The Amazing Spider-Man

[casmith07]

I loved this movie it was awesome. Perfect reboot.

 

[Cowboy Brian]

Last night a few friends and I went to the theatre to see Savages but when we got there opted to see the Spiderman movie instead. I wasn't expecting much and have been questioning rebooting a franchise 5 yrs after the previous one was ended short but I must say the movie was fantastic. Andrew Garfield is a much better peter parker than Tobey Macguire, however I believe Tobey Macguire made a much better Spiderman.

 

[EMMITTnROY]

I'm actually a newly hired movie critic for the newspaper in Bethany, Oklahoma. Here's the review I wrote in case anyone is interested.



"The Amazing Spider-Man"
8.5/10

There seemed to be a collective groan heard throughout the movie going public upon hearing that only five years after Tobey Maguire hung up his blue and red’s, Sony Pictures was planning on completely rebooting the highly successful Spider-Man franchise. The prevailing notion has been that another Spider-Man movie is completely unnecessary, way too soon and simply a studio cash grab. Then a funny thing happened on the way to the box office: The Amazing Spider-Man turned out to live up to its name.

The Amazing Spider-Man has something going for it that no other superhero movie this summer brings to the table: heart. Prior to being handed the keys to Marvel’s most beloved and popular character, director Marc Webb (who, according to his last name, was literally born to direct this movie) had only one film on his resume, the excellent romantic dramedy (500) Days of Summer. So it may seem an odd choice to trust him with a $225 million action packed comic book movie. Except this is no typical action packed comic book movie. At its core, The Amazing Spider-Man is a love story. British actor Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) steps into the role of geeky high school science genius Peter Parker, lending him an endearing mix of intelligence, humor, awkwardness and a depth that Maguire never quite reached. And this time around, the audience is introduced to the faithful-to-the-comics Spidey first love Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone (The Help) with all the lovable smarts and charm we’ve come to expect from this wonderful actress.

Oh sure, there are other things happening besides two kids falling in love. Peter Parker has long wondered what exactly happened to his mom and dad, and his search for answers leads him to Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), a one-armed scientist and former working partner of Peter’s father. While checking out the impressive digs at Connors’ workplace, the ominously named Oscorp, Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider, which sets in motion the iconic Spider-Man origin story. Lots of laughs ensue as Peter gets familiar with his newfound powers. Especially satisfying for anyone who has ever hated getting up in the morning is the way a teenage superhero hits his snooze button. In the midst of discovering how impressively awesome having super spider powers is, Peter’s Uncle Ben (played with wit and warmth by Martin Sheen) is gunned down by a thief that Peter could have stopped, which as we all know by now is what thrusts Peter into a life of super heroism. Meanwhile, back at the lab, Curt Connors has whipped up a formula that is meant to help him regrow his missing arm, which it does… along with scales, gills, a tail, and a really bad attitude. The Lizard is born, and he immediately begins wreaking havoc on New York City, in a quest to spread his lizardry to all the good citizens of The Big Apple.

If the first half of the movie is more Nicholas Sparks, the final hour or so is full scale Michael Bay. Except, you know, actually really good. Special effects have come a long way in the short ten years since Sam Raimi kicked off this franchise. Think back to those good ‘ol days of 2002 and remember how awe inspiring the sight of Spider-Man swinging through the skyscrapers of our country’s most famous city felt for the first time. While I will always love and appreciate that first trilogy and respect those effects for what they were at the time, comparing Webb’s version to Raimi’s is like comparing the graphics of the Playstation 3 (Sony plug!) to the Super Nintendo. Spider-Man moves with such a frenetic pace and with such nimble agility, and the movie actually keeps up with him, which is no small feat. When Spidey and The Lizard face off, the action is fast, fun, and exhilarating.

But for all the thrilling action, and there is a lot, it all comes back to Peter and Gwen. Peter Parker has always been the most relatable of all the major superheroes. He isn’t a detached billionaire playboy with loads of expensive, impossible gadgets (am I talking Batman or Iron Man? I’m not even sure), and he isn’t an invincible alien from another planet. Peter Parker is a teenage boy with real world problems. He gets picked on by the school bully. He has a hard time talking to girls. He is usually broke and has a hard time coming up with money. And he loves. Maybe that’s the most distinctive characteristic that separates Spider-Man from his contemporaries. The Avengers may have more heroes and more wall to wall action. The Dark Knight may have more brooding edginess and all the buzz. But Spider-Man has all the heart, and that’s why it’s so easy to root for him.

As we’ve all learned from Uncle Ben over the past half century (Spidey turns 50 this year!), with great power comes great responsibility. Thankfully for the future of this franchise, the power is in Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield’s hands, and they are more than up to the task of taking great responsibility.

 

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

^ Nice job man. Congrats on your new job.

 

[Jammer]

I'm actually a newly hired movie critic for the newspaper in Bethany, Oklahoma. Here's the review I wrote in case anyone is interested.

Great review. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie now.

 

[EMMITTnROY]

^ Nice job man. Congrats on your new job.

Thanks man, I appreciate it! And yeah, I'm pretty excited about the new job. Something I've always wanted to do.

Great review. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie now.

Thanks so much. Really, it's great to hear feedback. Appreciate it, and I'm glad it made you wanna see the movie!

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Best movie of the year so far and it isn't even close. Way better than the Sam Raimi movies. Go Spidey Go!!!!!

It was definately very very good. I really enjoyed it.

It wasn't the best movie though. The Avengers was definately better, IMO.

And I'm pretty much certain TDK Rises is going to be much better.

Still it was absolutely a very good movie, definately worth paying to see, and I agree with the comment above about it being the perfect reboot.

 

[Teren_Kanan]

It was definately very very good. I really enjoyed it.

It wasn't the best movie though. The Avengers was definately better, IMO.

And I'm pretty much certain TDK Rises is going to be much better.

Still it was absolutely a very good movie, definately worth paying to see, and I agree with the comment above about it being the perfect reboot.

While I certainly agree it was a good movie worth watching, I am curious to know how you judge a perfect reboot?

I Thought as far as Reboots go, it was awful. It's pretty much the exact same movie as the first Sam Raimi Spiderman.

A good Reboot is going from Tim Burtons Batman to Nolan's. It's a completely different tone and has a totally new feel.

If the actors weren't different in this new Spiderman, it would have just felt like another Raimi movie.