horacethegrey
First Post
Thought I'd do a thread for the film, which I just watched today. All in all, it's a great film and a much better origin for everyone's favorite wall crawler than Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film from 2002. So... on to the review:
SPOILERS AHEAD!!! SKIP THE POST IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ!
LIKES
Andrew Garfield - First things first, I liked Tobey Maguire in the role of Peter Parker. But good as his performance was in the Raimi films, Garfield's already got him beat just with this film alone. Where Tobey portrayed Peter as a shy and sweet natured geek, Garfield plays him as a skateboarding social misfit with abandonment issues. Peter may be a good hearted geek, but he's also got a temper to match if push comes to shove. The film is not afraid to show him acting like an arrogant jerk in moments like when he shows up Flash Thompson on the basketball court, or humiliating a car thief in his first time in full costume as Spider-Man. It's a multi faceted performance that for me is much closer to Stan Lee's and Steve Ditko's characterization of Spidey in the early issues of Amazing, that of an immature teenager trying to make his mark as a superhero, only to find himself way in over his head. Hell, Garfield is pratically a splitting image of how Ditko drew Peter Parker (Tobey on the other hand looked more like John Romita's Peter).
Emma Stone - Have I mentioned how much I love Emma Stone? Not only is she cute but she can act circles around Kirsten Dunst any day of the week. Emma's Gwen is the girlfriend any nerd would love to have. Smart, capable, and more than willing to put up with a superhero in training. The romantic scenes she shares with Garfield have a palpable chemistry (which isn't surprising, since they are a couple in real life now).
The Lizard - I've nothing against Rhys Ifans, but count me as one of those unconvinced that he could play Curt Connors. To my surprise though, he does a very good job at it. Ifans convinces us that Connors really isn't a bad guy, just a misguided scientist whose experiments get the better of him. And while his Lizard form isn't the best CGI in the world, damn if it isn't scary. He's a much better antagonist for Spidey than Williem Dafoe's Green Goblin.
Supporting Cast - When you've got the Illusive M- er... I mean Martin Sheen and Sally Field playing Uncle Ben and Aunt May, plus Denis f***ing Leary playing Captain George Stacy, how can you go wrong?
Grounded feel - While the film isn't neccesarily as dark as any of the Nolan Batman films, it does have a gritty atmosphere and looks convincingly set in New York as opposed to the Raimi films. Raimi's NYC looked like a fantasy, the Manhattan in this film looks like the genuine article. So director Marc Webb should get kudos for that.
Action - Another thing Webb should get kudos for is the action. The scenes with Spidey fighting the Lizard are a joy to watch, and a better showcase of what Spider-Man is capable of.
DISLIKES
Musical Score - The score wasn't bad, just not memorable. In comparison to Danny Elfman's score for the Raimi films, it kind of falls flat. I really wished they could have again used Elfman's score for this film.
All in all, a great movie. And count it as a reboot that works like Nolan's Batman Begins. I eagerly await the sequels that Marc Webb has planned for this flick.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!! SKIP THE POST IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ!
LIKES
Andrew Garfield - First things first, I liked Tobey Maguire in the role of Peter Parker. But good as his performance was in the Raimi films, Garfield's already got him beat just with this film alone. Where Tobey portrayed Peter as a shy and sweet natured geek, Garfield plays him as a skateboarding social misfit with abandonment issues. Peter may be a good hearted geek, but he's also got a temper to match if push comes to shove. The film is not afraid to show him acting like an arrogant jerk in moments like when he shows up Flash Thompson on the basketball court, or humiliating a car thief in his first time in full costume as Spider-Man. It's a multi faceted performance that for me is much closer to Stan Lee's and Steve Ditko's characterization of Spidey in the early issues of Amazing, that of an immature teenager trying to make his mark as a superhero, only to find himself way in over his head. Hell, Garfield is pratically a splitting image of how Ditko drew Peter Parker (Tobey on the other hand looked more like John Romita's Peter).
Emma Stone - Have I mentioned how much I love Emma Stone? Not only is she cute but she can act circles around Kirsten Dunst any day of the week. Emma's Gwen is the girlfriend any nerd would love to have. Smart, capable, and more than willing to put up with a superhero in training. The romantic scenes she shares with Garfield have a palpable chemistry (which isn't surprising, since they are a couple in real life now).
The Lizard - I've nothing against Rhys Ifans, but count me as one of those unconvinced that he could play Curt Connors. To my surprise though, he does a very good job at it. Ifans convinces us that Connors really isn't a bad guy, just a misguided scientist whose experiments get the better of him. And while his Lizard form isn't the best CGI in the world, damn if it isn't scary. He's a much better antagonist for Spidey than Williem Dafoe's Green Goblin.
Supporting Cast - When you've got the Illusive M- er... I mean Martin Sheen and Sally Field playing Uncle Ben and Aunt May, plus Denis f***ing Leary playing Captain George Stacy, how can you go wrong?
Grounded feel - While the film isn't neccesarily as dark as any of the Nolan Batman films, it does have a gritty atmosphere and looks convincingly set in New York as opposed to the Raimi films. Raimi's NYC looked like a fantasy, the Manhattan in this film looks like the genuine article. So director Marc Webb should get kudos for that.
Action - Another thing Webb should get kudos for is the action. The scenes with Spidey fighting the Lizard are a joy to watch, and a better showcase of what Spider-Man is capable of.
DISLIKES
Musical Score - The score wasn't bad, just not memorable. In comparison to Danny Elfman's score for the Raimi films, it kind of falls flat. I really wished they could have again used Elfman's score for this film.
All in all, a great movie. And count it as a reboot that works like Nolan's Batman Begins. I eagerly await the sequels that Marc Webb has planned for this flick.
