Why Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man series doesn’t deserve the criticism that it gets

Why Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man series doesn’t deserve the criticism that it gets

Just a bit of information why The Amazing Spider-Man was a necessary film and why the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 shouldn't be getting criticism already.

Editorial Opinion
By Avenger4U - Apr 19, 2013 05:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Fan Fic

It almost seems as if every new set photo that comes out from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 get criticized to the bone. Why is there so much criticism for a movie that hasn’t even been released yet? The Amazing Spider-Man was pretty successful at the box office, and it received generally favorable reviews holding a 73% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and got a lot of praise for Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone’s performances, so why isn’t there much excitement for the sequel?

Let’s start by acknowledging why people complained about the first film. A lot of fans said that The Amazing Spider-Man was released too early, only 10 years after Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and only 5 years after Spider-Man 3. However, The Amazing Spider-Man was a necessary film because of the fact that there were way too many errors in Spider-Man 3, and a fourth film would be extremely difficult to please an audience. Ask yourself this; are you glad that Batman Begins was released or would you rather have seen a sequel to Batman and Robin? I think the former would be on most people’s minds. Also, The Amazing Spider-Man got the concept and mythology of Spider-Man in more detail than the first film. We see more reasons why Peter Parker actually becomes a superhero (he stops hunting down Uncle Ben’s killer after Captain Stacey talks about Spider-Man not helping out the city because he only finds criminals that are similar, and begins to fight crime regularly because he feels that he has an obligation to do so) and the story starts off with Gwen Stacey rather than introducing her randomly two films later. Although Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-Man films are incredible, ASM was the right way to go after Spider-Man 3 for fans that still wanted to see Spider-Man in the cinema.

So far with Amazing Spider-Man 2, we have only seen set photos and concept art of the new suit. The set photos are being totally bashed by fans, but I think they really shouldn’t be. Recently, Jamie Foxx’s appearance as Electro has been getting a lot of negative reactions. Personally, I believe that the film is going in the right direction by making him look more like the character from the Ultimates. People couldn’t really have been expecting the filmmakers to go with the traditional yellow and green suit were they? There are some things that work in comics that do not work at all in film. The traditional suit would have looked silly, and just a standard black suit, like I know many people were actually expecting to see, would look plain. The images that we’ve seen so far give me the idea that once the effects in the film are established, Electro will look like a really menacing character that poses a threat to the whole city (isn’t that the point of Spider-Man villains?). A guy that looks like he’s made up of 90% high voltage electricity seems more like someone Spider-Man can only take down, where as a guy in a ridiculous green and yellow suit shooting a couple lighting bolts from his hands looks more like someone that a group of electricians could take down with ease.

Lastly, just as the film before it, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has a great cast, and Jamie Foxx is definitely going to make a really convincing Electro. There really doesn’t need to be any criticism, at least not yet, and the movie seems like it’s going to be a lot better than its predecessor.

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TheSuperguy
TheSuperguy - 4/19/2013, 5:59 PM
I feel it was a flawed film, but if I has to grade it it would be 2-3 stars. It was a fun film, and i hope the sequel learns from the flaws of the first.
Minotauro
Minotauro - 4/19/2013, 6:00 PM
"Why Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man series doesn’t deserve the criticism that it gets"

Deserves every bit.
Avenger4U
Avenger4U - 4/19/2013, 6:11 PM
I agree the movie did have a couple of flaws, but I thought they were very minor and most of them were due to the fact that they were really trying to create an origin story that was different from Sam Raimi's version. The sequel should be a lot better because it's a film that stands on its own. It doesn't have to really re-tell anything.
Lindsey35
Lindsey35 - 4/19/2013, 6:14 PM
I applaud you for even thinking about posting this article. And I 100% agree that people should STOP hating.

I want this movie to be amazing (no pun intended).

For 1. Andrew is BRILLIANT and IS Spider-Man, so this series can go further than 'just' a trilogy.

2. TASM is my favorite CBM...EVER. And I loved every single second of it.

And 3. Because everyone makes it (and TASM) their own personal punching-bag BEFORE even seeing a trailer. With nit picks such as Andrew's new haircut, pics of Woodley going to the set WITHOUT makeup on (she's actually a beautiful looking young woman), and Elector's look WITHOUT special effects.

People on this site are pathetic. They place their judgment much too soon.
superherofan21
superherofan21 - 4/19/2013, 7:01 PM
THANK YOU! Finally, someone who has some common sense. For God's sake, why don't people bash Raimi's films as much as they do Webb's? I just don't get it. Raimi's films were far inferior to the new series.
GoodGuy
GoodGuy - 4/19/2013, 7:34 PM
@Avenger4U

I, personally, did enjoy The Amazing Spider-Man as a summer popcorn flick. However, no offense, but your arguments don't really justify the unwarranted criticism or the actual necessity of the Amazing Spider-Man.

You've stated the good things about the movie such as Andrew Garfield and the cast's performances, Electro's non-laughable look, and sensible love interest decisions. What you failed to account for, however, are what people perceive are the bad things with the movie. People, in general, aren't stupid. The criticism that this movie gets usually comes from a genuine place. Riddled with plot defects and its fair share of bad decisions, the Amazing Spider-Man, though never terrible, is never a masterpiece either.

The Amazing Spider-Man's reputation is dependent on what is given to us. And what we were given at this point in time, was 1 movie that simply didn't live up to the "amazing" adjective that it is titled. You talk about the potential that the 2nd film has to offer based on the set photos and unveiled details. However, that is still not a valid means of justification as to why the fans' opinion on this series is generally unfavourable. Any "good" thing about the next movie is is purely based on speculation and potential at this point.

Simply put, our only valid basis of critique is the first Amazing Spider-Man movie. The potential of the next movie isn't a testament that this series is better than what we think. We will objectively judge the series based on what is given to us. As of now, we haven't been given a movie that is truly above the criticism it gets. That's not to say that it won't change in a few years, however. The sequel might and most likely will bring this series to its more appropriate glory. At that jovial time, would it be more appropriate to write this article.

Not a hater of the film. In fact I liked it quite a bit. I just think that this article would be better suited once we have more material to work with.
GoodGuy
GoodGuy - 4/19/2013, 7:45 PM
But yes, there are some things that you brought up about the first film that are victims of unwarranted hate.

1. Garfield's portrayal - A very talented actor who delivered an equally impressive performance. Like his character or not, the acting range and the emotional resonance he gives the audience is undeniable.

2. Arguably, the motivation for Spider-Man was somewhat more organic for this day and age. First motivated by vengeance and anger, Peter Parker fights criminals to hopefully get closure for an unresolved issue. He then continues to fight evildoers, though for more noble reasons when various life changing events prompt him to do so.

3. A reboot was the only way to go after Spider-Man 3 and the horrendous Spider-Man 4 and 5 idea propositions. Though it could have happened a bit later to let the steam settle, I'll accept it. I mean, why not? More for me, right?
WYLEEJAY
WYLEEJAY - 4/19/2013, 8:13 PM
I applaud you! Your right. I thought the first one was a great film. I couldn't stand the way they portrayed Peter Parker in the original trilogy. I enjoyed all three films, minor disappointments, a few big ones, but they weren't perfect either. My only problem with the Amazing Spider Man was the lack of Uncle Bens legendary line. You know the one.
Avenger4U
Avenger4U - 4/19/2013, 8:28 PM
@WYLEEJAY
You're absolutely right, that was one of the flaws with the film. But the film's plot was able to really expand on that idea and explain it without Uncle Ben actually saying it. But yeah, I was waiting the whole time for that line to show up and I was really disappointed that it didn't.
Avenger4U
Avenger4U - 4/19/2013, 8:36 PM
@GoodGuy

Well I'm not saying that the movie doesn't deserve any criticism, every film should as it's really difficult to make a film perfect. What I'm trying to explain is that people were criticizing the first film the second that it was announced that it was going to be made. People assumed that the movie was unnecessary and that it wasn't going to be a good movie before anyone even got to see a trailer. When the movie was released it turned not to be a bad movie at all, and was extremely well directed by Marc Webb. Now, people are giving the second movie the same kind of criticism and judging it by set photos. People need to wait for the film to be released and then judge whether they thought it was good or not.
GoodGuy
GoodGuy - 4/19/2013, 8:50 PM
@Avenger4u

To clarify, I didn't think that you said that it didn't deserve any criticism. I thought that you were being preemptive and basing the reputation on the franchise based on what the Amazing Spider-Man 2 might offer rather than judging what the franchise has actually given us thus far.


You're gonna have to excuse whatever misconceptions I had about the article. Writing is an art. And the difficult thing about art is that it resonates differently with different people. I must have missed the message you were trying to convey.
WYLEEJAY
WYLEEJAY - 4/19/2013, 10:38 PM
@jollem. Nice. Lol. Thank you for that.
GetsugaTensho22
GetsugaTensho22 - 4/20/2013, 1:04 AM
I think it's entertaining, but it's at the same level as Transformers entertaining.
Love them or hate them, Objectively speaking, Raimi's original trilogy is leaps and bounds ahead of this new franchise.
Spideyguy94
Spideyguy94 - 4/20/2013, 3:05 AM
I think it's a good movie but I have my major issues with it. But it's not one of the worst CBMs ever like a lot of people seem to think, I can think of at least 15 CBMs that are much worse than it.
RidiculousFanBoyDemands
RidiculousFanBoyDemands - 4/20/2013, 6:39 AM
Because there is way too much angst and moodiness in the film. They butchered Peter Parker, the Lizard and basically everyone else save for Gwen Stacy. It basically has the same action beats and plot points as the original Spider-man (which was far superior), without coming up with any original ideas on its own. Nobody likes their Spider-man infused with Twilight and The Dark Knight. It was an average film at best, that can't compare to Spider-man 1 or 2. Even Spider-man 3 was more enjoyable despite the fact it had its flaws.
Odin
Odin - 4/20/2013, 6:58 AM
Okay, I'm getting pissed off with this subject; why can't people just accept that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, does someone honestly think that they can chance the way people see the movies by writing an article on internet. There are 4 Spiderman movies for reason; so that everyone could have at least one Spiderman-movie they can enjoy. If you did like TASM; good for you, if you didn't like it; well let's hope the sequel is better(looks promising so far).
I agree with Lindsey35 about judging movie based some random promo pics; let's see the actual film before making our opinions.
I also agree with DrDoom; it's getting a bit desperate the way people try to defend TASM.
Lindsey35
Lindsey35 - 4/20/2013, 7:21 AM
While I agree both films get a fairly large amount of unnecessary hate, Odin has a point. As much as I enjoy seeing someone taking a stand, I agree with Odin that these articles about the two films should stop.
jessepostal
jessepostal - 4/20/2013, 7:58 AM
I don't think u can really judge a movie until u watch it a few times, at first I liked it, by the third viewing it was pretty mundane and boring.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 4/20/2013, 9:19 PM
You say that a sequel (rather than a reboot) would have been a problem, as Spider-man 3 was fresh on everyone's minds - comparing it to Batman and Robin of all things.

Here's how I see the Amazing Spider-man sequel. You have a poorly-written origin story with just enough congruity with the Ultimate universe that a good deal of fans can point out a page or panel or two and say: "looky here!" - but at it's core, it is a duplicate of the first Spider-man movie that came out ten years before it. But that's done, that's past, and sequels these days have the advantage of telling a new story with evolved characters.

I italicized that last sentence because it's why I'd give the sequel the benefit of the doubt, and precisely why I would have wanted a fourth Spider-man movie to follow Spider-man 3. A new direction could have followed - the entire Goblin arc had closed, Mary Jane and Peter were looking as though they'd be friends again - the door was left open for anyone to jump in, really.

Incidentally, we would have seen two Vultures (and there have been at least two different ones - usually fighting each other like the two Goblins) and as a twist, Anne Hathaway would have played the second Vulture. Even after Les Miserables, I'm REALLY still not a fan of her, although yes indeed, she can sing beautifully. Still, it would have been a nice change to see a female villain.

So TASM 2 isn't looking spiffy thusfar, which may be silly to say at this stage, but let's face it - nothing has been impressive so far. It does have the opportunity to make up for its predecessor's shortcomings, but I really doubt it will.
Avenger4U
Avenger4U - 4/21/2013, 11:30 AM
@SotoJuiceMan

No I don't have that channel actually.
Avenger4U
Avenger4U - 4/21/2013, 11:34 AM
@MegaPrime1107

Oh no I know that's not the suit. It's been confirmed that suit will be black but what people didn't know early on was that Electro was going to be blue, and that's what people are criticizing and basing the fact whether the film will be good or not because of that. It's exactly how people criticized the first film before filming even started because people just didn't think it was a good idea (which it was).
Avenger4U
Avenger4U - 4/21/2013, 11:53 AM
The reason that this series was necessary is that it opens up the opportunity for a lot of really interesting story lines. Now, I would have liked to see a sequel to Spider-Man 3 if only these few things occurred in the film:

1. The movie starts out with John Jameson (who was introduced in Spider-Man 2) going into space and finding the rock that holds the symbiote and then crashing the ship on a bridge, (just because that scene would be amazing to see on film even though it didn't happen in Secret Wars, and anything would be better than the meteor randomly falling in front of Peter Parker and the symbiote following him home).

2. Harry Osborn becomes Green Goblin, not that surfer guy that we ended up seeing.

3. Harry Osborn stays as the villain for either the majority or the entirety of the film, and does not get amnesia.

4. Sandman doesn't appear in the film, and the whole Flint Marko killed Uncle Ben mystery doesn't happen either.

5. Peter Parker and Mary Jane don't have a crappy break-up.

6. Felicia Hardy is in the film instead of Gwen Stacey because then she could have a significant role in the fourth film as Black Cat. Gwen would have been good to have in the first movie, but she's really unneeded in the third.

7. The symbiote makes Peter Parker go bad, not sad.

8. Eddie Brock doesn't die (which may not have happened, but it was a bad way to end that whole scene anyway).

Therefore, we may actually see some of those things happen in Marc Webb's series.
AC1
AC1 - 4/21/2013, 1:25 PM
@DrDoom your YouTube commentary doesn't work.
AC1
AC1 - 4/21/2013, 1:38 PM
I don't understand how people can bash TASM for 'plot holes/poor writing' but then claim that TDKR doesn't suffer from either of those things.

These articles are getting pretty boring now. There's no point in trying when the majority are clearly against the film despite the fact that their criticisms are both insignificant and unjustified. I have yet to see a good, well rounded reason that TASM is supposedly a 'bad film', so I'm counting that as a win, and that the guys bashing it are simply clutching at straws. But it's time to give these articles a rest, because they're getting tedious, repetitive, and a bit desperate, and there's no need. People need to stop attacking one another for their opinions, and stop trolling on articles concerning something they either dislike or are biased against (in the case of TASM 2 it's a bias, because you've never seen the actual movie).

@GetsungaTensho22 Transformers? You think TASM was of a similar quality to Transformers? How can you compare either of those two films/franchises? I mean, the thing that immediately distances both is the fact that TASM has a coherent and fairly well written story, whereas Transformers is all about showing off special effects using a really poorly written story. Then of course TASM has multi layered characters, while Transformers' characters are all extremely flat.
AC1
AC1 - 4/21/2013, 1:52 PM
@Soto the origin needed to be retold to set up the new storyline that they're dealing with. This series is set to explore the conspiracy surrounding the death of Peter's parents, so it made sense to retell the origins and have them tied to the same conspiracy. In this series, it seems, everything will be connected.

To explain it more concisely - Peter's father's briefcase. See, you start off with their disappearance. You then jump forward to the time when Peter finds the briefcase, which ignites his interest in the mysterious circumstances of his parents' deaths. This leads to him investigating Oscorp, where he gets his powers. Then you take him on the journey of becoming a hero. Now, I'll agree that the way the parents subplot was dropped wasn't great, and it could've been handled better, but I think it's excusable since it's set to continue through the next film(s).

If you were to skip the origins, though, it'd play out like this: Peter's parents disappear. Jump to Peter already being Spider-Man and investigating the conspiracy. Throw in a random villain for him to fight (they couldn't really connect Conners because they'd have skipped that bit as it concerned Peter getting his powers). The End.
It would've been very forced if they jumped forward from Peter's parents dying to Peter being Spider-Man if they wanted to do the conspiracy storyline.

Of course, they could done a bog-standard Spider-Man film with no mention of his parents at all, but then it'd be indistinguishable from Raimi's films, and be the de facto Spider-Man 4 since there'd be no new origin to distance it.

Or, they could've done Spider-Man 4 using Raimi's idea, with The Vulture and Vulturess, which sounded awful.
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