(Please note I'm writing this because I'm having problems with the review writer for the movie)
I know a lot of people really love the new Amazing Spider-Man movie, but for me it was a tad, overrated. I liked it don't get me wrong, Three and 1/2 Stars. Andrew Garfield was awesome, as was the rest of the cast, but I have a few problems with it.
First, kudos for writing a nice, classy review. It was well thought out and well written.
I just watched the film about two hours ago, so it is fresh in my mind. If I get some extra time, I’ll probably write a review myself. I agree that it was well acted, but I liked it a little more than you. I’d probably give it four stars out of five.
I liked the romance between Peter and Gwen... until they got together, where it felt like the romance became the unnessicary heart of the movie. I really found it annoying that after Peter first fought the Lizard, he seemed more focased on kissing Gwen than on Dr. Conners having become a giant Lizard or that you know, he had giant claw marks in his chest that were exposed to sewer water. The chemistry was good but the movie focased on Pete and Gwen when the focas should have been on Peter and Connors.
Very good points all around. I hadn’t consciously realized that, but you are right. The first half of the movie made Peter and Connors the focus point. The last half switched to Peter and Gwen. I don’t think it was necessarily wrong for Peter to me more immediately concerned with Gwen than Connors. After all, this was the girl of his dreams, he had grown at least somewhat used to the fantastic, and he’s a young hormonal teenager. Furthermore, Peter is an extraverted fellow who often seeks out people to talk to when he’s is feeling upset. I did, however, question the writers choice to ignore his bath in the sewer. Let’s hope spider healing can fend off diseases, and it also seems surprising that Gwen was so eager to suck face with the newly poo-dipped Peter Parked. Ah well, forgivable flaws.
Speaking of Lizard I felt that once Connors became the Lizard, the movie seemed to forget at points that it has a bad guy running around. I liked the build up to Lizard but after he became Lizard, he seemed thrown in at times and all we got from him as the now villain of the film is a schizophrenic rant between himself and the Lizard (I think) that comes off as more silly than threatening.
I didn’t think they handled Connors poorly, but as we’ve both agreed, he should have been a larger focus of the second half.
I also felt a real lack of closure from this movie. I know that a sequal is intended, the lack of closure seems to be a theme of the moive and I think they want a trilogy out of this moive but, the lack of closure just felt like the moive was leaving plots dangling just to be solved IN sequels, which leaves the movie feeling without a proper ending. Why is Norman Osborn sick and dying, what happened to that indian guy, what the hell did Connors do that gave indian guy leverage over him, why was Alchemex I mean Oscorp after Richard Parker's cross-species work, and my biggest feeling of non-closure PETER NEVER CAUGHT UNCLE BEN'S MURDERER!!!!
I like it when a movie keeps us guessing a little in the end…like Inception or Daredevil. In regards to Osborn, they could have made a quick explanation to the nature of his illness, but if they had spent much more time than that on him, it would have drawn away from the main plot. I am certainly glad they did not show him for that would have split the film between two villains. No thanks. Besides, as I said, I like to have room to speculate. I feel similarly about the lack of catching Uncle Ben’s murderer and the ambiguity around Oscorp’s hand in the Parkers’ deaths. Uncle Ben’s killer remaining free demonstrates, in my mind, that Peter’s quest is not about vengeance anymore, but about using his abilities to help others. On the other hand, Peter’s parents deaths is obviously going to be continued in the next film, and we all knew, unless it was an unholy mess, there would be a next film.
The lack of resolution with the Indian guy, on the other hand, was a problem. You shouldn’t just leave characters hanging like that. Just a simple scene showing him having survived and perhaps talking to Oscorp would have been sufficient. Sloppy writing to introduce a character that important and forget about him for the last forty-five minutes of the movie.
And my biggest problem with the movie is that the very premise of Spider-Man that "With Great Power Makes Great Responsibility" feels completely glossed over. I know that Uncle Ben never said the original quote in the comics but the quote is never even given a subtle nod in the movie. Heck, to me it feels like Peter starts to really fight crime as a way to spite George Stacy rather than how he feels his inability to act when he could and lost his uncle for it. There were several parts that could have easilly used the quote but it left it untouched.
I disagree completely on this point. Uncle Ben said that Peter’s dad’s philosophy was that those that had power had the responsibility to use it for good. That is the same sentiment phrased differently.
In regards to Peter acting out of spite against Stacey, I don’t think that is an accurate criticism. Peter certainly had selfish motives for his original search for criminals, but he still left those criminals tied up for the police. He could have easily freed them, but instead, he delivered them to the police. This was before Peter had any interaction with Captain Stacey. After he met Captain Stacey, I think Peter took some of his words to heart despite the fact that he argued so passionately against him for after their argument, Peter went out of his way to save lives instead of pursue his friend, Kurt Connors. To me, that moment when he hesitated on what to do demonstrates his choice to make this about others and not just himself.
Again I did like the movie. Three 1/2 stars. But I feel its a tad overrated. I don't know maybe I'm just in mad that this isn't Rami's Spider-Man 1, or that it lacks organic web-shooters, Mary Jane or Harry Osborn, but this is just me. Am I alone and deserving of stoning because I felt the moive is only "Average" and rather lack luster for a Spider-Man moive or is there someone who agrees that while it is a good movie, there were two MUCH better superhero moives this year?
I actually much prefer Amazing Spiderman to The Dark Knight Rises. (My Review of The Dark Knight Rises) IMDB has Amazing Spiderman rated with 7.6 which is a solid score but nothing to brag about. In my book, that makes it just good enough to pay money to watch it in theatres.
Regarding Harry Osborn, I would not have minded Harry being present, but I don’t feel like his exclusion is a significant problem. Also, I presume you know that in the comics, Peter did design his own webshooters. They were not organic (though they were for several years after the Rami movies came out. They changed it temporarily. Evolution or some such). Also, Gwen was Peter’s original girlfriend. If it is any consolation to you, Gwen will probably die next movie. Personally, I don’t much like Mary Jane anyway. Too…manipulative and immature. Gwen is much nicer in personality.
@Superguy0009e:
I hear you on it not being very Peter Parkerish, but the Peter Parker way of doing things would be to mope around her trying to be friends...because he wouldn't be able to avoid it, and then beating himself up about how awful he was for violating his promise to Captain Stacey. He would continue to go through this cycle until Gwen finally said, "It's my life, and I want to spend it with you!" at which point they would kiss and reconcile, but Peter would constantly wonder if he was doing the wrong thing and probably try to break it off every other time his life was in danger. All of that to say that for the sake of the movie, I'm glad they did it they way they did it. Captain Stacey's request was unreasonable and selfish, and he used the guilt Peter was feeling to make him promise something he did not want to promise.
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