(no subject)
Went to see The Amazing Spider-Man today so now it's time for my analysis
Peter Parker: I think Andrew Garfield did a good job as Peter but I still prefer Toby Maguire. This Peter is more awkward than the Raimi one and they actually do more with his backstory than in the Raimi films. I was very wary of the inclusion of Peter's parents but I think it helps deepen the character. This Peter is also more of a smart-ass than the Raimi one. The writers definitely found out how to make the in-fight banter work better than the previous movies and it's really fun. I really like the little things about this Peter though. It's interesting that he's kind of a skate-punk in this film but then again it keeps with his angst over his parents basically ditching him. This Peter has more of a chip on his shoulder than previous incarnations but he still has that loveable nerdiness that makes you like him. I still think Maguire played the better Peter but Garfield was no slouch in this one.
Gwen Stacy: To start off with, I'm a huge fan of Emma Stone dating back to when I first saw her in Zombieland. While Peter may have been better in the Raimi films, Gwen is not only leaps and bounds better in this than in Spider-Man 3 but also I think she's better than MJ in all three of the Raimi films combined. It's interesting that they made her tougher than she was in the comics. In the comics you have a lot of Gwen angsting over her relationship with Peter, worrying about him because of how dangerous his photographer job is and all that. Gwen does a lot of stuff in this film. Yes she's understandably worried about Peter's safety after he reveals his identity to her but she doesn't sit around. This Gwen goes out and tries to help save the day even against the wishes of both her father and Peter. She freakin' tried to take on the Lizard twice and helps save the city by using her brains to help create the antidote to the Lizard's formula. This Gwen kicks ass.
Dr. Curt Connors: I think Rhys Ifans is an underrated actor. I'm hoping that this film gives him more exposure because he's got a lot of talent. Connors is pretty much your classic Lizard from the comics, even right down to wearing a lab coat in some scenes while he's the Lizard. They even did a little bit with the fact that he can mentally control other reptiles and his plan of using the Lizard formula to mutate New York is your pretty standard Lizard plot. Looking back on it, I'm glad they didn't use Lizard for the villain in any of the Raimi films. He would've just looked cheap and dumb but he looks pretty awesome in this one. I would've liked his head to be more reptilian-shaped like in the comics but everything else about his look was great.
The supporting cast (Aunt May, Uncle Ben, Captain Stacy, etc.): Martin Sheen was good as Uncle Ben and Sally Fields was good as Aunt May. I think Dennis Leary was actually really good as Capt. Stacy and I'm glad they went with having him die at the end. My only gripe is that they don't use enough of the supporting cast in this film. In the first Raimi film we had Harry, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, pretty much all the mainstays. In this film it's really just Ben, May, Gwen, Captain Stacy, and Flash Thompson, who I liked better in this one than in the Raimi one. Hopefully we'll get more in the sequel. I'm really interested to see what their take on Harry Osborn is.
In conclusion: This film was actually really good. Visually, it's gorgeous. The fight sequences are dazzling to watch and it just shows you how far special effects have come in ten years. I think that it was missing something emotionally for me. It's probably that I've been a Spider-Man fan for almost all my life and I've seen pretty much every iteration of his origin story. Plus I think it's the fact that I'm ten years older now than I was when the first Raimi film came out. I was a teenager back then and Spider-Man (at least at the beginning) mostly appeals to teenagers. I think if the Raimi films hadn't existed and this was the first Spider-Man movie I saw, I would've loved it. I still enjoyed this film though and I think it's going to do for this generation of Spidey fans what the Raimi ones did for my generation. Hopefully they can follow it up with a good sequel.
Peter Parker: I think Andrew Garfield did a good job as Peter but I still prefer Toby Maguire. This Peter is more awkward than the Raimi one and they actually do more with his backstory than in the Raimi films. I was very wary of the inclusion of Peter's parents but I think it helps deepen the character. This Peter is also more of a smart-ass than the Raimi one. The writers definitely found out how to make the in-fight banter work better than the previous movies and it's really fun. I really like the little things about this Peter though. It's interesting that he's kind of a skate-punk in this film but then again it keeps with his angst over his parents basically ditching him. This Peter has more of a chip on his shoulder than previous incarnations but he still has that loveable nerdiness that makes you like him. I still think Maguire played the better Peter but Garfield was no slouch in this one.
Gwen Stacy: To start off with, I'm a huge fan of Emma Stone dating back to when I first saw her in Zombieland. While Peter may have been better in the Raimi films, Gwen is not only leaps and bounds better in this than in Spider-Man 3 but also I think she's better than MJ in all three of the Raimi films combined. It's interesting that they made her tougher than she was in the comics. In the comics you have a lot of Gwen angsting over her relationship with Peter, worrying about him because of how dangerous his photographer job is and all that. Gwen does a lot of stuff in this film. Yes she's understandably worried about Peter's safety after he reveals his identity to her but she doesn't sit around. This Gwen goes out and tries to help save the day even against the wishes of both her father and Peter. She freakin' tried to take on the Lizard twice and helps save the city by using her brains to help create the antidote to the Lizard's formula. This Gwen kicks ass.
Dr. Curt Connors: I think Rhys Ifans is an underrated actor. I'm hoping that this film gives him more exposure because he's got a lot of talent. Connors is pretty much your classic Lizard from the comics, even right down to wearing a lab coat in some scenes while he's the Lizard. They even did a little bit with the fact that he can mentally control other reptiles and his plan of using the Lizard formula to mutate New York is your pretty standard Lizard plot. Looking back on it, I'm glad they didn't use Lizard for the villain in any of the Raimi films. He would've just looked cheap and dumb but he looks pretty awesome in this one. I would've liked his head to be more reptilian-shaped like in the comics but everything else about his look was great.
The supporting cast (Aunt May, Uncle Ben, Captain Stacy, etc.): Martin Sheen was good as Uncle Ben and Sally Fields was good as Aunt May. I think Dennis Leary was actually really good as Capt. Stacy and I'm glad they went with having him die at the end. My only gripe is that they don't use enough of the supporting cast in this film. In the first Raimi film we had Harry, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, pretty much all the mainstays. In this film it's really just Ben, May, Gwen, Captain Stacy, and Flash Thompson, who I liked better in this one than in the Raimi one. Hopefully we'll get more in the sequel. I'm really interested to see what their take on Harry Osborn is.
In conclusion: This film was actually really good. Visually, it's gorgeous. The fight sequences are dazzling to watch and it just shows you how far special effects have come in ten years. I think that it was missing something emotionally for me. It's probably that I've been a Spider-Man fan for almost all my life and I've seen pretty much every iteration of his origin story. Plus I think it's the fact that I'm ten years older now than I was when the first Raimi film came out. I was a teenager back then and Spider-Man (at least at the beginning) mostly appeals to teenagers. I think if the Raimi films hadn't existed and this was the first Spider-Man movie I saw, I would've loved it. I still enjoyed this film though and I think it's going to do for this generation of Spidey fans what the Raimi ones did for my generation. Hopefully they can follow it up with a good sequel.