Well, we are only 38 days away from The Amazing Spider-Man release and my anticipation is going through the roof. With this though I am also starting to fear that the fanboy in me may be over riding the reality of the situation. In this article, I will go over how I feel about the film so far and what concerns me.
The Good:
Everything I have seen of this film so far has impressed me. I was one of the only ones who enjoyed the " knife scene" clip. The reason why I enjoyed it is because I found it somewhat relatable. If I was in that position of power, I would probably act exactly the same way Spidey does. Extremely cock sure and sarcastic. To me that scene screamed Spider-Man, including his trademark sarcasm. Though some feel the dialogue was not very good, I personally don't see it. I mean he is a teenage kid who is basically playing around with his powers, of course he is going to say some pretty off the wall statements. It felt natural to me but I can appreciate that some may have not liked it.
Today leaked footage from the 6 minute preview trailer was released and it focused on Peter and Gwen. Again I really enjoyed the interaction with the these two characters. They portray a wonderful sense of chemistry and I find it rather refreshing. This is not a bash at the Raimi trilogy because I really enjoyed number one and two but the sense of chemistry between Peter and MJ was just not that strong, in my opinion. I always felt like MJ came across as a really annoying plot device, just put in there to torment poor Peter. In each film she was always the main reason why Spidey would swing into action to save the day. In Spider-Man 2, I found the wise words from Aunt May (favourite scene in the entire trilogy, it hit a real emotional cord with me) were contradicted by Peter. " Sometimes we have to give up the things we want the most, even our dreams". This was great line which was then twisted by the plot. Peter only gains his powers back once MJ is in danger and not because of the peril the city was facing. For me that didn't sit well because at that point he is only becoming Spider-Man again for his own personal gains.
I hope in this new film Gwen is a much stronger character for Peter and by the looks of it she may be just that. Of course, I am only basing this on a minute long clip but I am hoping that clip is a sign of the strong relationship and bond, Peter and Gwen will have.
Action-wise it is looking very good. The swinging in particular looks like it will be the highlight of the film. I find it to be truly breathtaking. The sense of momentum and gravity is astounding. I am also really liking the visual style Marc Webb is going for with this film. I find it extremely creative and dynamic. If a director is willing to put so much time into making their film visually stylised it obviously shows they care, which is a very important factor when making any film. The colours are vibrant and it looks like moving art at points, giving it that unique and quirky comic book vibe.
Okay this particular subject is something most people on this site would expect me to put under "THE BAD" category. The Lizard's design has been one of the most scrutinised aspects of this film. Some like it, whilst others hate it. I am between those two extremes. I would say I am content. The shot above is slowly pulling me towards really liking it and if it is an example of what The Lizard looks like on film, then I am satisfied. The level of detail on this character design is impressive and I feel it deserves more recognition than it is being given. The thing is people have complained they have not given him the lab coat, yet recently we learned he would feature the lab coat in certain parts of the film. People are still complaining "we don't have" a snout but I really don't see that as a particularly big issue. What should be the main concern is whether this villain will be a compelling adversary to the web-head, which we will only know once we have seen it for ourselves.
Another aspect people would put under "THE BAD" category is the changes to the origin. I personally don't have a problem with this because it means we are going to be given a fresh new take. I actually would have been disappointed if we were going to be given the same old origin story yet again. There is also a snippet of an interview with Marc Webb, which I think is important to take note of :
Q: In the comics, Uncle Ben's death is really the catalyst for Peter becoming Spider-Man. From the trailer it seems the search for the truth about his parents is the catalyst.
Webb: The first domino in the story is the parents. He goes out looking for his father and finds himself. That's my tagline. But Uncle Ben, of course, and his death... well, you have to see the movie! But, there's three elements that Marvel was very protective of and I think are very important parts of the Spider-Man origin story. Uncle Ben's death transforms him and has a huge impact on him. That's an incredibly important part of the mythology. I would never subvert that. That's all I'll say about that.
I think this clearly tells us that the fundamentals of the character will still be intact, they will just be told differently.
The Bad :
There are not many bad points for me but there is something I can't shake. The rumours about the executives hating the film and mixed reactions after screenings. I personally don't know what to make of this. One-side of me says this isn't true, whilst the other says it might be. If it is, I really hope it is over something silly and not something that means this will turn out to be a bad film. I would be completely gutted if that was the case. This is my most anticipated film of the year. Many of you were anticipating The Avengers, like I am with this film and how do you think you would have felt, if that had turned out to be a disaster ? Not good.
I personally can't see how this would turn out to be a bad film because everything I have seen, has lead me to believe it will be good, if not great. The thing is, if this film does turn out awful it could really hurt the Spider-Man franchise and make it end up like the previous Batman series. I don't think this will be the case but again it is something I will have to play by ear.
Right now I am trying to think of reasons why this film would be bad and I am having a hard time doing so. Again this could be a product of my fanboyism but I am genuinely trying to think of why, not to like this film.
Maybe because I am such a fanboy I have been blinded from the truth but even trying to think rationally I can't see how this film is going to turn out bad. To be fair there is another 120 minutes we have not seen, so there is plenty of time for the film to slip up, so I guess we will have to wait and see.
So now to ask you my fellow CBMembers. What do you like and want do you not like ? Do you think the executives hate it or is it just a wild rumour ?
I am curious to know.
Also as a little thank you for everyone who has read my articles regarding The Amazing Spider-Man I give to you a trailer I made for the upcoming movie, using the 90's animated theme.