Even
though the Tobey Maguire/Sami Raimi/Kirsten Dunst-version of Spiderman
is loved by millions, and made buckets of money, I never REALLY liked
it. For starters, I think the casting is totally wrong; I hated Tobey
and Kirsten in these roles. I like them in other films, they just were
not what I wanted from a comic-fan’s perspective. Second, I don’t really
think Ol’ Sam was a good fit, he was too much a
horror-movie-camp-director, and never really captured that tone of
Spiderman. Third, James Franco was the best part of these films and they
ruined him. They could have made him the best villain ever! Fourth, the
third film in its entirety: crap, crap, crap.
Not a perfect film, but a much better film than any of the Raimi ones. I enjoyed watching Andrew Garfield (Spiderman/Peter Parker), and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy) actually doing some acting. Both got to the heart of the hero and the characters. I even liked Denis Leary (Gwen’s father) who had a small part but really got to me. I am so happy that they are giving films like The Avengers, Iron Man, and Thor to Directors that are focusing on the characters behind the masks instead of ACTION AND EXPLOSION directors. Great job, Marc Webb (500 days of Summer).
Some gripes I had: More than half the film is a rehash; a re-telling of Spiderman’s origin. They changed a few small things here and there, but (spoiler), Uncle Ben still dies, and Peter Parker still gets bitten by a “science spider.” I found myself just waiting for these things to happen, instead of enjoying the film. I knew they were coming, so it was like knowing the end of a book: “Ok, get to it already!” There are some scenes that I found to be pretty campy. I will not spoil anything, so let me just say, “Cranes.” Come on guys, you had me until then. The lizard looked amazing in all its special-effects glory, but kind of a weak villain. No really epic plan, he just existed to look great and fly around Spiderman, giving us intense fight scenes. We don’t even find out what his motivation is until the last 30 minutes. Doctor Connors seemed very flat to me. He was missing an arm, so he wanted to inject himself with junk to get it back. Meh. Take a cue from The Dark Knight guys: your hero is only as good as your villain.
Speaking of special effects, it’s no surprise this movie looked fantastic. I have never seen Spiderman look so good. More than just computer animation, but the idea of movement, showing him flip and move so fluidly and perfect as never before. I will be seeing it again in 3D, as I hear it looks even better. Also, love the inclusion that Peter is a scientist, making his own web shooters, and knowing answers to technical questions. Something they never had in the Raimi films that just enriches that character.
Even though I was a little bored because I already knowing the character so well, I was happy with how this film turned out and would like to see a sequel. Now that they have the origin story out of the way, they can go anywhere. I understand it needed to be told. But they could have always gone the route of The Incredible Hulk, and have no origin story. What if we skipped all the Uncle Ben stuff, the lab full of spiders, and Peter Parker was already Spiderman? I think it would have played out just fine. I mean everyone has seen the first films. They made billions, with a B.
The Rating System
Production (Directing, Editing, Music) 4-5
Story (Plot) 2-5
Characters (Likability, Acting) 5-5
Writing (Dialogue, Cleverness) 4-5
Emotions (Was it; Fun, Scary, Sad, Do I care) 4-5
Overall Score: 19-25
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