ArticlesMovies

TFG1Mike’s Theatrical Adventures: The Amazing Spider-Man

First a few thoughts on the previous Spidey films:

The RaimiVerse Trilogy of films I always felt was great. After X-Men in 2000, I was pleasantly surprised that they were finally bringing Spider-Man to the big screen.

My only issue with Spider-Man 1 was the stupid Green Goblin mask.

I mean look at that thing….. FUGLY and weird looking. I think the Goblin head could have been executed better then this thing. That’s my only complaint about Spidey 1.

Now Spidey 2 was great. I really enjoyed it, a solid comic book/superhero film.

I know a majority of the geek community loathe Spider-Man 3. I had a fun time watching it, and even though I admit it has the problem of too many villains, overall it’s a decent comic book/superhero film. By no means is it the best, and sadly the studio forced Venom in there, but the film is not totally unwatchable for me.

 Which brings us to….

The Amazing Spider-Man

I know a lot of people are saying it is too soon between Spidey 3 and the reboot film. However if you think about when the Spidey Franchise started that was 10 years ago. The Raimi films are Marvel’s 616 Universe, whereas ASM is the Ultimate Universe in Marvel. I saw the film in GLORIOUS 2-D, as most of our listeners, and readers know 3-D to me is THE DEVIL! This will be a spoiler free review, and I’m gonna break it down into sections.

Plot

For the average moviegoer they might not know the differences between Marvel’s 616 and Ultimate Universe. This film takes the origin story of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and plays on the “what happened to his parents” angle. It also features the Lizard as the main “villain”. The reason why I put quotations around villain is because, it does not seem that Dr. Curt Connors is that much of a villain.

 Cast

The casting in this is very well done I think. You have Andrew Garfield in the role of Peter/Spidey, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Denis Leary as Captain Stacy, Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors, and many others.

Comparing Maguire’s Peter Parker and Garfield’s version of the character I like Andrew Garfield better. His version Peter comes off nerdy, but not nerd to the tenth power. Which is what I thought Maguire’s portrayal did.

As far as them as Spider-Man in the suit, I think both Maguire and Garfield have strengths there. I know some people will complain about the muzzle flash on Garfields web shooters, but the thing you have to remember is that this time around Peter made them,. They weren’t built in like Maguire’s were.

Martin Sheen and Sally Field played Uncle Ben and Aunt May respectively. I really enjoyed them in the roles, and I like that they aren’t the “ancient” aunt and uncle from the 616 Universe. I love how they twisted the origin just enough to make Uncle Ben’s death in this film a great storyline for the film. Aunt May feels fragile, but you’ll see that incurring her wrath will make your life a living hell!

Thank fucking god Gwen Stacy was recast. I love how hot Bryce Dallas Howard is in Spidey 3, but her version of Gwen is a stupid, superficial, snotty, little bitch. Whereas the Emma Stone portrayal I felt was more natural. Seeing as she is the love interest and not MJ this time around, I thoroughly enjoyed the way Emma Stone brought the character to life.

Denis Leary as Captain George Stacy is a very well done role. It takes the place of J. Jonah Jameson with him wanting to capture the criminal known as Spider-Man.

Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors… well this was weird to me at first. Partially because I thought Dylan Baker did a great job in the role in the Raimi films. I do see why they recast the role though.

I will say that I was half expecting a JJJ appearance somewhere in the film, but I’m glad that it wasn’t there. I know the Ultimate Universe has Peter back in school, and the Bugle stuff happens after he graduates. I can honestly say while I did wanna see JJJ, I really didn’t miss having him in this film.

Action and Special Effects

I loved all the action scenes, and the costuming on The Lizard was amazing! Spidey’s movements were very fluid, and the film wasn’t saturated with explosions.

The Music

This is where the film lacks for me. No disrespect to James Horner, the score he created for this fits the film very well. However I didn’t feel it was as epic as the Danny Elfman score from the RaimiVerse films. Normally for me the scores in any film get me, and I wanna hear the songs outside of the film context. This one did not do that for me.

 Overall

OK final thoughts…. Is Amazing Spider-Man THE BEST COMIC BOOK/SUPERHERO FILM EVER? No. Is it THE WORST COMIC BOOK/SUPERHERO FILM EVER? No. I really thought the plot was well done. The story it told was very fluid, and was very evenly paced. The comical bits with Spider-Man and the crooks were great.

It has been ten years since the first Raimi Spider-Man was released. It has been five years since Spider-Man 3. Do I think it was too soon to reboot the franchise? Not at all, I love that they are telling a slightly new and different story. The original Spidey films remain intact as their own story, and this new part of the franchise can tell as many stories as it wants. So what are you waiting for go to your nearest theater, and prepare to BE AMAZED!

Plot: 7/10

Casting and Acting: 10/10

Action/Special Effects: 10/10

Overall Rating: 8/10

Show More

TFG1Mike

TFG1Mike is a geek with many interests. He has been podcasting for over a decade, and sees no stopping point in sight. From Transformers, He-Man, Batman, Comics, movies, video games, cartoons, and so much more, Mike has a zeal for the things he loves, and he will bring the hammer down on the things that he has a disdain for. He's generally a postive person, but negativity can creep in there. Mike is all about the innuendos and innuendon'ts too. You'll hear him on many of The GCRN podcasts!

2 Comments

  1. I agree with everything you said. A good film. And that’s a good point about the music. It wasn’t epic enough, but that’s a small complaint.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button