The Amazing Spiderman?
SPOILERIFFIC
IF YOU HAVEN"T SEEN IT GO WATCH IT NOW! CRAZY FOO!
Too early for a reboot? Tobey Maguire was too old to play a teenager but 27 year old Andrew Garfield isn't? Another origin story? Emma Stone's playing Gwen, when she's a clear choice for MJ? No J. Jonah Jameson?????
OK so there were a lot of concerns regarding the new Spidey movie, but you have to go into it just looking for a good movie and that's exactly what it delivers. Forget the Sam Raimi trilogy and you'll have a great few hours.
Andrew Garfield is a great Peter Parker. Goofy, out of place, nerdy and yet skinny and agile. Great hair too. Emma Stone is amazing. Who was she playing? Who cares, it's Emma Stone =D Martin Sheen does surprisingly well as a likeable and strong Uncle Ben in such a small role and has much more impact on the film then Sally Field as Aunt May, who might as well not have been in it. Rhys Ifans successfully displays the inner conflicts of Curt Connors, a man torn between his conscience and his scientific curiosities. For me though the actor of the film is Denis Leary as Capt. George Stacy. He shows the Captain's no nonsense cop attitude and at the same time his genuine care and concern for his loved ones, with him becoming the mentor figure for Spidey, overtaking Uncle Ben in terms of importance.
As far as the story goes, it's a fairly solid origin story. Nice and fast paced and it actually benefits from coming so soon after Sam Raimi's trilogy. It kind of assumes you have a clue about Spider-man and therefore doesn't spend all movie explaining him discovering all his powers in linear and painfully slow fashion. The Lizard is an interesting villain. The inter-character relationships are good, in particular Peter's relationship with George Stacy, developing from friction to support, always with underlying respect from both characters. Peter's discovering his powers in a skate park was genius. Moment of the movie was new the end after Spidey's been shot and the crane operators give him a clear path. With the city behind him and the police spotlight on him, the limp-to-walk-to-run across the rooftop is just epic. Heart warming stuff.
Some of the plot did feel a little loose though. Uncle Ben's death didn't feel overly important and Pete's 'reveal' to Emma Stone wasn't as epic as it could have been. My main problem with it though was that it was too geared up for a sequel and wasn't enough of its own film. What were his parents doing the night they left? What has Norman Osborn got to do with it? Does he ever catch the thief who killed Ben? The trailer offered more insight into these questions than the film itself did. Lines such as 'You want the truth about your parents, Peter? Come get it.' 'Do you have any idea what you are?' and 'Are you ready to play God?' all featured in the trailer, but didn't make the final cut. So we have to wait 'til The Amazing Spider-man 2 in 2014 (confirmed) or maybe even the 3rd one for our answers.
The CGI. Wow the swinging was really great and actually this is because new technology allowed Marc Webb to film it in real life rather than even using CGI. And it looks brilliant for it. All of Spider-man's movements are more 'spidery' and agile and CGI where it's used holds up well. As for the Lizard, it always was going to be hard to have a character entirely made up of CGI fit into a real world and it's not bad at all. (By the way the Lizard looks better in the 2D version, but with it you don't get the same rush from the swinging shots.) Either way it looks much better than Sam Raimi's Spidey 1 and 3, although 2 still holds a soft spot for me.
Overall
Good: Emma Stone. Good casting. Interesting characters and ideas. Costume grows on you.
Bad: Too many unanswered questions. That mutant rat Not enough Emma Sto.... Spider-man. Yes.
Better than the original trilogy? Technically, much better. Of course, it benefits from the advancements in technology. Did I get the same buzz as my 10 year old self discovering the world of superheros, comics and movies for the first time? Not quite.
4.5/5
SPOILERIFFIC
IF YOU HAVEN"T SEEN IT GO WATCH IT NOW! CRAZY FOO!
Too early for a reboot? Tobey Maguire was too old to play a teenager but 27 year old Andrew Garfield isn't? Another origin story? Emma Stone's playing Gwen, when she's a clear choice for MJ? No J. Jonah Jameson?????
OK so there were a lot of concerns regarding the new Spidey movie, but you have to go into it just looking for a good movie and that's exactly what it delivers. Forget the Sam Raimi trilogy and you'll have a great few hours.
 |
| Emma Stone in 3D. The closest I'll ever get without a restraining order |
As far as the story goes, it's a fairly solid origin story. Nice and fast paced and it actually benefits from coming so soon after Sam Raimi's trilogy. It kind of assumes you have a clue about Spider-man and therefore doesn't spend all movie explaining him discovering all his powers in linear and painfully slow fashion. The Lizard is an interesting villain. The inter-character relationships are good, in particular Peter's relationship with George Stacy, developing from friction to support, always with underlying respect from both characters. Peter's discovering his powers in a skate park was genius. Moment of the movie was new the end after Spidey's been shot and the crane operators give him a clear path. With the city behind him and the police spotlight on him, the limp-to-walk-to-run across the rooftop is just epic. Heart warming stuff.
 |
| Still don't believe a 17 year old made this suit. I could barely make toast when I was 17 |
The CGI. Wow the swinging was really great and actually this is because new technology allowed Marc Webb to film it in real life rather than even using CGI. And it looks brilliant for it. All of Spider-man's movements are more 'spidery' and agile and CGI where it's used holds up well. As for the Lizard, it always was going to be hard to have a character entirely made up of CGI fit into a real world and it's not bad at all. (By the way the Lizard looks better in the 2D version, but with it you don't get the same rush from the swinging shots.) Either way it looks much better than Sam Raimi's Spidey 1 and 3, although 2 still holds a soft spot for me.
 |
| Spider-man! Spider-man! Does whatever a spider can... |
Overall
Good: Emma Stone. Good casting. Interesting characters and ideas. Costume grows on you.
Bad: Too many unanswered questions. That mutant rat Not enough Emma Sto.... Spider-man. Yes.
Better than the original trilogy? Technically, much better. Of course, it benefits from the advancements in technology. Did I get the same buzz as my 10 year old self discovering the world of superheros, comics and movies for the first time? Not quite.
4.5/5
Comments
Post a Comment