The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
I hate remakes.
Remakes, reboots, re-imaginings, call them what you will, if it is redoing a movie that was already made, chances are I am not going to be a fan. There are of course exceptions to this rule- if the original film is one that in my opinion, sucked, then I am open to a do over- see Rob Zombie's Halloween remake- I despise the original film but loved Zombie's take. Likewise, if the film is just taking established characters and telling a different story, such as with Christopher Nolan's Batman series, I can give them a chace. Still, there needs to be a timeframe between the versions or else it seems moot. I once joked that with the abundance of remakes out there, that time would come when they would remake something that had come out less then five years ago.
I need to stop saying stuff like that- I said The Truman Show, while a great movie, was not plausible, as no one would watch a television show about someone's everyday life- then reality television happened.
Regardless, when it was announced that the Spider-man series would be rebooted, I was torn. On one hand, I did not like the third installment in Sam Raimi's trilogy and what it did to my beloved Venom, on the other, that film was released in 2007- five years before this new version was released. What was the point I thought, at least Batman waited almost a decade. Follow this with some of the casting choices- Denis Leary as Captain George Stacy? And the designs for the Lizard- what, no lizard head? And you could say I wasn't too high on this film. Especially since I remember seeing Spider-man and it's sequel in theatres and loving them.
Then one day, my dad was watching the reboot on television, and catching a few minutes of the film started breaking down my resolve. Maybe it would be worth a look, might be a decent flick.
I have never been happier that my early conceptions were wrong. Just as The Dark Knight provided THE Batman and Joker, this film provided THE Spider-man I had been waiting for.
This is The Amazing Spider-man.
Plot
Right from the start we can see this movie is not trying to follow in the previous trilogy's footsteps in the least. For the first time on film, we see Peter Parker's parents as they discover his father's study has been ransacked, and, for reasons we are not given, panic and pack their things before dropping the young Peter at the home of his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, promising to return for him. Fate has different plans however, and the two die in a plane crash, leaving Peter to grow up without them. We cut to years later, where the now teenage Peter, played by Andrew Garfield, is a student at Midtown High, a bit of an outsider best known for skateboarding in the halls and taking pictures. While he interacts with his fellow classmates and even tries to stop resident bully Flash Thompson from beating up another student, he tends to keep to himself. He does, however, show interest in fellow student Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone, and the two actually talk after she saves him from getting beaten up by Flash. While helping his Uncle Ben, played by Martin Sheen, clean a mess in the attic, he discovers a briefcase of his father's, and upon looking through the files inside, learns about Dr. Curt Connors, a scientist working at Oscorp and a former partner of his father's, played by Rhys Ifans. Sneaking into Oscorp, and almost being caught by Gwen, an intern at the company, he speaks briefly with Connors before the latter is called away by his superior. Following them, Peter enters a room in which genetically modified spiders are kept, one of which bites him. Feeling ill, he leaves and takes the subway home, but during the ride he discovers the bite has given him enhanced speed, strength and agility, along with the ability to stick to surfaces and sense danger. At a later meeting with Connors, in which he reveals his identity as Richard Parker's son, he discovers the spiders, along with other experiments at Oscorp, were designed by Connors and his father to combine human and animal DNA to cure illnesses and weakness, as well as regrow limbs such as Connor's missing right arm. The two test an algorithm Peter was able to finish on a three legged mouse. However in doing so, he forgets to pick up his Aunt May, played by Sally Field, leading Uncle Ben to scold him for his lack of responsibility. Peter runs off and Ben follows, but a confrontation with a thief that Peter does not prevent from robbing a convenience store leaves Ben dead. Using his new powers Peter tries to find the thief, only to confront various other ones along the way. After running from a large gang, he winds up in an abandoned gym, and, upon seeing a poster for a luchador, is inspired to make a mask and costume to wear during his search. He growing vigilante activity catches the eyes of the police, led with Captain George Stacy, Gwen's father, played by Denis Leary, who disagrees with Peter's actions. Meanwhile, Connor's pressured by his superiors, tests the serum he and Peter developed on himself, leading to the regrowth of his arm. Unfortunately the serum's effects continue and Connor's mutates into a large lizard like creature that goes on a rampage, leading to Peter, having a tense dinner with Gwen's family, to head out and save civilians caught in the attack, including a child whom he tells to call him Spider-man. It doesn't take long for the people of New York to take notice of this new hero, nor for Peter to realize who the Lizard is, leading to a final confrontation between the two with the police and New York in the crossfire.
Thoughts
Remember what I said about liking Raimi's first two Spider-man films? Funny thing about nostalgia goggles is that they tend to blind us to certain things we tried to realize the first time. While I still love Tim Burton's Batman films, as I have grown up I have noticed the flaws in them- the most important of which is that Batman kills quite a few people. Nolan's movies, while they too have their flaws, make clear that Batman does not kill- it is his one rule. This is one of the reasons Nolan's films feel more authentic, more the real Batman then Burtons. Likewise, Raimi's Spider-man films ignored one very important aspect of the character- he is a teenager. When Stan Lee first created the character, teenagers were not superheros. They were sidekicks, nothing more, and heroes in general did not have 'problems', which Spider-man had in droves. Raimi's films have Peter in High School for a brief time before shoving him out into the real world, and he only starts being Spider-man then. This is where the new film succeeds right from the start- Peter is a teenager throughout, an outsider (and not a comical one such as in Raimi's film- I can't be the only one that found the opening scene of him chasing the school bus both stupid and a bit insulting) and he is quite troubled, what with his parent's leaving him and then dying without him understanding why. Another aspect Raimi's films forgot and that this one remembers is that Spider-man is a sarcastic, wise-cracking hero; he is always ready to throw a one-liner out while fighting his enemies, and has no problem joking around in the middle of a fight. Raimi's Spider-man very rarely does this, which is bad because it is an integral part of the character. The Spider-man in this film does not shy away in the least, a great example being in an exchange he has with a carjacker who asks if he is a cop- pointing to his suit and replies "Really? You seriously think I'm a cop? Cop in a skin-tight red and blue suit? " That is Spider-man to a tee. We also buy Andrew Garfield in the role much more then Tobey Maguire- no offense to Maguire, he is a fine actor, be he always seemed too serious in the role, whereas Garfield wears his emotions on his sleeve, jumping from serious to funny in an instant.
The relationships between the Spider-men and their love interests is also done better here, and not just because this film wisely used Peter's first love, Gwen Stacy, rather then his eventual wife Mary Jane. In the original film, Peter and Mary Jane's relationship seems forced and fast- you don't buy that this is a geek and a popular girl becoming friends and then lovers. In the new film, Peter and Gwen's first few meetings are awkward, Peter unsure of how to react to this girl he has a crush on actually talking to him, and Gwen isn't sure how to treat this strange guy who takes pictures. Even when they have dinner at Gwen's place, Peter acts like a teenager would- he tries to make small talk with her and her family but also shows let's himself get carried away debating Gwen's father on the subject of the vigilante. The relationship between the two feels real, like one that would actually happen between two teenagers.
But enough comparison, let's talk about the film itself. On it's own merits, this is a true Spider-man film; it is well written with enough links to the character's history to please fanboys, and has a good cast that even surpassed my expectations. Even with my limited knowledge of the comics, for example, I know Captain Stacy is supposed to be an older man, so when I heard Denis Leary got the role, I was not impressed- I love Denis Leary but I did not see him in the role, but after watching the movie, he nailed the role of the grizzled veteren cop who just wants to keep the city safe without the help of some vigilante punk. As stated already, Garfield played Peter Parker perfectly, capturing the teenage outcast trying to find his place especially after gaining these amazing powers. Unlike in the comics and Raimi's film, he does not use the powers to make money at the start, but rather to track down his Uncle's killer. His decision to become a hero doesn't happen simply because of Ben's death, but rather after realizing that he can do more with his gifts then just hunt one criminal. Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacy well, although she is a stronger character then her comic book counterpart. Also, unlike Mary Jane in Raimi's films (sorry one more comparison) she is a proactive character, actually doing something to help Peter in his new role, and is very important to the film's climax. Sally Field and Martin Sheen, while playing Aunt May and Uncle Ben younger then they tend to appear in the comics and in the previous films, fill their roles quite well- Field's May is a supportive maternal figure for Peter who worries about him, especially when he starts coming home looking beat up and bruised. Sheen's Ben is a vocal old man who makes sure Peter knows when he has done something wrong, and you can see how strong an influence his character has had on Peter. While Sheen does not utter Ben's famous 'with great power comes great responsibility' line, I found I did not miss it- he made up for it simply by playing the father figure that helps mold Peter into the hero he becomes. Ifan's Connors and by virtue his Lizard, is a good villain because you see the build up to his breakdown and can understand what eventually drives him to his master plan. He isn't trying to take over the world or destroy it, instead in a twisted, reptilian way, he is trying to improve what he sees as a world rampant with weakness. An scene earlier in the film in which Peter asks how much influence the animal DNA has on the subject actually gives us a good example of the changes both he and Connors go through- Connor's becomes predatory and cold, much like the Lizard he turns into. Likewise, Peter shows signs of being more spider then man, best seen when he is in the sewers looking for the lizard- rather then search, he makes a web in all directions and waits for signs of movement in the vibrations of the web- hunting, exactly as a spider would.
For me this is one of the best aspects of the film- little things, such as that scene, are what makes the film work. Another example is in a scene after Ben's death. At school, Flash Thompson, who we have seen has an antagonistic relationship with Peter, tries to talk to him at his locker. Peter blows him off and attacks him when Flash puts his hand on his shoulder. Flash, rather then getting angry or mocking Peter, like most film bullies and even the Flash in Raimi's first film would do, instead says this "It feels better right? Look, your uncle died. I'm sorry. I get it. I'm sorry." This scene works on two levels for me- one, it flips convention by allowing a character who otherwise would be a one note 'bully' show some real humanity. Second, because knowing the comics as I do, I know that Flash and Peter eventually become friends, and there are seeds of this in this scene and other interactions the two have in the film. Again, little things, but they add up.
Is the film perfect? No, but when compared to what came before it's pretty damn close.
Conclusion
Looking back, Sam Raimi's Spider-man films were decent but highly flawed, and under closer inspection, they do not hold up nearly as well as I thought they did. A mix of writing, casting and acting just did not work, and while at the time of their release they were good, time has not been kind. This new film on the other hand, took more or less unknown leads- of the three I know Emma Stone from more then one film, gave them established secondary characters to play off of, gave them a well put together script, and allowed them to be Spider-man, Gwen Stacy, The Lizard and so on. While it changes certain aspect of the character's history, these elements aren't missed and the film as a whole makes up for their exclusion. Just as with Nolan's films before it, and even the Christopher Reeve's Superman film, this is, in my opinion, the definitive version of the character, nailing almost every nail on the head where the previous films missed more then it hit. If you are a fan of Spider-man or superhero movies in general, this one is a must see. Here's hoping the sequel keeps up the good work.
4 Genetically Modified Spider Bites out of 5
That's all out of me this time, until the next time I swing by, I'm the Awesome Drew.
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