Amazing? Let’s Go with Pretty Damn Good.

 

 Many moons ago we were given the first real Spider-man movie by Sam Raimi and starring Toby Maguire. The first two of what would become a trilogy were actually pretty good. I can’t say they were Iron Man or Avengers good, cause they were not, but they were enjoyable. We won’t even discuss the third one, which was…well…not good. Much like the first two, however, this new reboot was pretty good. Not great, but very enjoyable. Now I’ll need to see the movie again to say for sure, but I think this one ranked higher with me than the two Raimi/Maguire ones.

The only real, somewhat spoiler I’ll give is that yes, they DO tell the origin story again in this movie, but it’s actually very short and does not take up much of the movie. It’s a new spin, I believe taking from the Marvel “Ultimates” universe (which I’ve never read, so I can’t say completely for sure.) It’s not all that different from the origin in the original movies, but it has a new angle and new twists. It introduces the original love of Peter’s life, Gwen Stacy. An interesting idea, as for anyone who has read any kind of Spider-man history, you know the unfortunate end to that particular character. It’s hardly a spoiler since it happened in the comics a LONG time ago, but Gwen actually dies in the comics, so bringing her into the mix knowing what most people know (or everyone reading this now, deal with it) is kind of brave to me. Using a character that people will get attached to (come on, it’s Emma Stone…you’ll get attached) who will eventually die tragically is not something we see too much. Yeah, seemingly everyones favorite SHIELD Agent is gone, but no one saw that coming, so it’s a little different. Also introducing what was really a “B-List” type of villain as the main antagonist is also risky, as very few people even know who it is and can sometimes lose interest quickly in a character like that. Fortunately, in this version, the character is different enough from the comics that most people will be able to follow easily and also very easily understand the character.

So, what did I like about it? First and foremost, I really enjoyed Andrew Garfield. He was definitely (for me) a better Peter Parker than Mr. Maguire. He is able to play the awkward kid really well, but is also able to turn the switch to be kind of arrogant (post-power acquirement) without really blinking. His Spider-man is a little over the top at some point, but when you sit back and realize he’s a high school teenager who now is one of the most power people in the world, you can easily see how he can be that way. Emma Stone is also really, really good. There isn’t a whole lot I know about the Gwen Stacy character from the comics, but I know what she looks like, and Emma really looked like she walked off the page. She plays a great counterpart to Peter and is one of those people that no matter how old she gets, she can play a high schooler to near perfection. Simply put, she was great. The movie stealer, though? Very possibly Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben. He was flat out awesome. He was what I would have always expected Uncle Ben to be. I wouldn’t have expected much less, as it IS Martin Sheen, but I was really surprised how much I enjoyed his performance. 

I also very much enjoyed the action in the movie. Not just the comic book feel of the fights, but the visuals on the fights are really done well. Too often these days action movies make fight scenes move too fast, so you really can’t see what’s happening, or they go Bourne on us and do super close up shots during the action. I don’t mind the Bourne Effect much, but in a movie like this, it would suck. You NEED to see what’s going on in a comic book movie and they make sure you can here. My most favorite thing? A silly as it sounds, I loved that they gave him actual webshooters and didn’t make them organic. I hated the organic version. One of the things we need to know about Peter is how bright a scientific mind he is, and having him create his own webshooters shows that aspect and for me, is really important.

 

What didn’t I like? Not much. I wasn’t a fan of how quickly the relationship between Gwen and Peter builds, but come on. They only have two hours and it has to happen before the movie gets too far in, so I’m ok with that. Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors was decent, but not great. I hate to use the phrase “serviceable”, but that’s kind of how I felt. Sally Field’s Aunt May was ok, but nothing real Earth shattering. I imagine in the next one she’ll have a bigger part, but she was very much background to me here. There are a couple scene’s done in “first person”, where you are seeing everything as if you are Spider-man. That’s ok, but there are one too many used. Fortunately, they’re short. My only real major pet peeve is one that is the same from even the Raimi/Maguire movie. Too much Spider-man without his mask, showing his real face to people or just walking around in the suit with no mask. There is no where near as much in this one as the originals, but it still bugged me.

 

Overall, I really did enjoy the movie. It’s one I would go to see again and definitely hope they make a sequel.  I want to see more of Garfield growing as Peter Parker and as Spider-man. I want to see who they will bring in as the next villain. I have my guess, but it’s just too obvious. Not that this has ever stopped them before, but who knows. I want to see where this version can go as I honestly believe they have the makings of a cast who can make a great movie, one to rival Iron Man and the Avengers. I hope they prove me right.

Until next time…

Class dismissed.