Jason KingTHE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: A Review by Salty
July 3rd 2012 22:28
:
Amazing Spidey is Amazing
I am still on a high at seeing this film - I mean my body is buzzing in joy at how freaking amazing this film was - I am now a total fanboy!
Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy, and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance - leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr Curt Connors, his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
I got to attend an advanced screening of this last night with close mate Tom and my partners in film crime - the Cinefools - back together as a dynamic duo again, and to be honest wasn't expecting much but was excited to see Andrew Garfield don the lycra because I am kind of in love with him and his acting - this guy is a superb actor that is so removed from the idea of a Hollywood actor - he comes across as shy and without any ounce of pretentiousness. The trailers looked ok but honestly they didn't appear to do anything that the last three Spidermans did. And I think there has been so much negativity and anger at the franchise being rebooted so close to the others and for booting Sam Raimi from the fanchise - it isn't that close people - and they are already talking of rebooting franchises for both Batman and Twilight and neither of these franchises have even finished yet!!
Why is this film so good?
1) Cast
2) Hero factor
3) Story
4) Chemistry
Firstly the cast of this film are out of this world. Andrew Garfield has bumped himself up into my number one slot of favourite actor of the moment. He is the PERFECT Peter Parker and Spidey, his combo of vulnerability and slightly insane menace is brilliant. Half the time you want to hug him and the other half you want to kill anyone that gets in his way, call it a parental effect. He is so unassuming as an actor you will LOVE HIM. Then there is Emma Stone - and it is hard to talk about her without also talking about point 4 - the chemistry. Stone is a female version of Garfield and the two of them are two of the actors I would most love to meet - they are both so down to earth and geeky - and in real life they are a couple - to me this is the perfect celebrity romance - they both appear way too nice to hurt the other and I am hoping this will last for a long time - although this does ruin my Garfield fantasies. But the acting between the two of them is so genuine and it is the one thing everyone I have spoken to has said about the film - they are just so god damn likeable.
And who would not love to have Sally Field and Martin Sheen as your parents, adopted or not. They are an ideal Aunt May and Uncle Ben - I really was hoping this was one of the things they would change in this story and not do anything bad to Uncle Ben - alas they had to follow the story. Martin Sheen spins me out now - or more Emilio Estevez spins me out - every day he turns into the exact replica of Martin Sheen and I kept seeing Estevez in Sheen in this role.
Then there is Rhys Ifans as The Lizard/ Dr Curt Connors - who I found a much better nemesis that Willem Defoe - I found his internal struggle a bit too last minute but the film is not really about him - it is about how Spidey deals with him
Add to that Dennis Leary as Captain Stacy and Gwen's dad - he was a great actor in this and the cocoa scene had me chuckling - I also love the contrast and struggle of cop v vigilante. It was also good seeing C. Thomas Howell in the film and of course the Stan Lee cameo - this is honestly the best cameo he has ever had in any movie.
The hero factor - it is so prominent in this film. Marc Webb, the director, who is basically only known for 500 DAYS OF SUMMER captures the most amazing hero moments and superb visuals and most of them in ground breaking and vertigo inducing 3D. It always about the struggle - don't make Spidey sling his way over the entire city - make him do it shot, put him in the worst possible situation every time and make the audience scream for him. And Spidey has some new moves - his body movements are much different from all the other Spideys we have known. This is not Dark Knight - this is Spiderman - it always is going to be a little more camp and clichéd, he wears bright coloured Lycra for crying out loud - the city thinks Dark Knight is evil, they support Spiderman, as a hero, so embrace the occasional one liners from the residents that go out of their way to help when they can. Webb has made the best Spiderman film ever made as far as I am concerned - I expect so much more from him and really do hope he makes the many many sequels I hope are on the way.
The story is likeable and embraces the build of the hero, it is halfway between the last Spiderman and Batman - it is a bit more dark but it is less colourful than the other Spidermans. The story is written by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves who all apparently worked on a little franchise starring a boy wizard. It is a different take on the story and this time we get Gwen instead of Mary Jane - I prefer Gwen - only because I want more and more of Emma Stone. A lot of it keeps close to the story but there is one thing that spun me out (pun intended) and it's the web - I won't say more as don't want many spoilers but the webbing messed with mine and a few other people's heads. The other thing I think the story lacked was more of the nemesis - The Lizard. At one stage I assumed the film would be up to 3hrs long as it took a long time building up the story but then it got into it but because it focused so much on Peter Parker the nemesis was undercut - which I can deal with as the film is not called Spider-man and The Lizard BUT the two of them share a storyline and history and have a parallel issue and similarity - I think Rhys Ifans could have had more time - BUT I think he will be back maybe? Hahaha.
Anyway I have gushed enough for this film - for me it was like watching Superman for the first time as a child and I love the film for the imagination and effect it will have on young children - I just want to throw out my web and go flying through Sydney. Easily the best Spiderman movie and Garfield is easily the best Spiderman - and one of the best emerging actors on the planet - if you haven't seen it watch BOY-A. Spiderman commences for everyone in Amazing 3D (again pun intended) from 4th/5th JUL at midnight and commenced on the 3rd in the US for the HUGE 4th JULY Holiday weekend. Worth a well deserved 9.5 out of 10 lycra clad Garfields
Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy, and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance - leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr Curt Connors, his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
I got to attend an advanced screening of this last night with close mate Tom and my partners in film crime - the Cinefools - back together as a dynamic duo again, and to be honest wasn't expecting much but was excited to see Andrew Garfield don the lycra because I am kind of in love with him and his acting - this guy is a superb actor that is so removed from the idea of a Hollywood actor - he comes across as shy and without any ounce of pretentiousness. The trailers looked ok but honestly they didn't appear to do anything that the last three Spidermans did. And I think there has been so much negativity and anger at the franchise being rebooted so close to the others and for booting Sam Raimi from the fanchise - it isn't that close people - and they are already talking of rebooting franchises for both Batman and Twilight and neither of these franchises have even finished yet!!
Why is this film so good?
1) Cast
2) Hero factor
3) Story
4) Chemistry
Firstly the cast of this film are out of this world. Andrew Garfield has bumped himself up into my number one slot of favourite actor of the moment. He is the PERFECT Peter Parker and Spidey, his combo of vulnerability and slightly insane menace is brilliant. Half the time you want to hug him and the other half you want to kill anyone that gets in his way, call it a parental effect. He is so unassuming as an actor you will LOVE HIM. Then there is Emma Stone - and it is hard to talk about her without also talking about point 4 - the chemistry. Stone is a female version of Garfield and the two of them are two of the actors I would most love to meet - they are both so down to earth and geeky - and in real life they are a couple - to me this is the perfect celebrity romance - they both appear way too nice to hurt the other and I am hoping this will last for a long time - although this does ruin my Garfield fantasies. But the acting between the two of them is so genuine and it is the one thing everyone I have spoken to has said about the film - they are just so god damn likeable.
And who would not love to have Sally Field and Martin Sheen as your parents, adopted or not. They are an ideal Aunt May and Uncle Ben - I really was hoping this was one of the things they would change in this story and not do anything bad to Uncle Ben - alas they had to follow the story. Martin Sheen spins me out now - or more Emilio Estevez spins me out - every day he turns into the exact replica of Martin Sheen and I kept seeing Estevez in Sheen in this role.
Then there is Rhys Ifans as The Lizard/ Dr Curt Connors - who I found a much better nemesis that Willem Defoe - I found his internal struggle a bit too last minute but the film is not really about him - it is about how Spidey deals with him
Add to that Dennis Leary as Captain Stacy and Gwen's dad - he was a great actor in this and the cocoa scene had me chuckling - I also love the contrast and struggle of cop v vigilante. It was also good seeing C. Thomas Howell in the film and of course the Stan Lee cameo - this is honestly the best cameo he has ever had in any movie.
The hero factor - it is so prominent in this film. Marc Webb, the director, who is basically only known for 500 DAYS OF SUMMER captures the most amazing hero moments and superb visuals and most of them in ground breaking and vertigo inducing 3D. It always about the struggle - don't make Spidey sling his way over the entire city - make him do it shot, put him in the worst possible situation every time and make the audience scream for him. And Spidey has some new moves - his body movements are much different from all the other Spideys we have known. This is not Dark Knight - this is Spiderman - it always is going to be a little more camp and clichéd, he wears bright coloured Lycra for crying out loud - the city thinks Dark Knight is evil, they support Spiderman, as a hero, so embrace the occasional one liners from the residents that go out of their way to help when they can. Webb has made the best Spiderman film ever made as far as I am concerned - I expect so much more from him and really do hope he makes the many many sequels I hope are on the way.
The story is likeable and embraces the build of the hero, it is halfway between the last Spiderman and Batman - it is a bit more dark but it is less colourful than the other Spidermans. The story is written by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves who all apparently worked on a little franchise starring a boy wizard. It is a different take on the story and this time we get Gwen instead of Mary Jane - I prefer Gwen - only because I want more and more of Emma Stone. A lot of it keeps close to the story but there is one thing that spun me out (pun intended) and it's the web - I won't say more as don't want many spoilers but the webbing messed with mine and a few other people's heads. The other thing I think the story lacked was more of the nemesis - The Lizard. At one stage I assumed the film would be up to 3hrs long as it took a long time building up the story but then it got into it but because it focused so much on Peter Parker the nemesis was undercut - which I can deal with as the film is not called Spider-man and The Lizard BUT the two of them share a storyline and history and have a parallel issue and similarity - I think Rhys Ifans could have had more time - BUT I think he will be back maybe? Hahaha.
Anyway I have gushed enough for this film - for me it was like watching Superman for the first time as a child and I love the film for the imagination and effect it will have on young children - I just want to throw out my web and go flying through Sydney. Easily the best Spiderman movie and Garfield is easily the best Spiderman - and one of the best emerging actors on the planet - if you haven't seen it watch BOY-A. Spiderman commences for everyone in Amazing 3D (again pun intended) from 4th/5th JUL at midnight and commenced on the 3rd in the US for the HUGE 4th JULY Holiday weekend. Worth a well deserved 9.5 out of 10 lycra clad Garfields
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Comment by Dara
Is it worth seeing in 3D?
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
Overall, despite its shortcomings I can't deny I found the whole thing thoroughly entertaining.
Comment by Jason King
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Salty Popcorn
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Comment by The Rusty Can
Everything
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