First, a message: To
the folks who brought a baby to the screening I attended, and when that baby
started crying incessantly, simply sat there and actually gave a belligerent
and hostile response to the usher who eventually went over to them and politely
suggested that they take the baby out of the theater until it calmed down—you
are low-class, loathsome, vulgar, inconsiderate PIGS.
(Luckily for me, these
low-lives were sitting way on the other side of the theater, so their little
brat wasn’t TOO much of a distraction. But I felt awful for the people who were
sitting near them.)
Okay, with that out of
the way…
WARNING: MILD SPOILERS
AHEAD
The Amazing Spider-Man is a
flawed but effective film, certainly a big step in the right direction after
the bloated, ill-conceived, and poorly executed mess that was 2007’s Spider-Man 3.
The new film is a bit
moodier and darker than the previous three directed by Sam Raimi. It lacks some
of the over-the-top wildness and the moments of unadulterated fun and joy that
Raimi infused into his trilogy. That’s not a criticism, really, just an
observation.
Amazing does share some
of the same weaknesses as its immediate predecessor, however. First and
foremost is the coincidental nature of how the main characters are connected to
each other: We learn that Peter Parker’s scientist father was once partners
with Dr. Curt Connors, who just happens to be the mentor of Peter Parker’s new
girlfriend Gwen Stacy, who just happens to be the daughter of NYPD Captain
George Stacy, who just happens to be leading the task force to capture
Spider-Man. Admittedly, it’s not nearly as egregious as it was in Spider-Man 3, and, to be fair, even the
original Spider-Man comics—as well as one of my all-time favorite films—are
guilty of this kind of thing.
Also, there are too
many instances of Spider-Man taking off or losing his mask, and I was alarmed
by the number of characters who discover his identity, especially this early in
his career.
There’s also the
matter of Spider-Man’s powers. Just one example: In the first three films,
director Sam Raimi was inconsistent in portraying how Spider-Man’s spider-sense
worked, but at least there was never any question that Peter Parker had that
super-power. That’s not the case in Amazing.
In fact, I would argue that it’s implied that the spider-sense isn’t part of Spider-Man’s set of
abilities in this cinematic reboot—how else could Dr. Connors, having
transformed into the villainous Lizard, sneak up behind Spidey and get the drop
on him in a dark sewer tunnel? (Maybe we’ll find out for sure whether he’s got
the spider-sense in the just-announced sequel.)
And while I’m on the
subject of Dr. Connors/the Lizard, my assessment is that he’s a very
underdeveloped character, far more so than Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn/Green
Goblin from the original film, or Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man 2. Part of the problem is
that Connors, played by Rhys Ifans, seems so sinister and cold even before he
becomes the Lizard that you really don’t feel anything for him.
You can tell
pretty much from the moment you first see him that he’s bad news who’s going to
turn out to be even BADDER news. You don’t get a sense of the tragedy of the
character. As a result, his character arc is markedly thin—and thus its resolution
is somewhat puzzling in the film’s closing minutes.
I also have to say
that I’m not overly fond of the new Spider-Man costume. I very much preferred
the one that Tobey Maguire wore in the previous three films, as it was very
faithful to the comic-book version. I wish the designer on Amazing had stuck a little closer to that.
And then there’s the
fact that this film is a flat-out reboot, a full retelling of Spider-Man’s
origin. Simply put, it wasn’t necessary. This could have been just a new
Spider-Man adventure, picking up more or less where the last one left off,
except with new actors playing the established roles—much like has been done
time and again with the James Bond movie series. There was no real reason to go
back and tell the origin all over again.
Fortunately, however, this
retelling differs enough from Raimi’s version that it doesn’t seem overly
repetitive or completely redundant. For one thing, the mystery surrounding
Peter’s parents—particularly his father—now figures into the origin, which was
never the case before, not even in the comics.
And I must note, quite
happily, that it doesn’t seem possible that the new creative team will reveal
in a sequel that the crook who Peter lets get away in a moment of selfishness
and irresponsibility ISN’T the same guy who subsequently shoots and kills Peter’s
beloved Uncle Ben. (Raimi, what the hell were
you thinking???)
Another deviation from
the original film is the fact that, as in the comic-book series, Peter designs
and builds mechanical web-shooters instead of having organic ones as a result
of the spider bite. This is one of my favorite things about Amazing. For one thing, I’m a big
supporter of sticking closely to the source material, so I never fully accepted
the organic ones from the Raimi films. But even more importantly, having Peter
create the devices shows him putting his science expertise to use. In the Raimi
films, we were repeatedly told that Peter was a science whiz, but we never
really got to see him demonstrate that in any major way. Good dramatic
storytelling requires showing rather than just telling. And this film does a
great job showing just how much of a science prodigy Peter is, from designing
the web-shooters to helping Dr. Connors solve a highly complex mathematical
equation that is the key to Connors’s work.
Another great thing
about Amazing is that Spider-Man
spouts wisecracks and mocks his opponents, as he’s always done in the
comics—and as he almost never got to do in the Raimi films. I just wish there
was even more of it here. Hopefully they’ll play up this aspect of his
character in the sequels.
But without a doubt, it’s
the romance between Peter and Gwen that The
Amazing Spider-Man hinges upon, and it’s handled extremely well. This
doesn’t really come as a surprise to me, as the film’s director, Marc Webb,
also directed the terrific (500) Days of
Summer—one of the best films about the ups and downs of young love that
I’ve seen in a very, very long time. The chemistry between Andrew Garfield as
Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy is palpable.
Speaking of Garfield,
I accepted him as Peter from his very first moment on screen—and this is coming
from someone who thoroughly loved Tobey Maguire in the role.
Emma Stone is simply
ADORABLE. She’s great as Gwen, bringing a powerful combination of intelligence,
compassion, wholesomeness, and sexiness.
As much as I liked Kirsten Dunst’s
Mary Jane Watson in the Raimi films—well, the first two, anyway—I think I
actually prefer Stone’s Gwen. I most definitely prefer Stone over Bryce Dallas
Howard, who played Gwen in Spider-Man 3.
With a backstory that deviates a bit from the source material (here, her mother
is very much alive and she has two younger brothers), Stone is not exactly the Gwen of the comics, but
she’s darned well close enough. (Or should I say, close enough to the Gwen of
the comics as she was portrayed up until recently.
Unfortunately, a disturbing storyline published by Marvel a few years back revealed
new information about Gwen that retroactively altered her character
considerably. I was thoroughly appalled by it, and I’m very disappointed that
in the years since, Marvel has not dismissed that story as a hoax or a bad
dream. J. Michael Straczynski, what the hell
were you thinking???)
The rest of the cast,
by and large, is wonderful. Martin Sheen is every bit as effective and likable
as Uncle Ben as Cliff Robertson was in the original, and he brings some new
dimensions to the character. Where Robertson was more on the saintly side,
Sheen is a bit more down to earth, displaying genuine anger and sore
disappointment amidst great love and concern when Peter starts failing to live
up to his responsibilities.
Sally Field’s Aunt May
is a major departure from the character as portrayed by Rosemary Harris in the
Raimi films. Harris’s portrayal was very faithful to the version in the
original comic books. Taking a cue from Ultimate
Spider-Man, a comic-book series launched by Marvel in 2000 that takes place
in an “alternate universe” and that relaunched Spider-Man from the beginning
for new readers, the rebooted Aunt May is significantly younger and far less
frail. In fact, she’s downright feisty and energetic. One thing remains consistent,
though: Her devotion to her nephew, whom she loves as if he were her own son. She’s
not exactly the Aunt May I grew up reading, but Field does a fine job in the
role.
Denis Leary is quite
good as Captain Stacy, who was played by James Cromwell in Spider-Man 3. The father-daughter relationship as portrayed by
Leary and Stone is very believable and even charming. And without a doubt,
Leary has the funniest line in the whole film.
Getting back to the
Lizard for a moment—I was pleasantly surprised that he was able to speak in the
film. I went in expecting him to be a totally bestial creature, capable of
nothing more than growling, snarling, and hissing. In that regard, the
filmmakers once again chose to stick closely to the original source material,
so no real complaints from me there.
I was pleased to find
that Norman Osborn was such a major presence in the film without ever showing
up on screen. (Or did he?)
Keep your eyes peeled
for a subtle-yet-obvious little moment that foreshadows Doctor Octopus.
There’s some major unfinished
business at the end of the movie—including the mystery surrounding Peter
Parker’s parents and an integral piece of Spider-Man’s origin. I’m curious to
see where the filmmakers go with all of this, but I hope they don’t make the same
dire mistakes that Raimi made when he got to Spider-Man 3 and decided to “expand upon” the events of the first
film.
For that matter, stay
through the end credits—there’s an extra scene that would seem to set up the
next film.
The musical score by
James Horner is surprisingly unmemorable. I mean, this guy is responsible for
some of my all-time favorite movie soundtracks, but there’s not one bit of
music from The Amazing Spider-Man
that stayed with me once the film was over—except for the brief piece that
Horner lifted from his score for Star
Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. After all these years, John Williams’s music
for Superman: The Movie remains
unchallenged as the ultimate super hero score.
I really missed J.
Jonah Jameson in this movie, and I very much hope they work him in to the next
one. It would be great if they brought back J.K. Simmons to play him—he was
fantastic in the Raimi films. But most likely, the filmmakers won’t want to
bring back anyone from the original cast. Therefore, I respectfully submit for
consideration Ted Levine, the extremely versatile actor who has played
characters as diverse as the serial killer “Buffalo Bill” in The Silence of the Lambs and the
perpetually harried San Francisco Police Captain Leland Stottlemeyer in the comedy-mystery
television series Monk. Just take my
word for it, he’d be perfect.
© All
text copyright Glenn Greenberg, 2012.
Thanks for the summary. I really had no interest in seeing this one, but now Im intrigued. I may run out and catch it.
ReplyDeleteFor most of the movie I felt it was good (not great), but that crane scene--i wanted to throw a brick at the screen--much like I wanted to at the end of (500) Days. Dropped it down to merely "okay" for me.
ReplyDeleteI hated the crane scene, too. I know it's tempting to blame JMS for what happened to Gwen in the comics, but that was not his idea. It came from on high, I believe it may have been Quesada's idea. I still like Jim Salicrup's idea of having Bruce Wilis play Jameson.
ReplyDeleteTotally unnecessary re-boot, but it was still very fun and entertaining. Also, Garfield was a nice choice for Peter Parker even if I do miss Tobey Maguire just a tad bit. Just a tad, though. Good review Glenn.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the number of times I clapped my hands together like a kid were vastly outnumbered by the amount of my audible sighs. Good? Yes. Great? Er....not quite....yet.
ReplyDeleteHow you doin'? :)
-David Tedeschi
your old Marvel intern
David Tedeschi?!?!?!?
ReplyDeleteKING OF THE INTERNS!!!!!!!!! :-)
I thought it was only ok and I'm a huge Spidey fan. Personally for me I felt it lacked a moment that really sold it as the escapism the source material has always been.
ReplyDeleteIn the first Spider-Man film we have that moment where Peter saves MJ from the Green Goblin, deposits her on a building, and swings off with an enthusiastic "Woo hooo" and right there, that's the Spider-Man fantasy. You're the nerd pining for the popular girl,you just saved her and were given affection from her and you're on your way, unfettered by gravity or physics! And the film just didn't have that moment.
Also Garfield was fine but I thought Peter was a bit of a jerk in this version more than any other.