Short Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

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Movie: The Amazing Spider-Man

Release Date:  3rd July 2012

Director: Marc Webb

Cast: Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curtis Connors/The Lizard, Denis Leary as Captain George Stacy, Chris Zylka as Flash Thompson, Irrfan Khan as Dr. Ratha with Sally Field as May Parker and Martin Sheen as Ben Parker

Genre: Comic Book

Score: 7.5/10 (w/out vfx 7.9)

Pros:-Captures the essence of everything that makes Peter Parker and Spider-Man who he is. Basically he is as smug and full of quips as his comic book counterpart and also uses his smarts to win a fight.

          -The writers blend well meaning comedy and heart with the somber tone effectively

          -Peter Parker has a darker arc that is graciously left open and given thread to yet still built upon with depth.

          -Webb has a brilliant grasp on the smaller moments of the film, especially in the romantic storyline between Peter and Gwen

          -Cinematography utilizes a smart balance of bright and dark colors, the brown shades and dank aesthetic mesh well with the graphics

          -Andrew Garfield embodies Parker and Spider-Man in every which way, Emma Stone is spirited and infects the film with much needed energy. Him and her both share a sparkling chemistry that defines the film

          -Leary, Khan, Sheen and Field do well in their limited roles

          -Rhys Ifans is a revelation. In just a handful of scenes he echoes the sentiments of his character and makes him 3 dimensional and human, more so than the writing

          -The score is in tune with the proceedings, and smartly manipulates the viewer to evoke the wanted emotions

Cons:-It fails to deliver on what it promised, and as such it becomes just another origin story and much of a retread of the original film

           -The experimented darker tone doesn't seem a perfect fit beyond the initial Uncle Ben death, and seems to indicate Sony's mimicry of other successes in the sub-genre

           -Webb doesn't have a great understanding of blockbuster action, he tries but seems to go overboard and at times is also underwhelming

           -The Soundtrack seems generic and tries to hard to copy the proceedings of the film, it's unnecessary especially as it plays in the background with no context

           -VFX now and then looked a bit too cartoonish especially the Lizard, who feels jarring on screen

Best Scene: Nervous Peter and Gwen asking each other out on a date without saying any coherent sentences, a prime mark of the chemistry that Stone and Garfield share as well as Webb's understanding of romantic elements

Best Dialogue: 'Peter? I know things have been difficult lately and I'm sorry about that. I think I know what you're feeling. Ever since you were a little boy, you've been living with so many unresolved things. Well, take it from an old man. Those things send us down a road... they make us who we are. And if anyone's destined for greatness, it's you, son. You owe the world your gifts. You just have to figure out how to use them and know that wherever they take you, we'll always be here. So, come on home, Peter. You're my hero... and I love you!'-Ben Parker, basically the power and responsibility quote without having to say it and make it cliche. 

Best Performance: Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy

Coolest Comic Book Reference: The end credits scene, the man in the shadow appears in Lizard's cell. Outside the window you can see lightning flashing, alluding to Electro. The man however isn't Electro, and his mystery appearance alludes to Mysterio(?)

Since I am feeling particularly lazy, this will be a short review for the film.

The 75th Anniversary for Marvel is upon us, and I will be posting more short review of every film as singles or as set of franchises. This will lead to me ranking all those films at the end of the year and giving out my own special Marvel Movie Awards.

Note: The films will only be from the modern Marvel movie era that began with the first Blade film.


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Aneesh Raikundalia