The Amazing Spider-Man is a perfectly fine superhero film. It's professional, it has no obvious
flaws, and it rocks along along at a fast clip for a good two hours. Would I have preferred a fourth
installment Sam Raimi's version?
Sure: I loved all three (here, here, and here) and was ready for more. Nevertheless, I credit Amazing for making me forget its
predecessors and capably executing its own vision.
The Amazing Spider-Man offers an origin tale that parallels its antagonist's
origin, exciting set-pieces, and seamless effects work. While its web-swinging sequences lacked
the smooth, "you are there" joy of Raimi's, this film offers a unique
take on spider powers that surprised and delighted me (look for a spot where Peters
binds up an opponent in a particularly creepy, spider-like way). As far as origin stories go, this is a solid
take.
The film's
biggest surprise comes from its lead, Andrew Garfield, as Peter Parker / Spider-Man. Andrew Garfield (of the brutal Red Riding: In The Year of Our Lord 1974 and the atrocious
'Daleks Take Manhattan') actually made me believe that he was an American high
school student, albeit one who hit puberty perhaps a bit early. This is an extraordinarily talented
actor with significant range, and I look forward to following his career in the
years to come. Emma Stone
(magnificent in Easy A), punches
below her weight as love interest Gwen Stacy, but a woman's gotta pay the bills. The rest of the supporting cast,
including Sally Field, Martin Sheen, Denis Leary and Rhys Ifans are as good
as you'd expect (which is pretty darn good).
So I was all
ready to hate this movie, but I can't.
The Amazing Spider-Man does
exactly what it's trying to do, and it does it well. Will it find a place on my shelf beside my Raimi
Blu-Rays? Probably not, but we
can't fall in love with everything.
2 comments:
Probably it's because I've seen the Tobey-Man and this is the reason I give this movie such a low score. I wanted to learn more about Peter's parents, but did not. "They were scientists." So what? That's not even 5% of what I needed to find out. Tobey-Man was on par with emotions, stunts and discovering the character. Here your uncle dies and what you see is 2 mins of drama about him. They really did not expand the characters and that led to my disappointment.
This really isn't the spider-man I wanted to see (full of questioning, thoughts and hardship). This guy was crying one minute and kissing the girl in another. Did I even mention that the suit did not fully fit him? Did I mention that Peter became a super scientists in 5 mins after he start reading 2 books and a couple of documents that do not make sense? Since when kids study genetics in school so deeply?
Tobey-Man's story deeper and more interesting. You could see the bright side of having super powers and the dark of constantly having the responsibility to hide your identity and take care of the closest. The new Spidey did little effort to hide his id. I could actually say that he was waving his mask the entire movie...
If you were happy with Tobey-man, stick with him!
I see your criticisms, Heather. I suggest, however, that one needn't choose between Tobey-Man and Andy-Man. One can enjoy both.
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