[Films] The Amazing Spiderman

Last weekend was a busy one for me. As well as trekking along part of the Fife coastal path on Saturday, and playing in the Warmachine: Colossals launch event on the Sunday, I also decided to go and see "The Amazing Spiderman". After my day of gaming finished I had just enough time to get lost and find somewhere for dinner before the 20:00, 3D showing at the Livingston Vue cinema. At the time I would have preferred 2D, but in hindsight I think that 3D was a decent choice.

The previous Spiderman trilogy, starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, is generally well respected among comic-book aficionados as being faithful to the character and history of one of Marvel's most recognisable super-heroes. At the same time the three films are considered pretty good by the more general public, and certainly the first and second films are regarded highly by most viewers (the third however is generally panned). As such there was significant apprehension about a reboot of the Spiderman franchise, particularly since the previous trilogy started in 2002 and only concluded in 2007, a mere 5 years ago. Even by Hollywood standards that's a fast turn-around for a reboot, and many people that I've spoken too considered it unnecessary. However having seen it, I can say that it's a decent effort, and different enough to stand on its own merits, distinct from the Sam Raimi-helmed trilogy.

Left: The 2002 Spiderman poster. Right: The Amazing Spiderman poster.

There's a big difference between the two costumes that's reflected in the overall style of the films. (Credit: imdb.com)

First, lets start with Peter Parker/Spiderman himself. I've not seen Andrew Garfield in anything else, but he's a brilliant actor. Despite several years older than the character he's portraying, he gives an excellent performance as a high school student that's very believable. He's not the stereotypical geek either, and appears to hide his intelligence somewhat, has a good sideline in photography, and rides a skateboard. All in all he's actually pretty cool, but for some reason still seems a bit of a pariah. Perhaps because he refuses to play sports, but it's a little odd. The character also has flaws, and in some scenes most definitely comes across as egotistical, self-centred and a bit of a dick. In others he's just being a typical teenage rebel. All of that combines to be a different take on the character compared to the goody-two-shoes, typical nerd of the 2002 film.

The transformation into Spiderman happens pretty quickly, but includes a nice nod to the previous trilogy when Peter falls through a roof into an abandoned wrestling arena, and takes inspiration for a costume from a poster on the wall. There are also some very funny scenes as Peter tries to get used to his new found abilities, particularly his enhanced strength. But it's a bit odd that the transformation includes the sudden knowledge of martial arts. No reference is made to him being able to fight beforehand, but after being bitten he can suddenly pull off all sorts of acrobatic fighting moves. That lies in contrast to Maguire's Spiderman, who always comes across as as a bit of a rubbish scrapper. However the rest of the Spiderman character definitely fits better with my internal vision of what he should be like. Garfield's version is constantly cracking jokes, is happy to take on the police, and generally is a bit more visible than the previous incarnation. Personally prefer my Spiderman to be more of a joker, rather than the super-serious crime-fighter seen previously. The return of the web-shooters was also welcome.

The final shot of the film. Slow-motion, with Spiderman shooting a web straight out

of the screen. That alone was worth the 3D. (Credit: screenrave.com)

The rest of the cast are also interesting. Uncle Ben and Aunt May are very different as well, although the latter is served poorly by the script, particularly given how important she is to the character. Uncle Ben, by contrast, has a much bigger and better role, and his loss is felt more keenly because of that. Gwen Stacey is ably played by Emma Stone, although she seems to fall in love very quickly,  but it's good to see that she's shown to be Peter's academic equal, if not superior. She also has stuff to do in the film, in contrast to Kirsten Dunst's Mary-Jane, who often seemed to exist merely to be kidnapped repeatedly a la Princess Peach. Her father, the police chief, is also well acted, but to my mind seems to come to trust Spiderman very rapidly. But I suppose that can be seen as a desire to protect his daughter in any way possible.

The only downside really is the main villain. Rhys Ifans does an excellent job portraying Doctor Curt Connors' descent into desperation, followed by madness, but is let down a bit by the material he has to work with. Connors starts out as an interestingly enigmatic character, but quickly descends into standard comic book villain territory. In another nod to the 2002 film, he begins arguing with himself, with the two sides of his personality (Doctor and Lizard) at war inside his own head. This closely mirrors the journey of the Green Goblin, and ultimately we've seen it all before. The fight scenes though are excellent, particularly the one that takes place in Peter and Gwen's high school that features Stan Lee's best cameo to date, and are a definite improvement. Part of that, I admit, is probably down to the more energetic choreography and cinematography, and part will be owing to the increased number of multiple-person scraps, but I think that technological improvement has also played a part. There has to be some CGI involved, but unlike in the 2002 film it's never jarringly noticeable. The first-person viewpoint sections were also very fun, but sadly underused.

The Lizard, one of the iconic spiderman villains, is the main bad guy of the film. (Credit: moviefanatic.com)

There was one point in the film that made me roll my eyes. Towards the end, the citizens of the city pull together to help Spiderman make it to OsCorp towers to take on the Lizard in the final battle. This features uplifting music, fist-pumps, knowing nods, and a very clear shot of the American flag. Similar scenes really detracted from the previous trilogy of films, and in this case are even more obnoxious. The general tone of The Amazing Spiderman is darker than Raimi trilogy, from the costumes and the city to the general dialogue, but this really jolted my suspension of disbelief. The other part of the film that, in hindsight, seemed odd would be the multiple story hooks that are introduced and then don't go anywhere. Connors is driven to self-experimentation by a sinister OsCorp bureaucrat, who disappears after the first appearance of the Lizard. Then there's the aforementioned absence of Aunt May, and the way that Uncle Ben's death seems to be glossed over quite quickly after the initial aftermath. On reflection though, the film chooses to focus on the relationship between Peter Parker, Gwen Stacey, which is definitely not to its detriment.

Gwen Stacey and Peter Parker share a moment at school. (Credit: thetelegraph.co.uk)

Overall then, this is a good addition to the history of Spiderman in cinema. I enjoyed the film, and think that it is different enough to the previous offerings to have been worth the reboot.