Vladimir Rakhmanin
Deputy Online Editor
OK, you know what? I’ll get the crappy pun out of the way first. The Amazing Spider-man is – wait for it – not amazing. Get it? Because the adjective is in the title, right? Never mind. Despite not being a fantastic superhero film, The Amazing Spider-man is a pretty solid reboot that is aided by a great cast, and paves the way to what could be the start of an enduring franchise.
The first thing you should know about The Amazing Spider-man is that it is, to use the fancy Hollywood term, a reboot. This means that it bears no relation to the previous films in the franchise, and usually tries to do something different with the character(s). In this case, this was a fantastic decision. While I thought that the first two Spider-man films were adequate, Spider-man 3 remains a disgrace to comic books, cinema, and common sense. Not only did that film manage to make Peter Parker a whiny emo, they also somehow managed to ruin one of the franchise’s most iconic villains – Venom – by having him appear for only ten minutes at the end of the film. And this isn’t even mentioning that godawful dance sequence…
All of this means that Sony made a great decision in starting over – and for the most part, the decision worked out well. Andrew Garfield does a great job as Peter Parker – while he is somewhat sulky, it never gets out of hand – what’s more, the film actually attempts to bring out the humorous side of Spider-man, sticking true to the comics. A scene where the superhero takes out a car thief is a great example of this, and it works. It’s a shame that scenes like these are one-offs – I would have liked to see more petty crimes instead of a focus on the main narrative.
This main narrative is to do with a fairly generic ‘take over Manhattan’ plot – it doesn’t help that the main villain, the Lizard, doesn’t come from the upper echelon of Spider-man baddies. Certain names that are dropped throughout the plot, and a post-credits ending sequence make it clear that the whole thing is just a setup for the sequel, though. You would have to be a total Spider-man newbie not to know what the second film will be about when you walk out of the cinema, and if pulled off well, it could be a larger improvement on this film.
So if the main narrative has issues, what makes this film worth seeing? The answer is, oddly enough, Peter Parker’s domestic life. The banter with Uncle Ben and Aunt Mae, the triumph over the school’s bully, and, most of all, the romance with Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) are all very charming. The director’s previous film was (500) Days of Summer, a rom-com, and it shows, as it is these down-to-earth moments that shine in a film full of collapsing towers and mutant reptiles. Both leads feel naturally awkward in their interactions, and it works incredibly well. Now, the main question is, should a romantic sub-plot be the highlight of a summer blockbuster? Well, that is up to each potential viewer to decide. I personally think that it’s a great breath of fresh air – also, if you know the comics, you’ll know where this love affair will eventually lead, which could potentially create an incredibly interesting sequel.
I had the pleasure of watching the film in New York, where the action takes place, and in an IMAX 3D theatre, and I can confirm that everything looks great. the 3D doesn’t really add much, but certain free-running sequences that we’ve all seen about five hundred times by now in the trailers look fantastic, and the main villain’s skin transformation is suitably disgusting. I also preferred the reboot’s suit to that of the original film.
The final thing that I should mention is that while the film changes the origin story, which could annoy some die-hards, it also does a lot of things that stick very close to the comics/cartoons. I was overjoyed to learn that the web that Spiderman uses in this film comes from cartridges and not from a slit in his wrist like in the previous films. I know that most people probably won’t care, but it’s good to see that details like these are taken care of.
To sum up, The Amazing Spider-man is a fairly good superhero film that features some great acting. I’m willing to give this new direction the benefit of a doubt just because of the massive amount of hints the film leaves as to what the sequels could be about. They could be plot-holes or easter eggs, but I doubt it. I feel like The Amazing Spider-man 2 could be truly great. Meanwhile, we can all enjoy this decent yet flawed superhero blockbuster. Let the wait begin.
