YMMV / Spider-Man: Lotus

---

• Bile Fascination: Many heard of the movie through the many controversies it and its production found itself in, and were anticipating its eventual release just to see how much of a trainwreck it would end up being. When the movie actually came out, that also shifted to how bad those who watched it claimed it to be.
• Jerkass Woobie: Peter is definitely not the nicest to be around at this point in the story as he constantly lashes out and pushes away both Harry and MJ but he is also dealing with the death of Gwen and the guilt of feeling that he got her killed by being Spider-Man and putting her in the Green Goblins crosshairs. It takes meeting Tim and a big What the Hell, Hero? from Tim’s mother that makes him realize how much of a jerk he was being and to make amends with Harry and Mary Jane.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Shortly after the behind-the-scene leaks revealed various offensive remarks from the actors playing Peter Parker and Norman Osborn, fans quickly gave the derisive Fan Nicknames "Racist Spider-Man" and "Racist/Pedo Green Goblin" to those iterations of the characters, as well as inventing scenes where they displayed racist tendencies (with a particular emphasis on how Lotus's iteration of Peter would react upon meeting Miles Morales in the Spider-Verse movies).
  • "It was me, Gavin." ^ExplanationA notable leaker on the film revealed that he grew up idolizing Gavin only to be incensed as they drifted apart, resulting in him plotting revenge ever since he was nine to destroy Gavin. Many have also compared the leaker to Syndrome.
  • When the premiere date was announced, many detractors joked that the only people who would actually show up were white supremacists, sometimes accompanied by a clip of Markiplier saying “the Ku Klux Klan!”.
  • The Racist Cinematic Universe^Explanation A Superman fan-film called “Superman: Solar” gained traction on the internet due to people noting that it underwent a similar controversy to Lotus regarding offensive remarks made by the cast. As a result, many joked that these fan-films would be the start of the Racist Cinematic Universe, or the “RCU.”
• Narm Charm: As with a lot of fan films many find that the very limited budget this short film obviously has makes it this as not only does it have some very impressive VFX but also allows the film to focus more on Peter and his struggles rather then just Spider-Man “fighting the bad guy” trope.
• Overshadowed by Controversy: While the fan film was pretty strongly publicized upon its announcement and development, it later got the worst kind of exposure after it came to light that two of the actors and the director posted racist remarks, the director had badmouthed Jon Watts' Spider-Man movies even after Watts had voiced his support for Lotus, and the crew were mistreated, casting a dark shadow over the fan film. Even before its release, many could barely show excitement due to the massive controversy.
• Tainted by the Preview: The first few minutes of the film and a fight between Spidey and the Green Goblin leaked online, with many commenting on the amateurish camerawork, action, and dialogue. While this wouldn't usually be a problem for fan films, a large portion of people expected more given the film had a $100,000 budget and many other fan films had been made for far less and were more impressive.
• Tear Jerker: The film combines two of the most solemn Spider-Man stories in the character's history, what did you expect?
  • Peter’s state in general at the beginning of the film. Still reeling from Gwen’s loss Peter has begun pushing Harry and Mary Jane away, and is seriously considering giving up being Spider-Man
  • Harry isn’t doing much better having lost both his father and Gwen he’s relapsed to using pills simply because he feels like he has nothing and no one left.
  • While it is a Foregone Conclusion, it doesn't make the shot of Tim’s grave — showing that he passed soon after his time with Spider-Man — any less depressing, especially since Tim is a kid.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: Basically one of the biggest criticisms of the film (even without counting the controversy about the cast's unearthed comments) was how overtly bleak the film is overall, making audiences wonder why anyone would care about what happens to the character. Peter spends much of the film lashing out at people, ostensibly due to the loss of Gwen, but even when the film adapts "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" (the story where Peter does everything he can to give a terminally-ill kid the dream of meeting his hero, remains well-composed and affable despite the weight of the situation, and only briefly shows open signs of self-doubt when the kid specifically asks him about why he fights crime), he instead basically trauma-dumps everything he's been feeling about with Gwen's death to the kid.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: While Peter is presented as a Jerkass Woobie after losing Gwen, he spends much of the film lashing out and acting like an asshole in a fashion that never gets fully reckoned with. The goal of the film was to present a more evidently flawed Spidey for the sake of being closer to the comics, but it stands out when the film is also closely adapting comics stories and still makes Peter visibly whinier and angrier than he was in those stories. It stands out in particular when the film adapts "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man": in the original comic, Peter does everything he can to give the kid the dream of meeting his hero, remains well-composed and affable despite the weight of the situation, and only briefly shows open signs of self-doubt when the kid specifically asks him about why he fights crime. In the film, he basically trauma-dumps everything he's been feeling about with Gwen's death to the face of a kid with cancer all for the sake of telling him "what he had to hear".
• Visual Effects of Awesome:
  • The 60s-inspired Spider-Man suit made for the film is pretty impressive, all things considered.
  • Likewise, the final swing has been praised for its frenetic energy, polished VFX, and Awesome Music hearkening to the theme song of Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

---