Review 170: The Amazing Spider-Man
Teenage social outcast Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) spends his days trying to unravel the mystery of his own past, and trying to win the heart of his high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase belonging to his father, who abandoned him when he was a child, which leads him to his father's former work partner, Dr. Curtis Conners (Rhys Ifans). The discovery of his father's secret, coupled with an encounter with a genetically altered spider, will ultimately shape his destiny to become "Spider-Man" and bring him face to face with Connors, who becomes the vicious and vengeful Lizard.
The plot is basically a re-telling of the classic Spider-Man origin story (of course) but I have to give credit where credit is due for director Marc Webb and his screenwriters & crew for trying to put their own spin on the film.
For instance the film features Peter's parents Mary and Richard Parker (Embeth Davidtz & Campbell Scott), something that wasn't touched upon in the Raimi/Maguire trilogy and the fact that they leave him with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben which is used to flesh out Peter's psychology before he becomes the web slinger.
The film also brings in the traditional web shooters from the comics which help lend to the films more grounded tone and give a chance to show off Peter's genius. Director Marc Webb and the writers take a much more grounded, sci-fi approach to telling this origin story coupled with elements of coming of age, film and romantic comedy which help to differentiate itself from the Raimi trilogy.
The film is much more of a coming of age character drama than a straight forward superhero origin story with a high school setting, a romantic backdrop and teacher-student relationships.
Director Marc Webb has described the film as "a story about a kid who grows up looking for his father and finds himself." Both Webb and star Andrew Garfield describe Parker as an outsider by choice, someone hard to get close to. As in the early comics, the character "is a science whiz.
If you look back to the early Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comics, he's a nerd with big glasses," says Webb.
He further explains "the idea of what a nerd is has changed in 40 or 50 years. Nerds are running the world. Andrew Garfield made a movie [called The Social Network] about it. ... What was important in those early comics was this notion that Peter Parker is an outsider and how we define that in a contemporary context." Garfield has compared his Spider-Man façade as a metaphor for internet anonymity, saying, "You feel the power of it, the power of not being seen, the power of the mask. Peter becomes witty when he's got that protective layer. It's like he's on a message board. He's got the anonymity of the Internet within that suit, and he can say whatever the hell he likes, and he can get away with anything." Garfield attempted to explore Parker as an orphan, whom he feels "are the strongest human beings on the planet." He said Parker is "a human hero [who] goes through all of the same struggles that we all have gone through, especially the skinny ones [who] want more power than they feel they have." He believes Parker represents "a very inspiring, aspirational character that symbolizes goodness — and how difficult it is to be good — but how worth it is."
Rhys Ifans has compared this film to William Shakespeare's Hamlet on the grounds that Spider-Man can be redone over and over in different ways. He felt that they are similar in that they both represent meaningful archetypal young men grappling with the loss of their father.
Webb said that Oscorp Tower is pivotal as a part of a new mythology of the film.
He liked that Parker was connected to the building in some way and to think of it as "a Tower of Babel in the middle of Manhattan that has something dark and seedy going on in there."
All of that is fine in its own way but the problem with The Amazing Spider-Man is that it never really takes any risks or chances to distinguish or distance itself from other Superhero films that have come out in recent years. We know the minute this the film presents itself as another origin tale that we are going to get all the obligatory elements such as Peter getting bitten by a radioactive Spider, the Death of Uncle Ben, the "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility" speech & Peter initially using his powers for his own gain e.g. in an admittedly entertaining scene where he humiliates Flash Thompson (Chris Zylka) during a Basketball practise session which beautifully captures the rebellious aspects of adolescence, that's a given from the get-go.
The Raimi generation are still active and relishing in those films brilliance and comparisons are inevitable. It too often feels that this film is treading similar ground that was already covered almost a decade ago by the still masterful Spider-Man (2002).
Rebooting the series a mire 5 years after Spider-Man 3 and a full decade after Spider-Man (2002) is a clear sign/example of Hollywoods lack of originality and greed as well as a blatant and obvious attempt by Sony's Columbia Pictures to keep a tight hold on the Spider-Man film rights so that they don't revert back to Marvel. It's nigh on impossible not to compare this films incredibly similar origin story to the trilogy that preceded it.
You see if it's a film that is supposed to launch a new series of films for a new generation you want it to feel special and yet somehow it doesn't. Technically, it's brilliantly made, well acted and cast and tells a compelling story but it lacks that wow factor to get you and me truly excited about it.
The film also leaves a lot of plot threads dangling (no pun intended... ok maybe a bit) stuff regarding Peter's parents etc however Marc Webb has stated that the origin story would further unfold in future instalments so we'll see what happens. There's also a plot point about Dr. Conners delivering results of his tests to Oscopr representitive Dr, Ranjit Ratha (Irfan Kahn) yet he drops off the map after action scene on a bridge. Never mind, he probably got killed when his car went flying over the bridge.
By this point it may seem like I'm criticising this film and/or being harsh on it - but the simple thing is that I'm pointing out flaws that are just too gaping to gloss over. But for all those flaws and as far as cash-grabs go, it's one of the more entertaining ones to come out in recent years and overall it is a decent reboot. In fact, after Spider-Man 3, I had no burning desire to return to Sam Raimi's "Spiderverse" but, with The Amazing Spider-Man, Marc Webb has tweeked my interest if only slightly.
Marc Webb's direction is stylish, whilst providing us with some visually stunning and blood pumping action scenes, he seems most comfortable with directing the scenes featuring Gwen and Peter, providing this film a much need romantic before it shifts gears into full blown superhero territory with dynamic camera shots such as POV shots, excellent uses of wides and tracking shots that make us feel the weight and speed of Spider-Man abilities. A tough balancing act he skilfully pulls off.
The cinematography is excellent and captures the beauty and realism of New York. The New York in this film is portrayed as less vibrant and more rooted in a more contemporary post 9/11 style.
The special effects are marvelous, the score by James Horner is spectacular, the suspense is killing, the action scenes are expertly staged, exciting and brutal, there are great moments of humor most of the curtoisy of Peter's numerous wisecracks and Spider-Man. The production design is magnificent, Oscorp Tower, in particular, is an expensive place briming with science and technology, the costume design is wonderful, the stunts is terrific and help to seel the idea of Spider-Man being nimble and agile, the scenery is fantastic, the make up is authentic and the ending was superb.
The acting was amazing, Andrew Garfield played an Amazing Peter Parker/Spider-Man, effortlessly and naturally bringing to life the naïvety and enthusiasm required for the part as well as the emotional guilt of being partially responsible for losing his father figure and really gives Tobey Maguire a run for his money. His body language and manerisms help to sell that he’s a teenage outcast. Another thing he expertly captures is the web crawlers sense of humor; he’s very funny, delivering one liners with a sharp wit and that is sure to have audiences in stitches.
Initially he's motivated by revenge for his uncle's killer, it isn’t until he sits down and has a dinner with Gwen’s family and overhears George Stacy talk negatively about his vigilantie activities, that starts down a more heroic path.
Peter's parents raised him during some of the most
That lack of true parents in his life, gives Peter a much more compelling reason to feel lost and like a teenage outcast without his parents guidance even though he has a wonderful father figure in Uncle Ben.
He misses his father the most because he's a lot like him, brilliant, scientifically minded, passionate and driven.
He tries hard to be a good son but he's distracted when he thinks that the world is suddenly giving him everything he wants: a lead on what happened to his parents, special powers, a girlfriend.
Feeling elated and overwhelmed at the same time, he gets cocky and overconfident.
He initially doe responsible stuff because he's suddenly infused with all this power and doesn't know where to focus it. He starts off in denial about what he's really doing and for whom.
Due to his scientific genius, Peter is already portrayed as gifted before he gets superpowers
Superpowers are portrayed as an extension of Peter's natural talents and are actually related to those talents, his pension for science serves as both a blessing and a curse, on the one hand it gives him a bright future but on the other hand it inadvertently leads to Dr. Conners going down the path of becoming the Lizard.
He's looking for guidance because, like most teenagers, he's becoming an adult and he doesn't know what to do or who to be. This film strongly plays up the angle that Peter isn't special because he gets Spider-powers, he gets those powers because he's special. Because of the kind of person that Richard Parker shaped to be before he left.
Emma Stone is a strong love interest as Gwen Stacy. Stone has describe her character/interpretation of Gwen Stacy as "a daddy's girl" who is very responsible and protective of her family and loves science. She said that her character "offers Peter a world of stability, of a family unit not marred with parental loss and, beyond physical allure, the two forge an intellectual connection over their shared love of science." Thereby representing all the things he's searching for in life such as purpose and direction and is an anchor to ground him.
Her character, she explains, "is stuck between [her father] the Captain and Peter Parker and Spider-Man, who have different ways about going about finding justice in their lives" which she felt was a fun thing to explore.
Peter and Gwen are portrayed as smart, outgoing intellectual equals because they are both science wizes which makes their mutual attraction and respect for one another feel completely natural. Garfield and Stone shine like
She's also pretty self-sufficent because science student and she proves herself more than capable of getting herself out of a tight corner.
Martin Sheen and Sally Field are fabulous as Aunt May and Uncle Ben, a bit more light is shed on how they brought up Peter after his parents left compared to original trilogy. Bearing the responsibility of raising Peter when he's only a small boy is something that's thrust upon them when his parents suddenly have to leave and they suddenly have to fill in that gap that his parents left.
They try and look after him and raise him to the best of their abilities. When Peter is bitten by the Spider and starts behaving recklesslly it muddies the waters even more.
They're portrayed as akin to the Kents in the Superman comics, an elderly couple trying to raise a special kid whom they can't control because he's developing gifts that are beyond their control.
Because he's a surrogate father to Peter, Ben, particularly has to deal with the adolescent who is having more problems with changes than what's normal for a teenager. So he has to give him the marching orders and so forth.
With May, Field effortlessly captures the maternal nature required to play the character. A lot of tension inevitably arrises when Peter becomes Spider-Man. He's got bruises on his face and what happens in that moment? It takes its toll on her naturally as she struggles to deal with these newfound changes but she proves to be hardly a pushover as she shows that not afraid to be strict and assertive with him for those reasons. But regardless so there is still love between them which creates an interesting dynamic.
As a whole, Peter, Ben and May form a tight family unit that is arguably superior to the Raimi trilogy and they aren't afraid to reprimand Peter whenever he falls out of line.
Dennis Leary is superb as Cap. George Stacy. In a stark contrast to most of his comedic roles, Leary effectively brings a stern, fast, unsympathetic attitude to the role, which is perfect for your A-typical girlfriends dad. He's also proves to be one efficient and badass NYPD captain, he's got wit and attitude and is pretty ruthless in his hunt for Spider-Man - who just happens to be dating his daughter.
Rhys Ifans is very sympathetic as Dr. Curt Conners/Lizard. He's the literal embodiment of the theme of the movie, which is we all have a missing piece: He has no arm, Peter has no parents, and he fills that void with Spider-Man. They share a very similar problem emotionally and both end up becoming cross-species originating from human beings who are very intelligent, but end up on complete opposite sides of the moral spectrum and operate to completely different opposite ends.
Curt Connors is by no means an evil person. He's a great man who makes a bad decision. He's a geneticist who wants to help people, like him, who are limbless. In his eagerness to advance that science, he makes a mistake and that's an occurrence we see throughout time, sometimes to our benefit, sometimes to our detriment. He's a broken man who wants to fix himself and eventually the world by creating one where illness and weakness don't exist even if it means forcing said change upon everyone against their will demonstrating how misguided he’s become in his quest.
Connors does feel cheated by God, and he's looking for answers in science. God seems to intervene.
Ifans has likened Conner’s use of the serum as a drug addiction: Whenever he injects the it into his arm, it makes him feel fantastic and he begins to use it more and more to prevent him from from going back to normal to a weaker species.
As Ifans stated himself "These people are the embodiment of our flaws and our desires that lead to tragedy."
The Amazing Spider-Man freshly restarts the Spider-Man series in the most amazing ways possible and I look forward to the sequel coming out in 2014, 4/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
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