Before I start, if you’re looking for a positive take on the trailer, check out Part One of my breakdown.
So that CGI, huh? I found it really trailblazing for them to intersperse footage from the upcoming video-game into the trailer. Seriously though, I know that it’s still a work in progress and they have plenty of time left, but geez, some of that stuff looked BAD, like Green Lantern bad. But the larger issue here is the over-reliance on CGI in the first place. It’s not as if they’re putting all of their eggs in one basket in terms of visuals, but if the CGI isn’t good in the finished product, that tends to detract from everything else.
As I mentioned in my previous editorial, Webb and co. seem to be at least aware of potential overcrowding, but that doesn’t preclude it from still happening. Despite their apparent efforts to avoid a horde of sub-plots, I’m counting three significant villains, a romantic element, a series of flashbacks, Peter’s relationship to Aunt May, a bunch of Sinister Six setup and that’s not even getting into the presence of Norman Osborn, Oscorp and everything going on over there. I can preface everything I say here with “I know it’s early, but” and I’m aware that I’m overanalyzing and getting worked up about potentially minor details, but that doesn’t mean that elements like these are not worrisome, especially considering what an issue this has been for the character in the past.
On the subject of all of those extra characters, we get an overt reference to Dr. Octopus as well as the introduction of a new Retardo-Goblin DeHaan Goblin. First off, seriously WTF is that? No mask, doesn’t really look like the Ultimate or 616 version, I don’t really know what to make of this Goblin. It's more than just how he looks though, he presents a broader problem, just as Ock does: the recycling of already well-done characters. In my head, Gobby and Ock from the Raimi series were two of the best characters, let alone villains, in the whole thing. So why are we re-doing them the first chance we get? I understand they’re some of the web-head’s most iconic baddies, but it’s not like he has a barren cupboard in terms of villains. Guys like Kraven, Mysterio, Chameleon, Carnage, Morlun, Kingpin (should I go on?) still haven’t been used and could all present new threats. And if they’re going to try to re-use anyone, uh, how about some redemption for Venom?
On a similar note, the film also looks like it’s recycling story beats from the Raimi series as well. My biggest complaint with the first film was that it felt largely unnecessary, touching a lot of the same bases that Spider-Man did. Yet, there’s two recurring problems he faced there that are re-surfacing here. The first: it’s a secret identity! Could we maybe go one film where the bad guy doesn’t figure out his identity? And there’s not even any mystery to it, in addition to their surveillance of him, the Osborns are pretty blatantly discussing that hey know who he is. The second issue: oh no, Peter’s love interest is in trouble again! Have the women in Peter’s life not been threatened enough already? Could Gwen inhabit a role other than simply being a damsel in distress? Well, judging by the trailer, no. If the heavily rumored death of Gwen Stacy does occur here, it may come across as lighter than they want it to be since Spider-Man’s girlfriend has had her life threatened in the climax of every movie he’s been in so far.
The good news is that the trailer didn't overwhelm me with concerns for the film, and there was still a lot to like. The bad news is that the issues it did raise have the potential be monumentally bad. I hope I'm wrong here and the film turns out to be great, but the first one didn't exactly inspire huge amounts of confidence.
You guys saw the trailer, what do you think? What’s got you worried? Am I being too pessimistic? Let me know in the comments.