The Amazing Spider-Man
2/4
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Action and Violence
Visually dazzling. Well-acted. Derivative.
Those are how I'd describe "The Amazing Spider-Man." The action scenes are great fun, there is some suspense and adrenaline, but unfortunately the plot is almost exactly the same as "Spider-Man," which at 10 years old, proves that a decade is too short for a remake. And that's what this is. Sony can call it whatever it wants, but that doesn't change the fact that the plot is almost exactly the same as Sam Raimi's entry.
That doesn't mean that this is a terrible movie. It isn't. The acting is better, this film is less cheesy and there's more depth to the characters. But it's too long and we've seen it all before.
Peter Parker (Garfield) is a young teenage photographer. He's shy, soft-spoken and is raised by his Aunt May (Field) and Uncle Ben (Sheen). He's also a science geek, and when he sneaks into a lab to visit the renowned scientist Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), he is bitten by a genetically mutated spider. He gains quick reflexes, can jump high and move fast, and his hands are sticky (he creates little gizmos to shoot webs, however). But the good Dr. Connors is under pressure from the mysterious Rajit Ratha (Khan) to move forward with his research or get fired. Dr. Connors tests it on himself and turns into a Godzilla wannabe known as The Lizard.
Nearly everything that occurred ten years ago occurs in this one. Even the little details. Good scientist forced to move to human testing too fast and as a result turns into a monster. Spider-Man makes fun of criminals. Spider-Man gets accused of being a criminal. The only thing that's new is the final act and that his love interest, Gwen Stacey (Stone) is neither ultra-popular or unaware of Peter being Spider-Man. The former makes the relationship more real, but the latter, while giving the relationship a different edge, limits conflict.
The saving grace are the performances. They're top notch across the board. Garfield, one of the few legitimate actors under 30 (everyone else appears to be a model venturing into acting), is superior to Tobey Maguire (whose range is limited at best). Although he has a few stiff moments and he doesn't seem comfortable tossing off one-liners, those must be forgiven because he forms an emotional attachment with the audience. Emma Stone, in a largely dramatic role, is also very good, and she has great chemistry with Garfield. Martin Sheen and Sally Field are great as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Denis Leary makes for a good sort-of antagonist to Spider-Man as well. Like Stone, his role is largely dramatic, and the comedian does a solid job. Sadly, Rhys Ifans is lacking as a villain. He's not terrible, but he's not nearly as menacing as Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin.
I also liked the action scenes. Sometimes the editing is suspect (this occurs throughout the whole movie), but indie filmmaker Marc Webb has a gift for choreographing action sequences. I especially liked the bits that are from Peter's point of view. We can see his hands and feet moving; it's like the video game "Mirror's Edge."
Once the film gets out of remake mode, it takes off. The final act of the film is a lot of fun, but it takes too much time going through stuff we've already seen before. Although there are some things I like about it, I hope this movie falls below expectations because 10 years is too soon for a remake of a movie that everyone has seen.
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Action and Violence
Visually dazzling. Well-acted. Derivative.
Those are how I'd describe "The Amazing Spider-Man." The action scenes are great fun, there is some suspense and adrenaline, but unfortunately the plot is almost exactly the same as "Spider-Man," which at 10 years old, proves that a decade is too short for a remake. And that's what this is. Sony can call it whatever it wants, but that doesn't change the fact that the plot is almost exactly the same as Sam Raimi's entry.
That doesn't mean that this is a terrible movie. It isn't. The acting is better, this film is less cheesy and there's more depth to the characters. But it's too long and we've seen it all before.
Peter Parker (Garfield) is a young teenage photographer. He's shy, soft-spoken and is raised by his Aunt May (Field) and Uncle Ben (Sheen). He's also a science geek, and when he sneaks into a lab to visit the renowned scientist Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), he is bitten by a genetically mutated spider. He gains quick reflexes, can jump high and move fast, and his hands are sticky (he creates little gizmos to shoot webs, however). But the good Dr. Connors is under pressure from the mysterious Rajit Ratha (Khan) to move forward with his research or get fired. Dr. Connors tests it on himself and turns into a Godzilla wannabe known as The Lizard.
Nearly everything that occurred ten years ago occurs in this one. Even the little details. Good scientist forced to move to human testing too fast and as a result turns into a monster. Spider-Man makes fun of criminals. Spider-Man gets accused of being a criminal. The only thing that's new is the final act and that his love interest, Gwen Stacey (Stone) is neither ultra-popular or unaware of Peter being Spider-Man. The former makes the relationship more real, but the latter, while giving the relationship a different edge, limits conflict.
The saving grace are the performances. They're top notch across the board. Garfield, one of the few legitimate actors under 30 (everyone else appears to be a model venturing into acting), is superior to Tobey Maguire (whose range is limited at best). Although he has a few stiff moments and he doesn't seem comfortable tossing off one-liners, those must be forgiven because he forms an emotional attachment with the audience. Emma Stone, in a largely dramatic role, is also very good, and she has great chemistry with Garfield. Martin Sheen and Sally Field are great as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Denis Leary makes for a good sort-of antagonist to Spider-Man as well. Like Stone, his role is largely dramatic, and the comedian does a solid job. Sadly, Rhys Ifans is lacking as a villain. He's not terrible, but he's not nearly as menacing as Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin.
I also liked the action scenes. Sometimes the editing is suspect (this occurs throughout the whole movie), but indie filmmaker Marc Webb has a gift for choreographing action sequences. I especially liked the bits that are from Peter's point of view. We can see his hands and feet moving; it's like the video game "Mirror's Edge."
Once the film gets out of remake mode, it takes off. The final act of the film is a lot of fun, but it takes too much time going through stuff we've already seen before. Although there are some things I like about it, I hope this movie falls below expectations because 10 years is too soon for a remake of a movie that everyone has seen.
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