A few days before The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was released, a member of CBM suggested that this was the Batman and Robin of Spider-Man movies. I am here to tell you why this is not the case and why I personally realy enjoyed the film.
First off I will start by saying this film is by no means perfect BUT it does have some great redeeming qualities to it. I will breakdown what positives
Comedy :
Comedy is something our friendly neighbourhood webhead is well known for. He is known for being sarcastic and playful and the beginning sequence with Rhino encapsulates the spirit of the character phenomenally. Many were not a fan of Rhino's over the top accent. I personally did not take issue with Paul Giamatti's performance. It was clearly meant to be silly because to be honest Rhino is not the most clever Spider-Man villain. I thought the banter between Rhino and Spider-Man was something that could be read in a comic book and because of that, I feel the sequence not only serves well at showing Spider-Man's witty banter with his villains and establishing it with the audience, but it also shows his playful side.
I am not going to sit here taking jabs at the Raimi series because if it was not for those films we comic book movies may not be as big as they are now. However, I found Tobey Maguire exceptionally rigid when in costume and his personallity did not suit being the comedic Spider-Man we all know and love.
Visuals :
Visually this film is breathtaking with some fantastic and creative ideas thrown into the mix. The cinematograpy is also brilliant and makes the costume at times look like it has literally been pulled from the comic books. That's what I liked about this movie, the fact that it does not shy away from it's roots. The colours really pop on the screen making it possibly one of the best looking comic book movies to date. The use of colour brings a unique dynamic to the film, making it visually pleasing to the eyes.
Emotionally :
This film, whilst delivering some fantastic visuals also contains an emotional punch. It did what the MCU has failed to do, thus far. What I mean by that, is they killed someone in their universe and they remained dead afterwards. I think personally it was a very bold thing to do and this is what seperates it for me in regards to some of the films the MCU has to offer. I am not taking digs at the MCU because I thought Iron Man 1, Captain America : TWS and The Avengers were great. What I am saying is that it would not hurt for at least ONE of the characters to lose someone close to them, to develop them. Here is my list of the deaths Marvel have shyed away from :
Iron Man 3 : Pepper Potts
The Avengers : Agent Coulson ( Coulson is revealed to be alive in Agents of Shield)
Captain America : TWS : Nick Fury
All of these films have avoided this and I feel by doing so, it does not bring a sense of danger to the MCU. No one major has died.
I am a huge Lost fan and I think half the reason of that is they were not afraid to kill of main characters. It kept me watching because it made me feel like no one was safe and I wanted to find out what happens next. The same applies to The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Gwen Stacy meets her demise at the end of this film and I thought it was handled brilliantly considering they did not follow the comic books exactly. People have said that the hand that forms out of the webbing is corny. I personally disagree. I have watched that scene a number of times now and I think it is beautiful. The webbing already resembles a hand when it is spreading out, so I think it was beautiful that they focused on that and it helped to convey Peter's desperation in that moment. It was tense and sad, allowing Andrew Garfield to really shine as an actor. His reaction was completely believeable and it really helped to sell what had happened. It connected with me because I know what is like to lose someone that quickly and how shocking it can be. It was emotional and helped differentiate itself from many CBMs in recent years.
Following that, I also really enjoyed the end speech from Gwen giving Peter the inspiration to don the red and blue spandex again. The music in this scene works wonderfully and really carries an emotional weight to it. It is sad and heartwarming at the same time. Whenever I get that chill running down my spine, I know the film is pulling me in on an emotional level and when I left the cinema I was satisifed. My girlfriend, who is not the biggest fan of any superhero movies, was in tears by the end and if a film can do that to someone who does not care really about the character, it is certainly doing something right.
Spider-Man :
Everytime, Spider-man came onto the scene, I could feel my inner child screaming with enthralment. He was exciting, witty and did everything a Spider can. I gained a real sense of warmth, the kind of warmth only a character like Spider-Man can deliver.
There were some people that failed to understand the ending of the film, in my opinion. They felt that Spider-Man was too playful after Gwen had died but I personally think it was pretty clear what it was signifying. It was showing that Spider-Man is more than pain and grief, he is the people's hero. By him joking around with the Rhino, he is also re-assuring the large crowd behind him that everything is going to be okay. Even though he has suffered great loss and made some major mistakes he will rise above them to protect his fellow man. Gwen even states "We have to become greater than what we suffer... my wish for you....is to BECOME hope" again clearly indicating the heart and spirit of the character to the audience.
It is moments like this that saved it from being a mediocre superhero film, for me.
The Score:
This is another part of the movie that is being attacked by some, but for me I found it to be very experimental. I personally thought the score gave a comic book/sci-fi vibe and it is certainly different from Zimmer's previous works. Dubstep was certainly a risk because I am not the biggest fan of it but I thought it worked well, within the context of the story. The particular tracks I enjoyed were :
"You're That Spider Guy"
"I'm Spider-Man"
"Let Her Go"
"No Place Like Home"
" My Enemy"
If you get the time guys and you are a fan of Zimmer's work check it out. As I said, it is experimental and for some that might be a turn off, but for those who like that, check them out !
The film also features songs from various artists throughout, which again some people may not be a fan of but I liked it because I thought it conveyed the youth of the characters. It helps ground the idea into your mind that this is a much younger take on the Spider-Man character. For some that may not be what you want from a Spider-Man film but for me I have always seen Spider-Man as a youthful character.
He has always been that coming of age story. He is a boy who is learning to become a man and understanding the responsibilities that come with it. That is something that can be related to and I feel that is what they are portraying in this film. The character of Peter Parker in this particular series, makes mistakes, like any of us could and probably have made and I think that makes him believeable in this day and age.
Tone :
In recent years, I believe it has become customary for superhero movies to adopt a much darker approach. Ever since The Dark Knight stunned audiences across the globe, that success has led other films in the genre to be more serious. This film runs away from that idea and as a result, I found it to be a refreshing change. It is FUN and it plays with the heritage of the Spider-Man character. It is goofy, mad, wild and fantastical, exactly what COMIC BOOKS ARE !!!
I think personally that is what is quite jarring for some people. The fact that they have changed direction from the first TASM, which is considerably darker to a more light-hearted tone, has left some scratchng their heads. This film also contains some very dark moments, but they are balanced by the warmth of the Spider-Man character. Again showing that it knows where it's comic book roots are.
In some cases it goes a bit far ( Dr Kafka is ridiculous) but luckily, it does not linger on these moments too long. IF, they had introduced Dr Kafka at the very beginning as the main villain, then, yes, I would have to agree this is the Batman and Robin of Spider-Man movies. Luckily Dr Kafka has about four minutes of screen time or probably less before he is killed off. While I agree he is an annoying character it is not enough to bring it down to Batman and Robin's level. There was so much more unbelievably wrong with that film than just an accent. From the cinematography to the lame bat nipples, it was a complete sham. Don't even get me started with the Bat credit card !!!
This film uses cheese when it needs to because any fan of the comic books would know that is actually a huge part of the fun of the character. I really enjoyed Spider-Man 2 because it embraced the cheesy and serious moments when it needed to. I feel this film's balance is similar, which maybe a bit too much for some but that in essence is part of Spider-Man. He jokes even in serious circumstances because he is the light to balance out the dark.
Well guys that is part one of The Amazing Spider-Man 2's positives for me ! I will conclude with part 2 in a couple of days, to see what I thought of the villains of the film and look at the positives vs the negatives.
Thanks for reading and please comment below and let's have a constructive debate of what maybe could have been done differently ?