The Amazing Spider-Man | Review
It’s only been ten years since Sam Raimi’s original ‘Spider-Man’ first appeared on the big screen and a mere five years since the previous film in the franchise. Because Hollywood loves fast-tracking projects that promise big revenue, they decided to make a new Spider-Man film, this time from the bottom up – again. Did Spider-Man really need to have another origin story, or even rebooted, so soon? No. But I must admit it’s a lot of fun to see a new director offer a different take on Spidey.
The moment ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ begins it’s already different from Raimi’s. There is no ridiculously long opening credits sequence. The film first depicts an infant Peter Parker with his parents, this being their first film appearance. Their sudden disappearance initiates the mystery that haunts Peter’s life, and which drives the film’s “untold story” aspect that has been so heavily marketed. Switching to the present time, the new teenaged Peter Parker is portrayed by Andrew Garfield, who was wonderful in 2010’s ‘The Social Network‘. While Tobey Maguire’s take on the character was appropriate, though sometimes whiney, Garfield’s version is different. He’s still the social outcast and nerd who loves science, but Garfield’s Parker is more of a hipster who likes to skateboard, wear thick glasses, and take pictures from a heavy-duty camera. When he dons his Spider-Man suit, this Parker becomes more of a sarcastic smart-ass like his comic book roots.
In this new film Peter still gets bitten by a genetically modified spider, there’s still a car thief, Uncle Ben’s murder still occurs and helps transition Peter into Spider-Man, and Spider-Man is still considered an outlaw to the police. These are important plot points in Spider-Man’s origin story, and yes, they were used in the original ‘Spider-Man’ film. It’s forgivable that this reboot reuses these plot points because they’re slightly necessary. It’s a little disheartening, though, that even little details are also borrowed from the first film, such as Peter’s Einstein poster in his bedroom, Aunt May’s meat loaf, a fight atop a bridge, and a villain with serious split-personality issues. But hey, at least this new Spider-Man utilizes artificial web-slingers, which also comes with a great explanation of their original creation and intent.
The love interest this time is the blonde Gwen Stacy rather than the red-headed Mary Jane Watson. Stacy, portrayed by the always-appealing Emma Stone, is vastly different from the original trilogy’s MJ. Throughout the first three ‘Spider-Man’ films, Mary Jane constantly had to be rescued, usually dangling from a web somewhere. In this new film, Gwen Stacy is a headstrong, independent type. She’s intelligent, bold, and takes matters into her own hands, which is especially proven in the film’s action-heavy final act. Gwen is no damsel in distress.
Unlike the original film, the origin story takes about an hour or so to fully flesh out. More time is spent on who Peter Parker is and his relationship with his Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen), whom he lives with after his parents’ disappearance. A lot of time is also spent on the romantic relationship between Peter and Gwen – so much, in fact, that the first half of the film almost feels like an indie romance, which director Marc Webb (no pun intended?) obviously has a handle of since his only other feature is the fantastic ‘(500) Days of Summer’.
When the film isn’t following Peter’s romance with Gwen it follows his search for the truth about his parents’ disappearance. After discovering his father’s hidden briefcase, Peter is led to Oscorp tower, where secrets run amuck. There, Peter finds his father’s old science partner, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans). Peter’s father and Dr. Connors previously worked on cross-species experiments, which Connors desperately wants to work since having lost his right arm; he wants to use lizard DNA to grow his arm back. Like Norman Osborn/Green Goblin from the original film, the well-meaning Connors is forced to the edge by pushy funders who want human trials immediately. With no other way, Connors injects a serum with lizard DNA into his body. Of course, things go horribly wrong and now we have our villain – a raging reptile-human hybrid called The Lizard.
The CGI effects that make up The Lizard works well enough for the film, though the character doesn’t necessarily looks truly believable or realistic. His character design is pretty forgettable. The special effects throughout the rest of the film, however, is spectacular. Spider-Man swings through the city just as fun and exciting as was depicted in the original trilogy. It’s really interesting how differently the filmmakers depict this Spider-Man’s fighting tactics compared to Raimi’s Spider-Man. In one memorable moment, Spider-Man crawls all over The Lizard’s huge body, mimicking an actual spider. I especially love the way Spidey uses the the web-slingers to launch himself as a projectile, and when he makes an entire web to track the movements of enemies. Gone are Raimi’s memorable slow-motion action sequences from the original films (he did slow-mo before it was cool), but the excitement and fun is still here. Plus there’s some excellent Spider-Man POV shots while in action.
Even though the film features several plot points from the original ‘Spider-Man’ film, it’s refreshing when it features new ones. Peter’s quest for his uncle’s murderer is an interesting plot point and Peter’s frequent run-ins with NYPD police chief George Stacy (Denis Leary), Gwen’s Spidey-hunting father, is fun to watch. The new action set pieces are really great, which includes a nice sequence on a bridge that requires Spidey to save a child dangling from a bridge and a fun fight sequence in a high school.
There’s a lot to like about this new Spider-Man film, though not everything in the film is fool proof. Quite a few aspects of the film feel too contrived, such as the dangerous biological weapon that sits in Oscorp tower – unguarded, the quick and sudden reveal of the Lizard’s dastardly plans all conveniently displayed on a computer monitor the moment Peter finds it (and with CGI models to boot), and the Lizard’s attack on a high school that seems utterly pointless. All of these plot problems are signs of some lazy writing in the film’s script department, though the majority of the film is free of this issue.
‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is a true reboot that, despite featuring some similar aspects to 2002’s ‘Spider-Man’, offers new and invigorating thrills of its own. The film works more because of its excellent cast rather than totally relying on its special effects. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are charming leads and have chemistry with one another. Director Marc Webb understands that the human elements are more important than the spectacle. This is Marvel’s second reboot in a row, after last year’s ‘X-Men: First Class’. Both films are examples of how to make a successful superhero film reboot, or just a superhero film in general: by putting characters and stories first.
Three and a half out of four Kents.
Extra Notes:
There’s a mid-credits scene that hints at what’s to come in the next film. It’s ridiculous, though, that parts of this scene are shown in the film’s trailer! What isn’t shown in marketing nowadays?
I like that the mystery surrounding Peter’s parents is not entirely solved in this film. Marc Webb has stated that this plot point would be followed through several films.
‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ features one of the best Stan Lee cameos captured on film so far.
I love the score to this film. Most Marvel films have forgettable scores, like ‘Iron Man’, ‘Thor’, ‘Captain America’, ‘The Incredible Hulk’, and even ‘The Avengers’.
I’m getting tired of films featuring villains using a skyscraper/tower as part of their master plan that includes things getting shot into the sky, and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is no exception. We saw it happen in ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’, ‘The Avengers’, and now this film.
‘Spider-Man 2’ is still my favorite Spidey film, as well as one of the best superhero films in my opinion. ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ probably ties with the original ‘Spider-Man’ as my second favorite(s).
