Gen-X Wall-crawling without the Plaid Flannel
Gen-X Wall-crawling without the Plaid Flannel:
The Green Goblin's Last Stand in Context
R. W. Watkins
The Green Goblin’s Last Stand was already seven years old before I had even heard of the legendary fan flick.
It was the spring of 1999, and I was sitting in the food court of the St. John’s Village Mall with the Kinden Brothers. Randy was munching on New York Fries while Boyce and I partook of Mary Brown’s chicken. A girlfriend of mine from a decade earlier was smoking and taking sly peaks at me from a distant table. It was three years before the first official Spider-Man motion picture, and we were discussing the latest rumours surrounding a possible director and lead actor.
“They’ll never get a film off the ground because they’re all too busy fighting over the details in court,” remarked Boyce. “Some producers even want to see Venom featured.”
“As long as they’re not still thinking about casting Tom Cruise in the lead role,” I muttered.
“Actually, I’ve heard that the ultimate Spider-Man movie has already been made,” Boyce noted, “by a young fella only 22 years old. He just made it himself as a home movie, hoping Marvel or Hollywood would take notice and make him an offer.”
The subject of Dan Poole’s fan flick never came up between us again until a few months after Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man film, when Boyce and I were chatting on the telephone one drunken night.
“There’s no way Aunt May Parker would have ever referred to someone’s backside as an ‘ass’ in Lee and Ditko’s original comics,” I wagered.
“There’s no way she would have!” Boyce assured me. “That was completely out of character.”
“And what did you think of the Green Goblin costume?” I continued. “Did the mask look cheap and tacky or what!”
“Oh, Christ, tell me about it!” replied Boyce. “I’ve always heard that the most faithful movie adaptation of Spider-Man is that underground one by that young guy in his twenties—now I believe it!”
I didn’t actually get around to watching Dan Poole’s The Green Goblin’s Last Stand until a few years later, after I had signed up with the Internet and discovered it online. It was truly impressive, to say the least.
For those as unfamiliar as what I once was, let me lead you out of the dark by telling you that Poole’s fan ‘film’ was made for less than $400 between late 1991 and December of 1992, and was based on Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 121-122 (‘The Night Gwen Stacy Died’). It was made for the primary purpose of attracting the attention of director James Cameron, who had written a Spider-Man screenplay which Carolco Pictures had agreed to make. Sadly for Poole, Cameron and his handlers were not exactly accommodating of unsolicited demo reels, and all envelopes containing copies of the video were returned unopened. Some videotapes found their way into the hands of appreciative viewers, however, and soon bootleg copies began showing up at comic-book conventions and on eBay. Subsequently, the 45-minute movie has garnered a cult following over the years, with some describing it as the most sincere movie adaptation of Spider-Man comics ever made.
True, the movie does have its drawbacks. It goes without saying that the acting is amateur, of course. In his role as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Dan Poole lacks enunciation when speaking quickly, and his Baltimore dialect is a far cry from that of a typical Queens resident. Overall, however, he manages to pull off the role quite deftly, and his stunt scenes are particularly impressive. (Apparently, Poole broke his arm in the process.) In this, Poole stands in direct contrast to Jimi Kinstle, who required four stunt actors in his role as the Green Goblin. Also, complete with a small ’80s-style ponytail, Kinstle is obviously far too young for the Norman Osborn side of his role. In fact, Bob Tull looks slightly older in his role as Osborn’s son, Harry. On a positive note, Kinstle’s acting is appropriately over the top, bringing to mind that of Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet.
It is interesting that I noted Kinstle’s ponytail, for the thing that first grabbed my attention about this picture is how much it owes to the 1980s. (“1992? Looks more like ’82 for some reason,” writes one commenter on YouTube.) From the moment the picture starts, one is bombarded with ’80s pop culture in the form of the chosen soundtrack music. Face it, people: Howard Jones’s ‘Equality’ is not exactly Soundgarden. With its synthetic beats and robotic groove, it would be better suited to an ’80s porno flick. The characters’ appearances are also more in keeping with the earlier decade. For example, there’s Poole’s slick short hair and ‘preppie’ wardrobe. In the role of Gwen Stacy there’s Allison Adams with her big ’80s hair and tight sweater and braces. Personally, I didn’t know anyone who still looked and dressed like this by 1992 (which probably tells one more about me and the ‘grungy’ circles I moved in). A Gen-X’er like myself, clearly Poole still identified more with ’80s mainstream pop culture than the burgeoning ‘alternative’ scene of the ’90s. Bizarrely enough, these anachronisms actually work on a certain level, however. One must remember that the hair and wardrobes of many characters were already backdated in the early ’70s period of Amazing Spider-Man from which the story is drawn. The anachronisms in the movie unintentionally mirror those in the comics.
It is also interesting to note that the 1980s are probably synonymous with ‘cheap’ videotaped productions like no other decade. (Does anyone remember the Emmeritus company?) Videotape has long been criticised for its dubious colour and ‘realer than real’ resolution—the stuff of smokey-looking American soap operas and British interior scenes—and it has been largely replaced by digital cinematography in recent years. However, such a medium is also more in keeping with the cheap newsprint and spotty four-colour printing process one associates with classic comics, thereby giving The Green Goblin’s Last Stand a certain authenticity or sincerity.
It is safe to say that the movie’s audio presents more problems overall than its visual element. Dialogue is sometimes difficult to comprehend, particularly in some exterior and/or action scenes. Thankfully, said dialogue has the jovial lilt, subtle sarcasm and deadpan humour that one associates with the writing of Stan Lee and Gerry Conway in classic Amazing Spider-Man. In fact, much of the script has been lifted directly from the relevant comics.
Expedient improvisations and omissions often prove problematic, also. In one scene, Norman Osborn examines a copy of The Daily Bugle. On the front cover, a ‘photo’ of the Green Goblin by Peter Parker is represented by a black and white cartoon rather than an actual photo. Also, the Osborn townhouse appears rather modest and considerably less than roomy; it seems Poole and his friends had to settle for a semi-detached property that was somewhat less than grandiose. Furthermore, Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Robbie Robertson and other key characters from the early ’70s storyline are noticeably absent.
Such flaws did not prevent Poole and company from creating some effective scenes. Particularly effective are those involving Norman Osborn and his Goblin alter ego. Osborn’s return from the mental institution to his empty estate is rather unsettling and foreboding, due in no small part to the gloominess of the house and the eerie electronic music on the soundtrack. Also foreboding is Osborn’s visit to his old warehouse, where the viewer gets the first glimpse of the Goblin mask and bat-glider waiting ominously in the shadows. Having fully assumed his Goblin identity, Osborn appears out of nowhere at Peter’s flat, frightening an unsuspecting Gwen Stacy as she delivers a ‘soliloquy’ in Parker’s absence. The element of surprise establishes this as one of the more notable scenes.
Still, the most effective scenes by far are the fight scenes involving Spider-Man and Green Goblin. It is in these that the colourful costumes truly come alive, establishing iconic identity on a symbolic level in a manner previously only found in the classic comics. (Read more about the iconic power of colour in Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics, 1993.) It is also in these scenes that Poole makes notable use of low-tech special effects and props. The battle on the rooftop, with its webs, pumpkin bombs and Gwen Stacy’s fatal fall, is surprisingly convincing. The battle to the finish in the dark of Osborn’s abandoned warehouse proves even more deft. The Green Goblin’s death scene—accentuated by the blood on his smirking mask, and his writhing as the bat-glider penetrates his chest—is particularly powerful.
So what exactly is it that makes The Green Goblin’s Last Stand so eye-opening and commendable? For my money, it is the sheer realness of the amateur picture, coupled with a faithfulness to the original storyline. Also, the aforementioned costumes and accessories resemble those in the original 1960s and ’70s comics. The Goblin’s costume and bat-glider, for example, have not been technologically updated like those in Sam Raimi’s 2002 picture; but any anachronisms entailed by such retrogressing are overshadowed by a sincerity to the original comics imagery—something to which the devout and/or longtime fans can truly relate. The same holds true for the improvised effects and props: the wall-crawling and exploding pumpkin bombs are obviously not the sensational products of a Hollywood budget, but they appear both real and true to the classic comics. (Spider-Man’s webbing is the one major exception. Its twisty/knotty design owes more to Todd McFarlane’s late ’80s depictions than those of Gil Kane or Johnny Romita.)
“The Dan Poole film lacked a big budget,” my friend Randy Kinden says today, “but the movie had a lot of heart, and you can feel that Poole actually cares about the story and remains as close to the source material as possible!” He looks dubiously upon the products of Sam Raimi and his ilk. “These big-budget movies usually lack a decent script, and are full of CGI effects that look like crap and resemble a video game more so than a movie.”
The elder Kinden has a similar view of Poole’s movie. “To tell the truth, for all its cheapness, it was still rather good,” Boyce says today. “It really adhered to the original comic.” He maintains his dim view of Raimi’s subsequent blockbusters, claiming he “ABSOLUTELY hated” the first two installments in the series.
At the end of the day, it can be said that The Green Goblin’s Last Stand took the DIY ethos to new heights. Albeit unwittingly, Dan Poole demonstrated appropriate timing when he completed and first screened this movie during the height of the ‘grunge’ era. Similarly, the fan flick foretold of things to come—foreshadowing YouTube videographers; bloggers; and online amateur critics, journalists and historians who provide a healthy alternative to the professionals. Such augury in itself is certainly no small accomplishment.
Watch The Green Goblin's Last Stand in its entirety on Spike.com