JasonEvans
07-05-2012, 09:54 PM
I was a bad boy and forgot to put my review up on the board when I saw this film a week ago. Anyway, because some people asked, here are my thoughts.
Note-- I will mention some plot points in my discussion of this film. I don't think any of the plot points could be considered major spoilers. Heck, this is a Spider Man origins story, I am not sure there could be any spoiler that would come as a total shock to audiences with any knowledge of the previous films/comic books.
It is impossible to talk about a Spider Man origin story without making reference to the original origin story by Sam Rami with Tobey McGuire, especially when you consider that that film was just a decade ago and its story line was still being explored in film just 5 years ago. Many consider the first Spider Man film to be one of the finest superhero movies ever made. It took a bold decision by the studio and the folks behind the new Spider Man to mine that ground again. I wish I could sit here and tell you that this version feels completely fresh and different from that first one... but I can't. Like all the great superhero stories, a Spider Man origin story must hit certain beats that we know are coming. Peter will be a somewhat nerdy student. He will lose his parents and live with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. He will get bitten by a radioactive spider that gives him powers. He will fail to use those powers to stop a crime and the criminal will then kill his Uncle Ben. That act will inspire Peter to become the vigilante Spider Man. This movie does those exact things... it has to. But, I have to wonder a bit if the film might have been better and a bit more compelling if it had hit just a few different beats. My wife turned to me when it was over and said, "why did they bother to do the same thing again?" I was at a loss to give her an answer.
Mark Webb was not an experienced director when he was asked to make The Amazing Spider Man. The most significant credit he had was a small indie film called 500 Days of Summer, which was a romantic-drama that helped make bigger stars of Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In many ways, his strongest contribution to this film is his handling of the characters and the "love story" between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Stone's Gwen Stacy is probably the best character in the movie. I wish we had gotten more of the two young stars together on screen, though I imagine they will exploit this more in future films. Garfield is fine as Peter/Spidey, but I didn't love him in the role. Unlike Tobey McGuire's portrayal, this Peter Parker does not go through nearly as much of a personality change when he gains his powers. He is at his best chatting with Gwen and is just so-so when she is not on screen.
While Webb excels in the interpersonal relationships in the movie, he also does a surprisingly nice job with the action sequences and especially the 3D. There are several times he puts the camera into Spider Man's body and we get to come along for the ride as the web-slinger leaps through the caverns of New York's skyline. It is excellent 3D and a fun new way to enjoy the character. The fight scenes and action pieces are strong and well designed. Things never get blurry and you get a good sense of who has the upper hand all of the time. I also really enjoyed the ways Peter explores his new Spider abilities, especially a scene on a subway with some mugger types.
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/amazing-spider-man-movie06.jpg
So far it sounds like I am describing a great movie... but I am not. ASM is good, but falls well short of great because of the story. The screenplay is credited to 3 different writers but I would not be surprised if there were 4 or 5 other folks who took turns cobbling this thing together. The plot veers around in haphazard ways, often introducing ideas or props merely for storytelling convenience not because it actually logically makes sense.
One great example of this comes around the middle of the movie when Peter Parker is on a tour of a scientific lab at Oscorp. Someone casually points to the corner and mentions that there is a device for weaponizing gases and spreading them over large areas. This device is not under lock and key. It is just sitting there waiting for someone to use it. It is so contrived and silly and the entire audience knows at that moment that this device will play a role in the movie's climax. Come on!!! At least make us think a little bit, please! And don't even get me started on how "dumbed down" the movie is when it has New York's construction workers all move their cranes into position so Spidey can swing downtown just in time to save the day (complete with TV News Reporter saying, "It looks like Spider Man won't make it in time..."). Sigh. I can't stand it when movies treat the audience like we are dumb and need our hand held the whole time.
But, the biggest story criticism I have is that the film sets itself up to tell one story and then decides to tell a completely different one. The entire first third of the movie is about Peter and the loss he feels over his parents deaths (plane crash... no bodies found... anyone wanna take bets on whether they are actually dead?). But for the entire back half of the movie, that story line is completely ignored. It is not resolved by the time the movie ends, though we get some hints at a larger conspiracy that clearly will be the basis for the next film. So we have a movie where it begins to tell one story and then just stops telling that story. This is clearly the product of multiple screen writers... and perhaps of a studio that decided to shelve one idea and tackle it in the next film. It should come as no surprise to anyone that after its initial shoot, Amazing Spider Man went through several additional reshoots to give us the film we have today.
The villain, The Lizard, is good CGI but his motivations fell kinda flat for me. At times the movie wants to portray him as a well-intentioned scientist but at times he is just an evil villain. For example, at one point he decides to attack Peter Parker's high school. I could not begin to tell you how this attack benefits the Lizard's cause. It is just an excuse for an action sequence in the movie. Whatever?!
These plot holes and contrivances are not a total mess, they just gnawed at me a little bit throughout the film and really grated on me after the film was over and I had time to reflect upon it. Like I said, AMS contains some good action sequences and some strong performances. The supporting cast is mostly good, especially Dennis Learey as a NY Police Chief, though I thought Sally Fields' Aunt May wasn't nearly compelling enough given what an important character that is in Peter's life.
Again, overall it is a good movie and one where almost all audiences will have a good time. But, the more you reflect on it the less you like it. It will do big big big bucks at the boxoffice and I hope we get some thing a bit more challenging and thoughtful in the sequel.
-Jason "my kids liked it more than I did, my wife liked it less -- if that helps" Evans
Note-- I will mention some plot points in my discussion of this film. I don't think any of the plot points could be considered major spoilers. Heck, this is a Spider Man origins story, I am not sure there could be any spoiler that would come as a total shock to audiences with any knowledge of the previous films/comic books.
It is impossible to talk about a Spider Man origin story without making reference to the original origin story by Sam Rami with Tobey McGuire, especially when you consider that that film was just a decade ago and its story line was still being explored in film just 5 years ago. Many consider the first Spider Man film to be one of the finest superhero movies ever made. It took a bold decision by the studio and the folks behind the new Spider Man to mine that ground again. I wish I could sit here and tell you that this version feels completely fresh and different from that first one... but I can't. Like all the great superhero stories, a Spider Man origin story must hit certain beats that we know are coming. Peter will be a somewhat nerdy student. He will lose his parents and live with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. He will get bitten by a radioactive spider that gives him powers. He will fail to use those powers to stop a crime and the criminal will then kill his Uncle Ben. That act will inspire Peter to become the vigilante Spider Man. This movie does those exact things... it has to. But, I have to wonder a bit if the film might have been better and a bit more compelling if it had hit just a few different beats. My wife turned to me when it was over and said, "why did they bother to do the same thing again?" I was at a loss to give her an answer.
Mark Webb was not an experienced director when he was asked to make The Amazing Spider Man. The most significant credit he had was a small indie film called 500 Days of Summer, which was a romantic-drama that helped make bigger stars of Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In many ways, his strongest contribution to this film is his handling of the characters and the "love story" between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Stone's Gwen Stacy is probably the best character in the movie. I wish we had gotten more of the two young stars together on screen, though I imagine they will exploit this more in future films. Garfield is fine as Peter/Spidey, but I didn't love him in the role. Unlike Tobey McGuire's portrayal, this Peter Parker does not go through nearly as much of a personality change when he gains his powers. He is at his best chatting with Gwen and is just so-so when she is not on screen.
While Webb excels in the interpersonal relationships in the movie, he also does a surprisingly nice job with the action sequences and especially the 3D. There are several times he puts the camera into Spider Man's body and we get to come along for the ride as the web-slinger leaps through the caverns of New York's skyline. It is excellent 3D and a fun new way to enjoy the character. The fight scenes and action pieces are strong and well designed. Things never get blurry and you get a good sense of who has the upper hand all of the time. I also really enjoyed the ways Peter explores his new Spider abilities, especially a scene on a subway with some mugger types.
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/amazing-spider-man-movie06.jpg
So far it sounds like I am describing a great movie... but I am not. ASM is good, but falls well short of great because of the story. The screenplay is credited to 3 different writers but I would not be surprised if there were 4 or 5 other folks who took turns cobbling this thing together. The plot veers around in haphazard ways, often introducing ideas or props merely for storytelling convenience not because it actually logically makes sense.
One great example of this comes around the middle of the movie when Peter Parker is on a tour of a scientific lab at Oscorp. Someone casually points to the corner and mentions that there is a device for weaponizing gases and spreading them over large areas. This device is not under lock and key. It is just sitting there waiting for someone to use it. It is so contrived and silly and the entire audience knows at that moment that this device will play a role in the movie's climax. Come on!!! At least make us think a little bit, please! And don't even get me started on how "dumbed down" the movie is when it has New York's construction workers all move their cranes into position so Spidey can swing downtown just in time to save the day (complete with TV News Reporter saying, "It looks like Spider Man won't make it in time..."). Sigh. I can't stand it when movies treat the audience like we are dumb and need our hand held the whole time.
But, the biggest story criticism I have is that the film sets itself up to tell one story and then decides to tell a completely different one. The entire first third of the movie is about Peter and the loss he feels over his parents deaths (plane crash... no bodies found... anyone wanna take bets on whether they are actually dead?). But for the entire back half of the movie, that story line is completely ignored. It is not resolved by the time the movie ends, though we get some hints at a larger conspiracy that clearly will be the basis for the next film. So we have a movie where it begins to tell one story and then just stops telling that story. This is clearly the product of multiple screen writers... and perhaps of a studio that decided to shelve one idea and tackle it in the next film. It should come as no surprise to anyone that after its initial shoot, Amazing Spider Man went through several additional reshoots to give us the film we have today.
The villain, The Lizard, is good CGI but his motivations fell kinda flat for me. At times the movie wants to portray him as a well-intentioned scientist but at times he is just an evil villain. For example, at one point he decides to attack Peter Parker's high school. I could not begin to tell you how this attack benefits the Lizard's cause. It is just an excuse for an action sequence in the movie. Whatever?!
These plot holes and contrivances are not a total mess, they just gnawed at me a little bit throughout the film and really grated on me after the film was over and I had time to reflect upon it. Like I said, AMS contains some good action sequences and some strong performances. The supporting cast is mostly good, especially Dennis Learey as a NY Police Chief, though I thought Sally Fields' Aunt May wasn't nearly compelling enough given what an important character that is in Peter's life.
Again, overall it is a good movie and one where almost all audiences will have a good time. But, the more you reflect on it the less you like it. It will do big big big bucks at the boxoffice and I hope we get some thing a bit more challenging and thoughtful in the sequel.
-Jason "my kids liked it more than I did, my wife liked it less -- if that helps" Evans