The finale to a trilogy that broke boundaries is a hard task for anyone. With leaks, revisions, and human loss being a factor...well its a miracle we're talking about a finale at all. A film that has divided fans on every side of the fanbase since opening night, on todays episode we are watching and discussing The Dark Knight Rises.

A legendary performance, a tragic story, and a masterclass in filmmaking's powerful force. The follow up to Batman Begins found Christopher Nolan with a more nuanced and intricate story to tell. With a returning cast and two stellar villains that would juxtapose Bruce Wayne's mental state in more ways than one. Creating a mad scramble of a crime thriller with Heath Ledgers Joker as the star of the show in what would define the genre and his career before his passing. This is the Dark Knight.

It was nearly a decade since the world saw its greatest detective. With a new generation of the genre taking root, Christopher Nolan brought forward a new vision that would redefine how comic book movies were perceived and how films would be made. Gone was the camp that killed the franchise, in its place was a grounded take on the Dark Knight with all the prestige, horror and drama that existed in the panels of his books.

| SPOILER REVIEW PODCAST|

A failed spell creates a multiversal rift attracting everyone that knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man from other universes. These include villains like Doc Ock, Sandman, Electro, The Lizard, and Green Goblin. Removing these variants from the timeline is one thing but when Pete learns that their fate is to die….his actions cause a chain of events that lead down a path of destruction. In his darkest hour, Peter discovers the curse that has plagued others before him, beyond the multiverse.

In the aftermath of Endgame, Peter finds himself at odds with everything he's ever wanted in a world he doesn't understand. Running away from his responsibility as Spider-Man, wanting to spend the summer with his friends in Europe and impress MJ along the way. Being the next leader of the Avengers after losing Tony Stark is the last thing on his mind. However the dreaded Parker luck is a universal constant and the mantle he is about to inherit comes with much more than he knows...and even less that he can see.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a sprawling tapestry that has brought us entertainment for years. However it was always missing Marvel's flagship hero. When the second reboot came for Spidey the collective agreement was that Marvel Studios would fix what had been broken. With a younger Peter Parker (Tom Holland) that was no longer the only hero in New York who grew up idolizing the Avengers. With a stellar ensemble cast and story that highlights the optimistic early days of the worlds greatest superhero in the twilight of the MCU's silver age.

Tragedy was always embedded into Peters DNA even after the Spider bite. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 leaned into this with its narrative but behind the scenes drama would be its ultimate downfall. In order to keep up with a growing landscape, Sony pushed its second film to set up a whole Spider-Man cinematic universe to rival the MCU. Juggling Electro, Rhino, The Death of Gwen Stacy and setting up the sinister six. What we got was a movie that was destined for greatness which can be seen in snapshots but not the final cut.

After the collapse of Spider-Man 4, plans to reboot the franchise with a more grounded, modern and realistic vision for Spidey moved forward. Pioneered by indie filmmaker Marc Webb, this iteration of Peter Parker promised to shed a light on the loss of his parents and highlight the Gwen Stacy storyline. With Andrew Garfield taking the mantle we got a nuanced but different universe to swing through with The Amazing Spider-Man. One which had all the potential greatness of the previous films, with the lingering corporate trappings that destroyed it still weaving a web of its own.

A trilogy's natural progression has always been something rare to see fully realized. The Dark Knight and Captain America trilogies serve as prime examples of how it can be done right. However the Spider-Man trilogy has served how the pitfalls of studio interference can create a greater villain than anything possible. A film that was so contentious within the comic book community for nearly a decade, this episode we break down the tragic nature of Spider-Man 3. The production, the film and its legacy since it released.

What happens when life's hardships meets the proportionate strength of a spider? 

You get one of the best superhero movies ever made. The follow up to the groundbreaking and record smashing hit from 2002 had a lot on its shoulders. Sam Raimi upped the stakes for Peter Parker in every way physically but it was the mental and emotional battle which became the webhead's greatest yet. 

A multi faceted dive into the character that has set the standard for every movie since then, on todays show we discuss Spider-Man 2.