“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does what a spider can. Spins a web, any size…”
I had several reservations about this movie from the previews. Not the least being that it had only been 5 years since the last movie and this series did not need a reboot.
I really loved the first two Spider-Man movies. The third movie had way too many holes, a bad plot, too many villains, and treated Venom as a second class citizen. Where would this movie fit on this spectrum?
(There will be spoilers– be warned)
Plot:
As a child, Peter Parker was left in the care of his Aunt and Uncle. His parents died in a mysterious car accident. As a teenager, he is bitten a genetically enhanced spider and given spider abilities. He dresses up in tights and fights criminals and a giant Lizard while trying to avoid the police.
What I liked:
The Lizard was a great villain in this movie. Dr Curt Connors was a likable character that was a good guy with some flaws. His desire to regrow his arm along with pressure from his boss at Oscorp is what lead him to take the serum and become the Lizard. The special effects for the Lizard was fantastic. Rhys Ifans did a fantastic job portraying both Doc Connors and the Lizard.
One of my many complaints about Spider-Man 3 was the poor treatment of Gwen Stacy. When I learned that Amazing Spidey would have her as Peter’s love interest, I was excited. Gwen was Peter’s original girlfriend in the comics and I wanted to see what she looked like on the big screen. I was pleasantly surprised by Emma Stone and how she nailed the character of Gwen and even looked like Gwen from the comics. Knee high socks and high boots added some great details to the Gwen Stacy look.
I love that this whole re-boot was set during a few weeks of Pete’s life in high school. As much as I like the first Spider-Man movie, I wanted to see more of Peter in High School and how he developed as a character. This spend time developing not just Peter but also Gwen in high school. It made the movie and the characters stronger than the previous trilogy.
I was not crazy about the look of Andrew Garfield as Peter but his acting was really good. All of the actors did a great job in this movie. There acting made it easy to buy into story.
I really like the new Spider-Man costume. It looked more like the comic book.
The humor of the wisecracking Spider-Man came fully out. The first three movies barely hit on this personality trait of Spider-Man. It highlights the personality differences of Peter with and without the costume.
What I not Like:
Before I begin to tell you what I didn’t like, I have to fully admit that I am a Spidey fanboy. I love the comics and Peter is my favorite fictional character of all time. My opinions may be tainted by my long love of the comic book lore.
I liked Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben a lot but there was something important that was missed. Uncle Ben did give lectures and advice to Peter but never once said “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.” These are the words that have driven Spider-Man for 50 years. Leaving this out was inexcusable.
As I mentioned before, I did not like the look of Garfield as Peter Parker. He had the lanky look but looked too much like a prep with his hair. His character is a skateboarder- Really? This is not the look of the stereotypical science nerd that we all love.
A problem I had with the original three Spider-Man movies was how Spidey’s mask continued to come off or became destroyed revealing his identity. This movie unfortunately carried on that tradition. Peter took his mask off for a little kid to see his face, had it ripped off by Captain Stacy, and the Lizard peeled it off. This never happens in the comics because it would give away his identity.
(Spoilers) The scene with the spiders didn’t make a lot of sense. Peter was able to view a key combination and then break into the lab. He saw the room of numerous spiders and went in anyway to hang out. He played with their webs and caused them to drop. This lead one of them to bite him and give him powers. As my friend Jeff pointed out, when Peter told Gwen about the spiders, then why didn’t she go in and get powers. It was a huge plot hole.
I really like the Denis Leary as Captain Stacy. (Major Spoiler) But I hated that they killed Captain Stacy at the end of the movie. The great thing about Captain Stacy is that he turns from being a critic of Spidey to a champion of him. He is around for quite a while in the comics before he dies. I wanted to see Captain Stacy as a big time supporter and in at least one more movie.
Also at the end, I really disliked how Captain Stacy had Peter to promise him that he would stay away from Gwen. It is the opposite of the comics. When Captain Stacy reveals to Spider-Man that he knows that Peter is Spidey and tells him to take care of her in the comic books. This is what should have occurred in the movie.
I was not crazy about Sally Field as Aunt May. I much preferred Rosemary Harris’ portrayal of Aunt May. I was bothered by much of her interaction with Peter. To me, she was always Sally Field and never Aunt May.
The changes in the origin did bother me but not as much as other parts The whole change in circumstances of how Uncle Ben was shot was not needed but I could accepted.
Review:
I enjoyed this movie even with all of it flaws. It ranked really close to Spider-Man 2 for me. It didn’t come close to the level of the Avengers.
My Grade: B
Other Reviews
IMDB:7.7
Rotten Tomatoes/Critics: 74% Fresh
Rotten Tomatoes/Audience: 84% Fresh
I failed to mention how much I liked Flash Thompson. I loved that the character grew in this movie. He is on his way to becoming Flash- the friend to Pete and Gwen instead of just Flash the bully.