Spider-Man: Turn on the Snark

The backlash against Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark grows.

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For every Iron-Man and Dark Knight which make the transition from comic book pages to the big-screen look effortless, (or, in the case of and “Walking Dead” and “Smallville” the transition to the small screen), there are dozens of Daredevils and Fantastic Fours that bumble, stumble and otherwise squander their sous on their way to the screen. The resulting projects often feel lifeless, childish, and downright silly.

From early looks at their trailers, Green Hornet and Green Lantern both feel destined to join Cat Woman in the League of Extraordinary Adaptation Failures. (Maybe they’ll surprise me.)

Early photos from Captain America do little to assuage my fears about this one, either.

The (ill-advised?) decision to launch a high-profile musical adaption of Spider-Man for Broadway may proves that the transition to stage may be even more treacherous. Even heavy-hitters like Julie Taymor, and a music and lyrics by the musical team of U2’s Bono and the Edge, may not be able to scale this tower.

Worried about feedback from the ComicCon and Dragon*Con crowd?

Fan-Boys, meet the Broadway Bitches.

Snarky Fan-Boys can’t hold a candle to the critical, and backlash unleashed by the criterati. The New York Post’s piece offers a glimpse, calling “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark”, “an epic flop” where the “high-tech gadgetry went completely awry amid a dull score and baffling script.”

Tweets such as this one by @TheTrace and @DamianLovesTV, show how, in the age of Twitter and the Web the problem is exacerbated:

“Is canceling my ticket to #Spiderman thanks to @SeanPMartin’s review. Guess I’ll just see Cats again.”


@SeanPMartin @jfuentes ok, wow. I saw the preview of “Annie 2” back in the ’90s and Sean’s tweets make “Spider-Man” sound even worse.