The Amazing Spider-Man
Sep. 17th, 2012 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ericadawn16Some may recall my initial impressions of The Amazing Spider-Man:
http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/508491.html
I always meant to write a more professional review but never got around to it. I ended up doing a DVD recap of it and The Avengers instead:
http://www.yourhighwayinthesky.com/2012/09/the-avengers-and-the-amazing-spider-man-coming-soon-to-dvd-and-bluray/
Still, here are my further spoilery thoughts...
First of all, I should announce that I really liked Raimi's trilogy. The second one was kind of meh but I loved the first one as an introduction and thought the third one had one of the best death scenes ever in a comic book movie. I was kind of hoping they'd wait a little bit longer for a remake. It seemed a little soon. Batman Begins was eight years after Batman & Robin. By that logic, there shouldn't have been another Spider-Man until 2015.
However, it is Marvel, Emma Stone and Denis Leary so of course, I will go. Plus, my mom was super excited...SUPER EXCITED!
Part of me liked seeing the actual origins with little Peter and his parents freaking out and all, but part of me didn't like that they seemed to be trying to turn Peter into Harry Potter...
and this was BEFORE I knew who the screenwriter was!
Andrew Garfield wasn't as bad as I feared. When they were talking about being less geeky and then they had Andrew Garfield who's very cute and not dweeby at all, I was worried. Peter still doesn't have enough of a science geek vibe but it feels like a lot of the elements were there. I especially liked the skateboarding. I just felt like he needed different direction and a different script. Peter is supposed to be snarky like Tony, Bruce or Clint but the script was nowhere close to Joss Whedon caliber. Then, I felt bad about comparing the two like that but since The Avengers was the film that ate summer...it's kind of hard not to compare which reminds me...
“Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke. ”
Joss Whedon
This worked perfectly with Avengers and should have been heeded with Spider-Man. It was all angst and no jokes. Oh, there were jokes and small children laughed at them because small children will laugh at anything. I did not laugh except for Stan Lee's cameo and possibly Denis Leary because he is Denis Leary and can improve almost anything. At one point, I almost worried if Peter had a dog or something because it would have been hit by a car, certainly.
Dude seriously? You have a billion dollar corporation like Oscorp and you use keypad passwords?
WTF?????
If they had simply had retinal scans like SHIELD or that German scientist, Peter wouldn't have broken in that easily...
I realize we want Peter to break in and get bit but come on! Write something that makes sense.
I was really looking forward to the pole dancing scene from Tumblr and it was a big, awkward disappointment. It made me want to rewatch Thor and see the master.
Naturally, Ultimate Spider-Man had ruined me a bit, too. While Clark Gregg had personally warned me that he did not play the principal. I still watched for some sign of him or Shawarma or anything that made it seem like the same city...because it's supposed to be, Oscorp Tower was supposed to be in The Avengers but they ran out of time. There was even this shot of the open gym doors leading into the hallway right before Peter shows off his new-found basketball skills and I totally thought I saw several guys in suits. I was all, SHIELD! but now it almost feels like a figment of my imagination. Other than that, Peter almost runs into a cafe that looks kind of like the one Beth works at.
Yep, it's people like Peter that make me never argue with anyone being short under a dollar. You just never know...
Okay, while I was pretty okay with casting, my mom and I were both NOT OKAY with Sally Field and Martin Sheen. My mom blamed our tv habits because his aunt and uncle were basically the mom from Brothers & Sisters for me, Flying Nun for her and the President. It took me out of the moment. At least with Raimi, he picked Broadway actors that most would be unfamiliar with and we could believe. That's another thing I like about Ultimate Spider-Man, they just totally redid Aunt May by making her into a younger blonde woman who plays video games and mountain climbs. It works for me. Their personalities here...didn't. The voicemail was very cheesy.
I thought it would be kind of cool to have Uncle Ben live while Peter struggles with the Spider-Man stuff before Ben's death makes him into a vigilante but guess not...and again, I'm thinking...President Bartlett is down! Where is Special Agent Michael Casper, dammit????
Also on the subject of casting...so minorities/people of color...where were they? Again, I know I'm spoiled with Ultimate Spider-Man's multi-ethnic cast but still...you can't have a couple of Latinos and think you're good. Oh yes, they did have Irrfan Khan and I was very excited about this when I saw him, but he worked for the villain and was under-used...naturally, because he's awesome and people who are awesome tend to be under-used and/or killed off...
Still, as much as I liked his costume being based off Mexican wrestling, I found myself wanting the next Spider-Man reboot...you know it's coming in 8-15 years...to be about Miles Morales instead. I also really, really missed Harry Osbourne and Mary Jane Watson. You couldn't at least mention them as being in the same school? Really? In this, I might be spoiled by the awesome graphic novel, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane where Mary Jane and Gwen co-exist without resorting to catfights or pettiness.
I get how Mary Jane didn't come off well in the first films. She was an actress. She didn't get to help and she came off more like a liability than anything, but why not make her more awesome? In the original comics, Pepper was very similar. She was a secretary in love with Tony's bodyguard and was basically a stereotype but then Jon Favreau and his people made her AWESOME in Iron Man. She's hacking into files, figuring things out and she's even directing a government agent. I wish they could remake Mary Jane the way they did with Pepper. Although as it is, in order to make Gwen more awesome, they sacrificed some of Peter's smarts. At least it felt like it to me and this was before I knew the script was Steve Kloves aka Mr. I will take anything halfway intelligent that Ron has ever said and give it to Hermione...
So, then Peter becomes Batman...no, he does because he's just snatching random law-breakers who possibly match the description and beating them. Oh, and the joke about small knives?
Yeah, you've never met Loki. He and his small knives would probably be able to kill you before even your spider sense even tingled...although if you did want to incorporate the Tess Black plot-line into a future film, I would be totally okay with that...
I thought Lizard looked horrible...really fake and cheesy. Honestly, I've always felt like the Spider-Man effects have been subpar...I've never been impressed by Sony Imageworks. Even Rhys Ifans couldn't save Curt for me and why have him wear a wedding ring and NEVER address it? NEVER?
Dammit, the Pheels!
You see, I assumed Uncle Ben would be the only death to happen except possibly Curt. I know some expected Captain Stacey but I didn't. He was never killed off in Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane and it took two years for it to happen in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Still, when Peter was all, Stay with Me. Look at me. Eyes on me...I was just...
OH FUCK NO! I know where this is going! You're practically quoting Nick Fury! Don't you dare! Don't you dare fucking kill Denis Leary!
*dies*
You BASTARDS! YOU KILLED DENIS LEARY! WAS PHIL NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU???!!!!! Just for this, I declare Phil not dead ever!
*raspberry*
Ugh, the whole promise thing was so stupid and then, at least he broke it at the end but it just felt very...raping Snow White. If you don't know the Russell T. Davies reference, comment and I will tell you. Again, the angst was too much for me and too much for my mom. She said it was the first movie in a VERY LONG TIME that she honestly wanted to walk out but she kept thinking it would get better...and it never did...
http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/508491.html
I always meant to write a more professional review but never got around to it. I ended up doing a DVD recap of it and The Avengers instead:
http://www.yourhighwayinthesky.com/2012/09/the-avengers-and-the-amazing-spider-man-coming-soon-to-dvd-and-bluray/
Still, here are my further spoilery thoughts...
First of all, I should announce that I really liked Raimi's trilogy. The second one was kind of meh but I loved the first one as an introduction and thought the third one had one of the best death scenes ever in a comic book movie. I was kind of hoping they'd wait a little bit longer for a remake. It seemed a little soon. Batman Begins was eight years after Batman & Robin. By that logic, there shouldn't have been another Spider-Man until 2015.
However, it is Marvel, Emma Stone and Denis Leary so of course, I will go. Plus, my mom was super excited...SUPER EXCITED!
Part of me liked seeing the actual origins with little Peter and his parents freaking out and all, but part of me didn't like that they seemed to be trying to turn Peter into Harry Potter...
and this was BEFORE I knew who the screenwriter was!
Andrew Garfield wasn't as bad as I feared. When they were talking about being less geeky and then they had Andrew Garfield who's very cute and not dweeby at all, I was worried. Peter still doesn't have enough of a science geek vibe but it feels like a lot of the elements were there. I especially liked the skateboarding. I just felt like he needed different direction and a different script. Peter is supposed to be snarky like Tony, Bruce or Clint but the script was nowhere close to Joss Whedon caliber. Then, I felt bad about comparing the two like that but since The Avengers was the film that ate summer...it's kind of hard not to compare which reminds me...
“Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke. ”
Joss Whedon
This worked perfectly with Avengers and should have been heeded with Spider-Man. It was all angst and no jokes. Oh, there were jokes and small children laughed at them because small children will laugh at anything. I did not laugh except for Stan Lee's cameo and possibly Denis Leary because he is Denis Leary and can improve almost anything. At one point, I almost worried if Peter had a dog or something because it would have been hit by a car, certainly.
Dude seriously? You have a billion dollar corporation like Oscorp and you use keypad passwords?
WTF?????
If they had simply had retinal scans like SHIELD or that German scientist, Peter wouldn't have broken in that easily...
I realize we want Peter to break in and get bit but come on! Write something that makes sense.
I was really looking forward to the pole dancing scene from Tumblr and it was a big, awkward disappointment. It made me want to rewatch Thor and see the master.
Naturally, Ultimate Spider-Man had ruined me a bit, too. While Clark Gregg had personally warned me that he did not play the principal. I still watched for some sign of him or Shawarma or anything that made it seem like the same city...because it's supposed to be, Oscorp Tower was supposed to be in The Avengers but they ran out of time. There was even this shot of the open gym doors leading into the hallway right before Peter shows off his new-found basketball skills and I totally thought I saw several guys in suits. I was all, SHIELD! but now it almost feels like a figment of my imagination. Other than that, Peter almost runs into a cafe that looks kind of like the one Beth works at.
Yep, it's people like Peter that make me never argue with anyone being short under a dollar. You just never know...
Okay, while I was pretty okay with casting, my mom and I were both NOT OKAY with Sally Field and Martin Sheen. My mom blamed our tv habits because his aunt and uncle were basically the mom from Brothers & Sisters for me, Flying Nun for her and the President. It took me out of the moment. At least with Raimi, he picked Broadway actors that most would be unfamiliar with and we could believe. That's another thing I like about Ultimate Spider-Man, they just totally redid Aunt May by making her into a younger blonde woman who plays video games and mountain climbs. It works for me. Their personalities here...didn't. The voicemail was very cheesy.
I thought it would be kind of cool to have Uncle Ben live while Peter struggles with the Spider-Man stuff before Ben's death makes him into a vigilante but guess not...and again, I'm thinking...President Bartlett is down! Where is Special Agent Michael Casper, dammit????
Also on the subject of casting...so minorities/people of color...where were they? Again, I know I'm spoiled with Ultimate Spider-Man's multi-ethnic cast but still...you can't have a couple of Latinos and think you're good. Oh yes, they did have Irrfan Khan and I was very excited about this when I saw him, but he worked for the villain and was under-used...naturally, because he's awesome and people who are awesome tend to be under-used and/or killed off...
Still, as much as I liked his costume being based off Mexican wrestling, I found myself wanting the next Spider-Man reboot...you know it's coming in 8-15 years...to be about Miles Morales instead. I also really, really missed Harry Osbourne and Mary Jane Watson. You couldn't at least mention them as being in the same school? Really? In this, I might be spoiled by the awesome graphic novel, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane where Mary Jane and Gwen co-exist without resorting to catfights or pettiness.
I get how Mary Jane didn't come off well in the first films. She was an actress. She didn't get to help and she came off more like a liability than anything, but why not make her more awesome? In the original comics, Pepper was very similar. She was a secretary in love with Tony's bodyguard and was basically a stereotype but then Jon Favreau and his people made her AWESOME in Iron Man. She's hacking into files, figuring things out and she's even directing a government agent. I wish they could remake Mary Jane the way they did with Pepper. Although as it is, in order to make Gwen more awesome, they sacrificed some of Peter's smarts. At least it felt like it to me and this was before I knew the script was Steve Kloves aka Mr. I will take anything halfway intelligent that Ron has ever said and give it to Hermione...
So, then Peter becomes Batman...no, he does because he's just snatching random law-breakers who possibly match the description and beating them. Oh, and the joke about small knives?
Yeah, you've never met Loki. He and his small knives would probably be able to kill you before even your spider sense even tingled...although if you did want to incorporate the Tess Black plot-line into a future film, I would be totally okay with that...
I thought Lizard looked horrible...really fake and cheesy. Honestly, I've always felt like the Spider-Man effects have been subpar...I've never been impressed by Sony Imageworks. Even Rhys Ifans couldn't save Curt for me and why have him wear a wedding ring and NEVER address it? NEVER?
Dammit, the Pheels!
You see, I assumed Uncle Ben would be the only death to happen except possibly Curt. I know some expected Captain Stacey but I didn't. He was never killed off in Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane and it took two years for it to happen in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Still, when Peter was all, Stay with Me. Look at me. Eyes on me...I was just...
OH FUCK NO! I know where this is going! You're practically quoting Nick Fury! Don't you dare! Don't you dare fucking kill Denis Leary!
*dies*
You BASTARDS! YOU KILLED DENIS LEARY! WAS PHIL NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU???!!!!! Just for this, I declare Phil not dead ever!
*raspberry*
Ugh, the whole promise thing was so stupid and then, at least he broke it at the end but it just felt very...raping Snow White. If you don't know the Russell T. Davies reference, comment and I will tell you. Again, the angst was too much for me and too much for my mom. She said it was the first movie in a VERY LONG TIME that she honestly wanted to walk out but she kept thinking it would get better...and it never did...
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no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 11:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 05:47 pm (UTC)Talking about Emma Stone being awesome in general, I've just put up a review of Easy A if you're interested.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-24 11:50 pm (UTC)I was surprised by how easy it was for a high school student to get into the top secret facility at Oscorp. Who needs security?
I love that quote by Whedon. I'm going to have to use it.
In my head canon I'm just going to add in that S.H.E.I.L.D. was scouting for Spider-man. I like that detail.
Aunt May fell a bit flat for me, though Uncle Ben I think came off well.
I did miss Harry and MJ. They grew up with Peter, it felt off to not have them being there. I wouldn't nessecarily used Kirsten Dunst for MJ again (To me she just didn't have enough fire for the character), but the character should have been there.
Now I want Loki to fight Spider-man. I am totally okay with this showdown.
Dennis Leary dying made me sad. I loved him as a character and seeing the rivalry dying off was displeasing.
I don't know the Russel T. Davies reference.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-08 05:50 am (UTC)I would also like to see, in animated or live action form, a variation of the Tess Black story where Loki actually teamed up with Spider-Man in order to protect his daughter from harm.
Russell T Davies interview:
"Frankly, Rhys is very killable, because it would put Gwen through so much dramatically, but eventually you've got to realize what you've got, as a colleague of mine who worked on soap operas used to say 'You don't rape Snow White.' In other words, you shouldn't punish your central characters to the point where they become the walking wounded. It's one of those science fiction format things again, where writers often think that the lead characters are there to be punished, and I think we bordered on that in series one."
no subject
Date: 2013-01-08 07:41 pm (UTC)I think seeing Loki and Spider-man team up would be very interesting to see and would totally highlight Loki's very back and forth relationship with the heroes over the ages.