice and choosing himself. Doctor Octopus chooses between pursuing the true meaning of science and maintaining his original intention to avoid destroying the world. Harry chooses between believing Peter and believing his own eyes, blinded by hatred."

"Often, people say, 'I had no choice, so I was forced to turn to evil.' But in fact, everyone has a choice. How to define the moral bottom line, how to define oneself, the right to choose always exists."

"The other aspect is Harry. How does he view Peter, and how does he face the pain of losing his father, while also being trapped in the regret of losing Mary Jane? He once tried to choose the side of light, but ultimately succumbed to evil."

"In a sense, it's similar to Anakin Skywalker in 'Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace', how to make choices in the face of adversity and setbacks."

In short, Harry now possesses a small psychological arc.

Therefore, when Harry appears, it's no longer purely about connecting the plot. The interaction between Harry and Peter needs more detail to enrich the plot and the characters.

Although it's not much, it can add completeness to the entire film.

After speaking, Anson noticed James's meaningful gaze.

Anson thought James was going to complain, so he looked back directly.

James raised his head slightly, speaking directly without concealing anything, "So, you're planning to have me and Hayden play the same character, and then compete?"

In "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones", the role of Anakin Skywalker was played by Hayden Christensen, and Hayden now has absolutely no connection with them.

Sam and Kristen didn't understand, but Anson and James were exchanging glances.

Anson was stunned—

To be honest, he hadn't realized this at all. It was just a simple example, or rather, he hadn't remembered Hayden for a very, very long time.

Now that James mentioned it, Anson couldn't help but smile.

Then, Anson nodded slightly, "What, are you worried you can't do it?"

James glared, "You're the one who can't do it. Don't talk nonsense."

Anson looked calm, "So, do you have confidence or not?"

James: ...

Stuttering for a moment, James raised his chest, patting it loudly with his right hand, "Nonsense, watch and see, how could I be worse than that guy."

Sam and Kristen exchanged glances inadvertently. It was clear that something must have happened between Anson, James, and Hayden; but neither of them were gossipy people, so they remained silent, focusing on their own business.

It wasn't until Anson looked at Sam, "What about Mary Jane?"

Kristen was stunned—

There's even her?

Back then, Kristen agreed to star in "Spider-Man 2" for one important reason: Anson. She believed that works starring Anson could bring a different kind of quality, at least not just simple popcorn fare.

However, reality fell slightly short of expectations. Mary Jane in the film was just a vase responsible for screaming and waiting to be rescued, which was inevitably disappointing.

Kristen wasn't too sad, because the salary numbers don't lie.

The income from filming "Spider-Man" allowed her to live comfortably and freely choose scripts and roles that interested her, like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

It was a worthwhile deal.

But undeniably, there was still a small expectation deep down, hoping that the sequel could change some things and improve the quality of the plot.

Unfortunately, after getting the script, she was still disappointed—

A soap opera, even more so than the first film.

Could it be that Anson had the same idea as her?

Indeed, Anson had the same idea.

In Anson's opinion, there was really no need to stage a "Graduate"-style runaway bride scene, because the characters lacked edges and weight, and the plot lacked impact, ultimately leaving only clichés; if you wanted to avoid clichés, you needed to spend time depicting the emotional tug-of-war and bonds, giving the cliché plot enough dramatic tension to move the audience's hearts.

But if it couldn't be done, it should be streamlined.

Anson's suggestion was that Mary Jane could have suitors, but she didn't accept them, because she was also constantly thinking about why Peter rejected her, and what her feelings for Peter and Spider-Man were. Before she figured it out, she didn't want to repeat her mistakes and get involved in another relationship?

Thinking about it carefully, Mary Jane has always lacked a sense of security and certainty due to her family background. She needs someone to be by her side to reassure her, so in the first film of the series, she dated different people one after another, jumping into another relationship immediately after ending one, until she found the "certainty" she was looking for in Peter.

However, the story of the second film in the series came back again. After being rejected by Peter, she accepted another person and even entered the marriage stage, finally regretting it again and running back to Peter.

Speaking with high emotional intelligence, everyone has their own psychological trauma and is always repeating their mistakes.

Speaking with low emotional intelligence, it's laziness. The emotional line of the second film directly copied and pasted the first film, so that the character of Mary Jane was always standing still.

And, most importantly—

In the first film of the series, Mary Jane and Peter had a sincere conversation, laying the emotional foundation for the two, at least making the transition somewhat persuasive and able to make the audience empathize; but the second film in the series didn't have that. The back-and-forth tug-of-war was only soap opera level.

This isn't just laziness, it's simply perfunctory.

If it's not possible to awaken thought and excitement like "Batman Begins", at least it should bring more impact on the level of emotional connection like "Avengers: Endgame", even if it's sentimental, it doesn't matter.

So, most basically, they can add a scene to give this relationship something that resonates with the audience, otherwise the emotional impact of the film is approximately zero.

But I don't know how Sony Columbia views it.

Sam's expression paused slightly.

Anson immediately understood: That kind of unease, so it was here.

Sam looked a little embarrassed, "Sony Columbia believes that the film needs this kind of youthful campus love story to be attractive. People still like the story of 'Romeo and Juliet', at least more than 'When Harry Met Sally'."

Anson wasn't surprised, and sighed softly, "It's already the twenty-first century, and the aesthetic of love in genre films is still 'I love her, she loves him, he doesn't love her'. Whoever made this decision should grow up."

A casual complaint.

Beside him, Kristen couldn't help but smile, the corners of her mouth rising, but she still maintained some politeness, lowering her head to hide her smile.