Today's review is The Amazing Spiderman.
Directed by Marc Webb.
Written by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent & Steve Kloves.
Screen Story by James Vanderbilt.
Spiderman created by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
Review #163
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action and violence.
Runtime: 136 min
Cast
Andrew Garfield ... Spider-Man / Peter Parker
Emma Stone ... Gwen Stacy
Rhys Ifans ... The Lizard / Dr. Curt Connors
Denis Leary ... Captain Stacy
Martin Sheen ... Uncle Ben
Sally Field ... Aunt May
Irrfan Khan ... Rajit Ratha
Campbell Scott ... Richard Parker
Embeth Davidtz ... Mary Parker
Chris Zylka ... Flash Thompson
It's not uncommon for a studio to ask for a do over when one of their franchises latest entry is severely panned by critics and the general public. It is however, uncommon for a studio to begin production on their do over so soon after their film gets bashed around. That's exactly what happened after the release of Spiderman 3. Sam Raimi's final chapter of his wall crawler's saga was vilified.
And with good reason.
After the immense success of it's predecessor. It was only natural to believe that the finale would equal or even exceed Spiderman 2. That was the progression. Spiderman was a very good film. Spiderman 2 was great and in the conversation of greatest sequel ever made. For an encore, we were treated to an unholy mess of a movie.
Spiderman 3 bit off way more than it could chew and the franchise along with the trust it earned from the public suffered as a result. So instead of waiting out the firestorm, Columbia Pictures took the initiative to try and repair the broken bond Spiderman 3 created with the fans.
After only 5 years.
It was a bold move in a series of bold moves this reboot introduces.
Plot
Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner.
The first move was hiring a different director. It was clear that Sam Raimi's time in the chair was over. Somewhere between Spiderman 2 & 3 he lost his control of the character and his story arc. Bogging our hero down with 4 enemies while juggling a ridiculous relationship with Mary Jane. You could tell that Columbia and Raimi had a difference of opinion on how to take on the next chapter. The obvious tactic was to split Spiderman 3 into two films.
Let Peter finish his feud with Hobgoblin while introducing The Sandman in part 3. Then have him take on the Symbiote and Venom in part 4. It would have been so much more cleaner and logical. The check writers didn't see it that way and it pushed Raimi away from writing the wrong that was Spiderman 3.
So now comes Marc Webb. Tasked to reinvent one of comics most popular characters. With a last name like Webb you would think he would be the perfect choice right? Until you look at his resume as a director and you see his only feature film credit is 2009's (500) Days of Summer. A pretty good indie comedy. But there lies the rub.
An indie comedy.
Instead of going with a veteran director with some experience handling this mega genre of the film industry. The fate of the Spiderman franchise was trusted to someone who was the exact opposite. This sent a wave of emotions through me after reading the news of Webb's hiring. The first was a feeling of pause. Just to let it digest. The next was fear. Deep, gripping, relentless fear. It was clear to me that bringing Webb in to direct this reboot was a shoot from the hip decision. Intended to make clear to anyone that was listening that the franchise was going to make some serious changes. I was right on my theory of his introduction to the franchise. I was wrong on my feelings about his ability to pull it off.
WAY OFF!
The first thing Webb did was start from scratch. He went and retold Spiderman's origin. With a twist. This time around, Peter's parents play a major role in the narrative. This was never addressed in the previous films. They were mentioned in passing. If at all. Here, they're presence and sudden disappearance drive Peter's motivation and attitude when he gets older. The rest of the film's story plays off that and it's carries well.
That doesn't mean the story is perfect though.
The biggest subject is the relationship between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. For all you non Spiderman geeks and shame on you for not being one. Peter's first love interest in the comics was Gwen Stacy. Not Mary Jane Watson. Peter and Mary Jane became an item after the Green Goblin kills Gwen. Going this route was a very wise choice. The problem here was the development of their romance. It played off very clumsily and rushed. There was no time for them to actually fall for each other. They just do. It felt a little hokey. Mostly because of their first interaction with each other. It appeared that they hardly knew each other despite that not being the case at all. It's a shame because Garfield and Stone had great chemistry with each other. I guess that's why they're a real couple as we speak.
OK. Enough of that. I ain't no gossip reporter.
The second story blip belonged to The Lizard. Again, just like Gwen, choosing The Lizard to be Spidey's antagonist was a brilliant one. He's one of the lesser known and popular villains in the comics history. But he doesn't feel like it here. The character design was superb fan complaints notwithstanding. There were grumblings concerning The Lizard's snout wasn't as large like in the books. C'mon people. This is a petty nitpick that takes away what in actuality was a really bad ass villain.
Back on topic.
Due to the expanded back story and origin of Peter's new found abilities. The dynamic between Peter and Dr. Connors was cut short. This was unfortunate. There was a real opportunity to create a stronger bond between the two characters. They're main connection is that Connors worked with Peter's father. The science background is only a smaller addition to their characters. I think back to Spiderman 2 when Peter and Dr. Octavius were having dinner together. Talking about science and life. It was a great scene. Not because it established Peter's scientific brilliance to another brillant man. It humanized them. It made you care. There was only a tease of that here. I realize this sounds like major plot issues. They're really not. They were just underdeveloped. The core and heart of these stories are there.
A little more time in the oven would have made them just right.
My final point of contention with this movie was the performance of Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. He like Webb was an off the wall choice to play Spidey's alter ego. It was a good one save for one part of Peter's character that I felt wasn't expressed thoroughly. I remember Peter being a real geek in the truest sense of the word. He was a bookworm who preferred to play with a bunsen burner than with a baseball bat. That wasn't as evident here as it should have been. Garfield plays Peter more like a kid that has a lack of confidence which was a huge part of Peter's make up. However, the balance between his shyness and nerdiness was skewed more to one side than the other and it didn't feel right to me. There were only a few glimpses of Peter's scientific acuity. I'm probably going to be in the minority when it comes to this but in my opinion there was a lacking in Peter's actual science geek persona that plays a HUGE role in his development as Spiderman.
Now on to what's good in The Amazing Spiderman.
There's a whole lot to like here. Since I led off with what I didn't like about the story. Here's what I did like. I loved how although tweaks were made to the mythology. The proper respect was given to the origin and creation of our hero. Everything you remember that led to Peter's genesis as Spiderman is here. The spider bite, Uncle Ben's death and Peter's relentless search for the killer. The story isn't as campy as the original films were at times. This portrayal of the Spiderman world is grounded in a little more reality. As much as there can be when you have a kid with powers like a spider and a guy in lizard form duking it out all over the city.
Speaking of duking it out. The action scenes in The Amazing Spiderman were marvelous. The one on one's between Spidey and The Lizard rank up there with the clashes between Spiderman and Dr. Octopus from Spiderman 2. The choreography maintains a high level of intricacy while being whimsical at the same time. You can follow the action without the use of super slo mo to catch all of the moves. The CGI is top notch. The Lizard is totally computerized and his design and look was first rate.
Finally, the film ends with a clear opening for sequels which falls into the duh category. Climaxing with a tease of Spidery's next potential villain. And if it's who it appears to be then I'm all in for The Amazing Spiderman 2. One of the bright spots of how the film ends is how Peter comes through all of the fighting and destruction. The film goes through Peter's maturation and learning of his new found abilities. He's reckless, impulsive and a maverick after he harnesses his powers. This is a nice set up for the future films to explore. As the years go by how will Peter accept his abilities and more importantly, how will he accept the responsibility his powers have bestowed on him.
The Amazing Spiderman isn't a great film. It's not going to make you forget the original Spiderman. It's not a bad film either. It's somewhere in the middle that borders more on the good side. A little touch ups here and there and the franchise could be in really good shape in the future.
On the 5 star scale. The Amazing Spiderman gets 3.5 stars. With a "Go See It!" recommendation.
That's a wrap for today. Up next is Savages.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
No comments:
Post a Comment