I know the announcement about Spider-Man being rebooted was made a week ago. And since then I’ve been mulling over how I really feel about it.

First of all, I’m all for a change of direction in the Spider-Man franchise. Sam Raimi’s trilogy are some of my favorite movies that I have a personal connection too. Tobey Maguire was the perfect Peter Parker.  JK Simmons was even better as J. Jonah Jameson, and Kirsten Dunst was decent as Mary Jane. (She wasn’t great but she was tolerable) But lets face it, the cast is getting older and Raimi can only direct Spidey for so long before he gets bored so as the old saying goes, “it’s better to go out on a high note than wear out your welcome.” By Spider-Man 3 the magic of Raimi and his team was fading and a new direction was needed but not a reboot.I like the idea of Marc Webb directing Spider-Man. Though, I  didn’t see “500 Days of Summer” but I’ve heard good things about it and from the looks of it, it looks like he can bring a fresh perspective to the franchise. I also like the idea of a new cast. But I don’t think a reboot is a good use of their talents. There is a fresh direction the franchise can go in if one looks at how Raimi’s trilogy ended.

Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy had a thematic beginning, middle, and end. A story about coming to terms with power and responsibility. He’s found his place in the world, but his story is not done. What is the next step? How the world reacts to Spider-Man and his super foes. How would say organized crime react to Spider-Man’s existence?  Why they would create their own super-villains. Like Raimi’s trilogy (or Star Wars) make each movie stand on it’s own while being part of a larger story. The larger story could be Spider-Man bringing down the Kingpin. The Kingpin would use his vast resources to create or hire Super-Villains to fight Spider-Man. This allows the director to take Spider-Man in a fresh, edgier, direction, while maintaining the heart that made the previous trilogy so great. It also allows the director to mine Spider-Man’s vast Rogues Gallery all the while building momentum for a final confrontation with the Kingpin. It’s a continuation but it’s also a fresh start.

Lightning doesn’t strike twice. I, along with millions of others, saw the first Spider-Man movie and it’s sequels. They first two were great. The third had its moments but ultimately was doing too much without enough time. It did not turn the franchise into a joke like “Batman & Robin.” It did not kill everybody off like “X-Men 3”. The Spider-Man franchise can be salvaged without a reboot. All it takes is a little creativity.