Review of Spider-Man (1977) by Brett C — 01 Sep 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

This was one of the few films; I actually went out of my way to go watch in the theatres back in 2012, as I had a huge adoration for Marc Webb at the time due to his brilliant debut film, 500 Days of Summer. I remember coming out of it feeling satisfied, with only a couple of reservations. Two years have passed and I have completely forgotten what those issues were, though I do remember enjoying it more than Raimi's trilogy. Watching it again, hoping for a more positive opinion, was a failure. Right off the bat, I was recalling back the negative feelings that I had with the film, but fortunately my overall opinion did not worsen.

It has only been 5 years from the release of this film that Raimi's trilogy wrap itself up. I believe the core reason for its reboot has some relation to the new direction that comic-book films are going towards and that the direction that Raimi's films had were going to become obsolete by future audiences. The Amazing Spider-Man essentially in its core takes the basic gears of Raimi's origin film and places it in a much more stylish, youthful and darker instrument. I honestly would have been fine with this decision if everything new that it delivers would create a similarly satisfying impact, but sadly its problems are just too great for me to simply just swallow it.

The film's first act is simply dull, as there was a lack of any incentive for me to engage with. It attempts greatly to force down my throat the paternal issue of our protagonist, which doesn't even pay itself off by the end of the film. Also almost everything that our protagonist go through during this point of the film lacked any significant point or drive, like why was it necessary for the audience to watch him skate for 3-4 minutes when the story is simply going to abandon it later on? Decisions like these makes it so much easier for one to not show any sense of care for characters. I don't think it takes a lot of effort to please two different audiences with an origin story. Webb could have cut all of the film's bullshit and go straight to the point, to put on the suit.

When Parker does eventually don the suit, pacing then becomes a non-existing issue as the atmosphere that Webb has crafted started to come off as engaging. Webb has a marvellous talent, as shown in his debut film, for romantic chemistry, he was able to take that from 500 Days of Summer and place it in between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey. Every single time they were on screen together after they became official, which was done beautifully, I couldn't keep my eyes off them. There was this natural quality in the way they interacted, avoiding the lucidity that the previous films delivered. Their relationship was one of the key elements on why I used to believe that this film is heads and shoulders above Raimi's films; though enough time has passed that I cannot distinctively remember my overall opinion of those films, therefore I cannot state if whether or not I still feel the same way.

If only the hero and villain was as cleverly executed, as the film's romantic relationship. The antagonist of the film, The Lizard, was disappointment in the writers' attempt of providing characterisation. The character overall just couldn't provide the threat that I look for in a villain, then again I never really liked the way the villains were handled in a Spider-Man film, I did hope that this one would be different. As the writers were too busy setting up attributes and storylines of characters that would be beneficial to the future of the franchise, they have forgotten to deliver the fundamentals of a comic-book film.

Before seeing this film, I never thought to myself that Marc Webb from 500 Days of Summer would move onto a summer blockbuster for his sophomore film, therefore I was a bit worried whether would deliver in its action set pieces. I was so ecstatic to see that Webb has exceeded my expectations; delivering memorable and tense sequences that had me drop my jaw a couple of times. The titular character was shown as elusive and a quick thinker, elements that were certainly missing from the previous films; a brilliant scene that demonstrates this would be the fight scene that takes place in the high school. Webb understands the fascination that the fans have with Spider-Man and his abilities, therefore he wants to showcase that as much as he can, one method was to show moments through the eyes of Peter Parker, especially during web-swinging. It was almost as if it was my hand reaching out and spraying the web at nearby buildings. If only Webb was able to make The Lizard at least half as compelling during the fight scenes, as the beauty in choreography during most of the time seems quite one-sided. Also was I the only one who noticed the Ridley Scott homages during the third act, Alien and Blade Runner?

If there was one thing I could say that Raimi's films were able to do better than this was its score. James Horner's score for The Amazing Spider-Man was bland. For such a brilliant composer, who has worked on memorable themes like Titanic and Braveheart, I expected so much more. The composer's best work has always been involved with films that deliver a broad range of scope, and The Amazing Spider-Man particularly with Marc Webb's direction is quite the opposite, the film contains many simplistic and intimate moments that requires subtlety in delivering its emotion. Horner's composition feels too much on display here and definitely requires a shift back.

The casting choices in this film were brilliant. I was glad to see that Spider-Man this time wasn't so bulky, but instead someone who is thin in figure. I think it was really important for Webb to bring in actors that demonstrate excellent chemistry, and that is exactly what both Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone delivered here. As I have stated before, when they are both on screen together I could not look away as they just looked too damn adorable; it also helps that I used to have quite the crush on Stone during the initial release of this film. Rhys Ifans as Curt Conners/The Lizard was pleasant, but because my lack of care for the role he is playing, it was difficult to feel more positive with what the actor brought on screen. I never connected deeply with the performances of the actors that portrayed Uncle Ben and Aunt May in Raimi's trilogy, but in this film I was impressed. Martin Sheen and Sally Field felt so perfect in the role and the small things they bring out of their performances, particularly during the back and forth with each other, were fantastic. Denis Leary as the father of Gwen Stacey and also the head of the New York Police Department was a tad forgettable. I would elaborate more on it, but as I have just said it was hard to recall anything from it.

My opinion of The Amazing Spider-Man is close to evenly split, with a slight nudge towards the positive side of the spectrum. Its highlights were the romantic relationship and the dazzling action sequences. Many have trashed on its sequel, but I still hope that when I see it, I would fall into the minority and see its positive qualities.