Recently, I wrote an article explaining reasons where I thought Sam Raimi's trilogy fell short. Now, I am doing a new article, things of which I think make Marc Webb's take so much better.
The Amazing Spider-Man is my personal favorite superhero movie of all time, plain and simple. It has everything "I" wanted and expected. And when I see the hate it gets, I really get confused, and wonder what the heck is wrong with some people. But everyone has their own opinion, and I respect that, but, some of the things I've read from people is BS, and it's usually just to start fan wars or to make the fans mad. Stupid, pointless, and childish. I write this article to take a stand against the nonsense load of hate it gets. Some complaints of which I've read is valid, but most the time its just random nit picks. Shall I begin?
So, why is The Amazing Spider-Man your favorite superhero movie, you say?
Well, I'm about to tell you.
1. THE ACTING.
From all sides of the movie, the acting is spectacular. Andrew Garfield, to me, IS Spider-Man. He nailed it. He made Spider-Man AND Peter Parker relatable. What is wonderful about this is, and so difficult to do, Marc Webb took a comic character from the 60's and brought him to THIS very modern time, and in the end, Garfield pulled it off perfectly. I see and FEEL the pain in Peter's eyes when he must deal with death. The human part of Spider-Man is so relatable. People complain about him being too "antisocial" and whatever, well, this is the kind of Peter who has SERIOUSLY been through it. This is what makes THIS Peter relatable. He's a teen trying SO hard to survive. And Andrew delivered incredibly. You have to look at this interpretation at a certain angle, and when you figure it out, the movie makes perfect sense and STILL sticks to the comics.
Martin Sheen. Man oh man. For me personally, he took Uncle Ben to the next level. But that's just me. I loved his performance. And when he died, it honestly hurt me because I loved the performance so much. The connection between him and Peter was strong, and I loved that. We saw a much more human side of him. Martin Sheen did excellent IMHO.
Emma Stone brought us a strong, solid performance. She, also, brings that human/relatable aspect out of Spider-Man, and does wonderful, too. She comes in second place of my favorite actors from the film. The chemistry between her and Garfield is spectacular, which most superhero movies lack these days.
Coming in third, Denis Leary. To say I enjoyed his performance is an understatement, even though he doesn't appear till the second half of the film. When Captain Stacy died, I gained a lump in my throat. If that's not good acting, then, I don't know what is. But then again, that's just me.
Sally Fields delivers wonderfully as Ant May. Her take is very different than what we saw before. I think, with this approach, they're coming from the Ultimate comics, which is why this take is different. She's a strong, very caring character, and Fields does just fine. Her reaction to her husband dying was believable and very realistic. I give Sally 5 stars on the Ant May chart!
And finally, Rhys Ifans. Where do I begin? May I start with the cheepy, dark, human side of him? Or the violent, scally, green, mutan, huge, claws, side? One of my favorite parts was when he started having voices in his head. Oh, and the fact that his Lizard form could talk was also cool. On the human side, we have this sad, dark, man whose goal is to only regrow his missing arm. I really felt for the guy when he had his arm back for the first time. Rhys does perfectly. You can see the joy it brings him when he thinks for the first time "It works! My arm is back!" But then he is tore down by the fact that he has mutated himself. Beautiful.
But a good movie doesn't completely rely on the acting, now does it?
2. THE STORY.
Let's start with everyone's biggest nit pick of all, the so called "rehash," they claim. In no way shape or form do I see this film telling Raimi's first Spider-Man movie over again. In some ways it is, but when you watch it, it is told completely different. Yes Spider-Man is bitten again. Yes Uncle Ben is killed again. Yes Peter is in school again (at least through the whole movie, this time. SORRY). But these are told in a very different way. But why did they have to go with his origin all over again, you say? Because it obviously has something to do with the trilogy as a FREAKIN' WHOLE. DUH. This is their take on Spider-Man, therefore they must install things to fit into their universe. So quit bickering. Thirty years from now, when there hasn't been a Spider-Man movie for two decades, they'll be retelling the origin again, probably.
THE PARENTS.
Again, this makes Marc Webb's turn very different than the previous ones. Obviously, this part of the plot goes on into the sequel. What I loved about the whole "Peter's parents" thing was what it brought out of Uncle Ben's "responsibility" line. It hurts Peter deeply, and with this take, we finally have some depth to the character, some history. I cannot wait for the sequel and what this plot brings us.
SPIDER-MAN "LEARNS."
Before Spider-Man is Spider-Man, we have Peter searching for Uncle Ben's killer. A lot of people think that this is a "major" (Pfft, hahah...) plot hole. But they don't look at the big picture. The reason Peter decides to let Ben's killer go, he realizes he has "responsibility." This is why I love this movie. Peter LEARNS he must use his power for good, instead of revenge. And it started at the bridge scene. Saving that kid brought realization to Peter's eyes, and he finally understood what his Uncle was trying to tell him the night he died. Clever? I think so...
KNOWING PETER BEFORE HE PUTS ON THE MASK.
It speaks for itself. This, I feel, improves the film. Even though we see more Peter than Spider-Man throughout the film, it is still a plus. We know what drives him. We get to understand that, even before, he's a good person. Remember the scene where he stands up to Flash to help out that guy? This shows Peter is worthy for his gift. I make a point, whether you like it or not.
PETER'S INTELLIGENCE.
FINALLY! WEB-SHOOTERS! YEAH BABY! HOOOOO!...oh...hey there. Remember the scene where Ben and Peter were down in the basement? And the one where he's able to make out a very difficult equation? And the one he's in the crowd of interns? Peter is freakin' smarter than an INTERN that's probably been going to Oscorp for a while. Yeah, this speaks for itself. And what's so great about it, it fits in with the story. He HELPS Connor's. What teenager is smart enough to do that kind of stuff? That's right, only Spider-Man.
And finally... Doctor Connor's connection with Peter's parents.
What more can I say, but, "clever"? THIS is how it all started. And it ties up the film perfectly.
My problems with the film?
Three plot holes.
Doctor Connor's boss disappearing after the bridge scene (but hey, if a giant green lizard was after you, you'd leave town too, right?)
Does Ant May know Peter is Spider-Man?
And lastly, where is Connor's family?
But I'm sure these loose ends can easily be tied up in the sequel.
Honorable mentions:
Spider-Man vs. The Lizard (school scene.)
The crane scene.
Peter's basketball dunk.
Spider-Man vs. The Lizard (final battle.)
BEST STAN LEE CAMEO EVER.
The beautiful score.
And Andrew Garfield's performance when Captain Stacy dies.
2012 was an incredible year. The Amazing Spider-Man may not have been better than The Avengers, but I'll say it is on par with it, FOR MY TASTE. BIG BOLD LETTERS. DON'T SHOOT.
Well, this has been MY stand up to the unnecessary bull crap this film gets (and points of which I think make this a better superhero film). And if you tell me otherwise, I'll say, "Read my article again, pal," because you obviously didn't read it in the first place. Thank you so much for reading! And please go easy on me.
One more thing. This article is about THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. I did not write this to discuss other movies. I want this to be strictly about Marc Webb's film.