The controversial fan-made film Spider-Man: Lotus was released on August 11, and surprising no one, it’s terrible. When YouTuber Gavin J. Konop began advertising the film in 2021, it garnered an unusual amount of attention for a fan film. Konop advertised the film as a “passion project” and claimed that it would be a psychological drama exploring Spider-Man’s (Warden Wayne) grief at losing his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Tuyen Powell).
Fans are always interested in the emotional story arc of Spider-Man and the losses he has faced, which might be why some were interested in Spider-Man: Lotus. The film even caught the attention of Jon Watts and Andrew Garfield, who very kindly took the time to congratulate Konop on his trailer.
However, by 2022, Spider-Man: Lotus started gaining attention for a different reason. Both Konop and the film’s lead, Wayne, were accused of homophobia and racism. Resurfaced texts and posts from Wayne and Konop that included racial slurs and homophobic messages began circulating on the internet. Many of the leaked messages were text conversations between Wayne and Konop. Additionally, messages resurfaced of Konop insulting Watts after the filmmaker had personally congratulated him on his film, though Konop later claimed those messages were photoshopped. Both Wayne and Konop issued apologies in which they largely excused what they did due to being young and ignorant.
Since then, further allegations have arisen, including Konop underpaying and overworking his artists and speaking about his actresses in a derogatory and misogynistic manner. There are also grooming allegations that have been circulating online regarding one of the actors, though it’s unclear what the source of these allegations is. Considering all of these issues, many hoped that the film would simply stay in the drafts. Unfortunately, Konop went ahead with releasing the film.
The good thing is that the brutal reviews are letting everyone know Spider-Man: Lotus isn’t worth watching.
Spider-Man: Lotus roasted by critics and audiences
Spider-Man: Lotus started trending on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after its release, with every reaction and review panning the film. Meanwhile, it’s not just the controversy surrounding Spider-Man: Lotus that is leaving a bad taste in viewers’ mouths. It’s that Spider-Man: Lotus is truly a terrible film in more ways than one. Despite raising lots of money to make the movie a reality, the quality is terrible and cheap-looking. One common complaint was that the establishing shots of New York City drag on for ages and are randomly placed in the middle of intense scenes. The story has also been highly criticized for being a depressing mess that includes Spider-Man trauma-dumping on a child who has cancer.
Some may think that the movie’s controversy and its terrible quality are two separate things. However, it seems another major complaint about the film is that Konop’s personality and beliefs are reflected in it. Many critics pointed out that Konop’s arrogance, ego, and spite shine through in the film. It’s not a “passion project” made out of love for the franchise or the product of hard work, research, and experience. Instead, it’s someone trying desperately to prove that they’re better and bigger than the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Watts, and everyone else, despite not knowing anything about the franchise or filmmaking. As a result, it’s not surprising that Spider-Man: Lotus is pretentious and an empty, dull, and depressing take on the character.
Fortunately, some Twitter users are pointing out that there are other fans out there who are actually passionate about Spider-Man and aren’t weighed down by countless controversies. Looking into fan-made films made by anyone besides Konop would be a great alternative to giving Spider-Man: Lotus a view.
Now that it is known that Spider-Man: Lotus is a terrible film riddled with controversy, maybe it won’t get any more support. For the 1.6 million viewers who have at least clicked on the film on YouTube, hopefully they learned that supporting a controversial figure for their “art” isn’t worth it and that sometimes there is no separation between a controversial person and their “art.” In this case, Konop’s controversial behavior and attitude shine very clearly through the film, and it’s no work of art.
(featured image: Gavin J. Konop)
