The Amazing Spider-Man is a movie that has all the ingredients to be the perfect Spider-Man film but, unfortunately, it just isn't one.
When Marc Webb was announced as director, I thought he was bloody perfect for the film and I still think he is. He directs the film with a lot of style, but it reeks of the studio's overinvolvement.
It's as if the Studio kept on sprinkling unnecessary spices and ingredients all over Webb's decently made Ravioli and twisted it and edited it to meet the demands of idiotic test audiences probably comprised of people who hate Spider-Man and Twilight-moms who dream about pasty faced Vampires. In fact, an entire subplot was deleted from the final film after test audiences opposed it. Is the test audience that important, Sony? Do you have no respect for a director's vision? Apparently not.
I lost count of the loose threads in this film. Too many loose threads and plot holes. And Irrfan's character, Ratha, despite being important to a certain plot point in the film, goes missing halfway through.
There are so many subplots that in an attempt to balance them, Webb ends up giving each of them little space to breathe. When plot twists happen, they mostly feel weightless. Most of the focus is on Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and Peter Parker's relationship which is welcome because there's some great chemistry between them and they are played wonderfully, but I can't help but feel that Webb should have paid more attention to some other more emotional arcs, like George Stacy's arc, or Curt Conner's arc. Uncle Ben, marvelously played by Martin Sheen, has more screen time in the film, but for some reason the impact we feel due to his death is not much. When he died in the Sam Raimi film, we could feel the impact, it oozed out of the screen... it meant something. Here, the impact is just not as much. I think that isn't a problem with this film's Uncle Ben but rather a problem with this film's Spider-Man. What he does after that makes him feel more grounded, more real, but it just didn't ring well with me.
It takes time for this Spider-Man to realize that "With great power comes great responsibility". It takes a lot of time. More than half the duration of the film, in fact. It makes sense because this version's Peter Parker isn't a nerd, he's more of a rebel. He skateboards around school, doesn't listen to the principal, but he stands up for what's right. When a fellow student is getting bullied, he stands up to protect him. He is the Peter Parker we know and love, but a lot less nerdier. That does achieve in grounding the character a lot, but it just isn't Peter Parker for me.
Marc Webb handles the action set pieces like a pro, thanks to what probably is the best cinematography I've seen in a Spider-Man flick. Every action scene, every scene of Spider-Man swinging around New York is absolutely magnificent. The film is rich in color, and rich in darkness, and I can't imagine seeing it in 3D. I'd recommend you watch this in 2D, because 3D just dampens all the color.
The acting ensemble is absolutely magnificent. Andrew Garfield is just brilliant as Peter Parker. I didn't like how he was written, but Garfield just sells it with his performance and it's obvious how much he loves the character. Every emotion, every expression is absolutely spot-on. Emma Stone is charming and crush-worthy as Gwen Stacy, but her character could have been so much more. But, damn. Not only does Emma Stone look the part, she also feels like the Gwen Stacy of the comic books. Dennis Leary sometimes feels like a JK Simmons stand in as Captain George Stacy, delivering a pretty decent performance. Martin Sheen is great as a very Ultimate Spider-man-ish Uncle Ben, but again, as with Gwen Stacy, he could have been so much more. Rhys Ifans as Curt Conners tries his level best with what he was given, but even his great performance can't save such an awfully written character.
When he's not being a snarling, badly designed dinosaur-like Lizard, Curt Conners exudes cheesiness. What could have been a great, conflicted character is reduced to a Green Goblin-lite. Definitely my least favorite take on Lizard, who happens to be one of my favorite villains ever.
There's a lot to be loved in The Amazing Spider-Man such as the performances, the new take on Peter Parker, but there's a lot to hate, too. And if you're a nitpicky comic book fan like me, you may hate it. I doubt anyone would love this film, but it is quite fun and I'm looking forward to the sequel. Hopefully that will have less studio involvement and a better script.
When Marc Webb was announced as director, I thought he was bloody perfect for the film and I still think he is. He directs the film with a lot of style, but it reeks of the studio's overinvolvement.
It's as if the Studio kept on sprinkling unnecessary spices and ingredients all over Webb's decently made Ravioli and twisted it and edited it to meet the demands of idiotic test audiences probably comprised of people who hate Spider-Man and Twilight-moms who dream about pasty faced Vampires. In fact, an entire subplot was deleted from the final film after test audiences opposed it. Is the test audience that important, Sony? Do you have no respect for a director's vision? Apparently not.
I lost count of the loose threads in this film. Too many loose threads and plot holes. And Irrfan's character, Ratha, despite being important to a certain plot point in the film, goes missing halfway through.
There are so many subplots that in an attempt to balance them, Webb ends up giving each of them little space to breathe. When plot twists happen, they mostly feel weightless. Most of the focus is on Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and Peter Parker's relationship which is welcome because there's some great chemistry between them and they are played wonderfully, but I can't help but feel that Webb should have paid more attention to some other more emotional arcs, like George Stacy's arc, or Curt Conner's arc. Uncle Ben, marvelously played by Martin Sheen, has more screen time in the film, but for some reason the impact we feel due to his death is not much. When he died in the Sam Raimi film, we could feel the impact, it oozed out of the screen... it meant something. Here, the impact is just not as much. I think that isn't a problem with this film's Uncle Ben but rather a problem with this film's Spider-Man. What he does after that makes him feel more grounded, more real, but it just didn't ring well with me.
Marc Webb handles the action set pieces like a pro, thanks to what probably is the best cinematography I've seen in a Spider-Man flick. Every action scene, every scene of Spider-Man swinging around New York is absolutely magnificent. The film is rich in color, and rich in darkness, and I can't imagine seeing it in 3D. I'd recommend you watch this in 2D, because 3D just dampens all the color.
When he's not being a snarling, badly designed dinosaur-like Lizard, Curt Conners exudes cheesiness. What could have been a great, conflicted character is reduced to a Green Goblin-lite. Definitely my least favorite take on Lizard, who happens to be one of my favorite villains ever.
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