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The Amazing Spider-man (2012)

B.D. Reid Film Reviews

By B.D. ReidPublished 3 years ago 14 min read
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After the success of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, both audiences and filmmakers were suddenly aware of how popular a serious superhero movie could be. The main takeaway seemed to be muted colours, angst, and gritty storylines would equal more serious, and thus more money. However, that same year, the MCU began with the widely popular Iron Man, which was bright, colourful, and funny, but still dealt with some harsh ideas, such as PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and corporate corruption. Though this would be the main way in which the DCEU and the MCU would differentiate from each other, The Dark Knight did open the door for darker and more adult comic-book movies such as Kick-Ass and Super. So, when Sony was looking to reboot the Spider-man franchise after the dismal reviews for Spider-man 3, they decided to try something a little grittier and more realistic, resulting in The Amazing Spider-man.

The main drag of trying to emulate The Dark Knight is that most filmmakers were assuming that this meant having muted colours, relying on palettes of gray and blue. They didn’t realize that the film is very vibrant and colourful, albeit in a different way. This film doesn’t quite go full gray-palette, but the colours are definitely muted. I also found the lighting much softer than the previous Spider-man movies, which helped to create a more realistic look for the film. Things look more like they were shot on location rather than on a stage. With that said, it does look less dynamic.

However, this is redeemed with the camera work, specifically during action sequences. Personally, I never hated the way that Spider-man swung through the city in the previous trilogy, but the shots now feel sort of animated, kept mostly at medium or full shots. This works to their advantage by showing more of the city, and you could argue that shows the weight of Peter’s responsibility in proportion to himself, which would be a main arc in the series, particularly with the second film. In this one, the shots are much more intimate, sometimes showing the swinging literally from Peter’s point of view. The action also takes place in more compact environments, like the school or the rooftop. This makes the situation seem much more dire for Peter because he’s only got so much space to move, thereby increasing the danger that he’s in. Every choice he makes in the combat must be quick, decisive, and perfect, raising the stakes because this means that the slightest misstep will cost him his life.

And the effects are better executed to match this desperation. While I can’t abide by the Lizard’s weird Voldemort face, he does blend into the environment better. The technology had advanced so much in five years, and the texturing was done a lot better. Additionally, I feel like having a wholly CGI villain works to their advantage. With guys in suits and having to composite their faces onto CGI models, the effects can look distorted, but since the Lizard is a CGI creation, there’s less of an uncanny valley to make the effect look fake. The rat-lizard looks awful, but I’m guessing that wasn’t really a priority for them. Spidey is also created digitally for most sequences, and here’s why this is the correct choice: the speed of the character’s movements. One of my favourite things about Into the Spider-verse is the energetic movement of the characters and the unique way that the action plays out. This is a feat that only animation can achieve. In a more realistic and live-action universe, the models aren’t allowed to move in such a way that they are cartoony, but they can be used to achieve a greater sense of speed and tension, especially in the aforementioned enclosed environments. Here, because the CGI doesn’t have to blend in with the live, except in certain circumstances, the models don’t create any uncanny valley.

I do not enjoy the music in this film. While the score is amazing (no pun intended), it doesn’t really have that iconic Spidey feel to it. The 60s had the awesome theme song and the Raimi films had the spectacular “opening credits” theme. These were so iconic. The score here plays like most other action films, and I even got a Star Trek (2009) vibe from it. The other themes are so unique that I’d be able to recognize them immediately, but this one is so generic that I don’t think I’d be able to do the same.

I’ve always maintained that Andrew Garfield was the best Spider-man: he looked like the skinny teenager that Spider-man was supposed to embody, and he had the quips to boot. Garfield does a great job lending a sarcastic voice to his performance as Spider-man and you can really see the desperation in his face when his mask comes off (the frequency of which does bother me a little bit). There’s also something a little more honest in his portrayal of Peter Parker. Unlike Tobey, this guy isn’t really a dork, but he does exude that awkward nerd better than I maybe gave credit for in the past. In a weird way, this was very much the Peter Parker I aspired to be: good looking, athletic build, skater, killer hair, and a thin face. There’s also a level of fun that you can see in Peter’s face on his way to becoming Spider-man. Look at him when he’s making his web-shooters and how proud he looks.

Emma Stone is one of my favourite actresses. I know that a lot of people thought that Jennifer Lawrence was the down-to-earth role model, but I always thought Emma was much more interesting. And her performance as Gwen Stacy is excellent. Her ability to steal focus from Spider-man is impressive, as half of the scenes in which she and Garfield are acting opposite each other, I’m more focused on her reactions. She’s great at emoting but has some of the funniest lines in the film: the scene where she’s talking to her dad and asking for privacy is so hilarious; realizing what dating Spider-man means and saying “oh, I’m in trouble,” always has me laughing, and the way that they constantly talk about who’s top of the class… priceless.

And these two have SUCH GOOD CHEMISTRY. I understand that they started dating in real life shortly after this movie released and you can clearly see why. Nothing about their relationship feels forced. I remember reading (or hearing) once that the best way to differentiate between players and a person genuinely interested in you would be that players are too rehearsed and smooth; love should leave butterflies in your stomach, and you’d be stumbling over your words. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant, but the ideology of that is certainly present in this movie. Not only does Garfield stutter a ton, but Emma gets moments where she’s stumbling over her words, too. There is nothing about their chemistry that I don’t buy.

While I’m sure that there is a generation out there that knows Dennis Leary for his voice acting in The Ice Age films or this film, to me, he will always be “an Asshole” (from his song) and Edgar Friendly from Demolition Man. Nevertheless, he knocks this performance out of the park, playing a protective father, grizzled police captain, and mentor character for Peter to absolute perfection. Dennis Leary really did a wonderful job with this role, and I’m just now realizing how under-utilized he was in the sequel.

Rhys Ifans does a great job with this role, balancing benevolent mentor slowly devolving into the villain. The Lizard was never my favourite of Spidey’s rogue’s gallery, but I understood the character: a kind-hearted scientist who wanted to find a cure for his missing limb and became a deranged monster as a result. It was a very “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” situation and Ifans plays both sides very well, even blending the two at times so the transformation seems more believable.

Martin Sheen gets more screentime to play Uncle Ben, so I do prefer his performance over Cliff Robertson. I also get much more of a relationship between Ben and Peter, which both actors portray perfectly. Though knowing his death was coming did lessen the hurt, I got more from the scene because there was more of a relationship between them.

Sally Field does great as Aunt May. While I still associate the character with being older, I appreciate this version of the character. She doesn’t get a ton of screentime, but when she does, those scenes feel truly emotional and genuine.

Everyone likes to complain about Spidey’s suit in this one, so here’s my (unpopular) opinion: it’s my second favourite design across all of the live-action Spider-man movies (the first being the Night Monkey suit in Far From Home). All the suits differ in small ways, but it felt like a decent departure from Spidey’s from the Raimi trilogy and I like the finger-less glove look that the suit ahs going for it. The sunglasses as the eyes do make it look weird but does help it stand out. Everyone else’s costumes do the jobs that they need to.

There’s not much to comment on in terms of makeup within the film, aside from the scales on Connor’s skin after his first transformation and whenever we see the gashes in Peter’s chest. Both of which are blended very well into the actor’s skin, making it look very painful and realistic.

The set design isn’t really anything unique or spectacular. The set pieces are more intimate and realistic, which helped the action sequences, but there’s nothing dynamic about them.

Plot-wise, this movie does follow several beats that we’re already familiar with during the first half: unpopular boy in love with girl at school, he’s bitten by radioactive spider, shirking responsibility, lecture from uncle ben about responsibility, leading to further shirking, resulting in uncle ben’s death. There is a bit of a twist on the narrative, though. I already mentioned that Uncle Ben and Peter have more time together to develop their relationship, but Ben also tells Peter about Dr. Connors and his relationship to his father. As such, part of Peter shirking his responsibilities is assisting Connors in his research and searching for clues about his father. After Ben dies, Peter begins a quest for revenge, contrasting the usual Spidey narrative where he realizes that Ben’s death was his fault and over-corrects. Instead, the transition is more gradual and more believable. Peter buries his guilt with his anger, becoming Spidey to avenge Ben and slowly realizing the weight of his responsibility. Others have nitpicked that he never does find Ben’s killer, but I think to do so would be missing the point. He becomes Spider-man in order to avenge his uncle, which is a negative goal, but saves the city because no one else can, which is more selfless and heroic.

I also appreciate the agency of the other characters. The police force is actually competent and gets a moment to shine, which helps show Peter that he should work with the justice system. Gwen has a ton of more intrigue because she does more and is more active in helping Peter than just being supportive. While I do like Kirsten Dunst and her MJ just fine, there’s not denying that Gwen has more impact on the story. I also get the sense that her being the daughter of a police captain and Spider-man being a vigilante for vengeance helps raises the tension in their scenes together and his relationship with the Captain is given more weight.

The dialogue feels more streamlined and realistic. It’s not corny and hokey like the Raimi films, robbing it of any memorable impact, but the lines do create a greater sense of drama. Peter and Ben discuss responsibility in very believable ways. Peter’s talk with the Captain about Spiderman being a vigilante and whether he’s doing good or bad helps see himself in a different light. And the intimate moments feel very genuine because the actors are allowed to say more believable things, resulting in more genuine emotion.

As mentioned previously, I enjoyed Garfield’s character in both Peter and Spider-man. To go from a typical teenager, shirking his responsibility in favour of his own personal goals, to becoming a selfless superhero is an admirable arc. His character is given more depth: he’s not a one-dimensional nerd anymore. While Tobey’s character never delved into the missing parent’s thing, content with his aunt and uncle, Garfield does get that extra bit of humanity because he had a relationship with his parents. This hurt results in the rest of the plot happening, deepening Peter’s guilt and making his redemption feel much more gratifying.

Gwen has a great character. As much as I understand MJ in the Raimi trilogy, I can say that she isn’t as memorable. Gwen has that stern side of her because you can tell she’s a very career-focused character, landing an internship at Oscorp under Connors, while Peter wasn’t so lucky, so there is a serious side to her. But whenever she’s around Peter, she has to remind him how she’s smarter than him, gives great advice, and does things during the climax rather than running or getting kidnapped. Coupled with her own self-realization about dating a superhero taking only a few minutes to process it rather, this adds a sense of realism in that she’s also just a teenager too, attracted to a boy that she wants to be with, despite the danger that it will put her in.

Connors has a complex character, but that is due to the whole aforementioned “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” vibe that is at the heart of the character.

Captain Stacy having to go from generic police captain who hates the vigilante to understanding the good that said vigilante does is an interesting and unique arc. Usually, police captains are one way or the other, but I’ve rarely seen one do this kind of transition.

Thematically, this movie is still about responsibility, which is covered very well and very heavily in the Raimi trilogy. There is a solid argument that posits there are too many plot threads in this film, some of which are not resolved by the end. For me, I believe these plots, even the dangling threads, do serve the greater thematic purpose. We never find out what happened to Peter’s parents, nor does Spidey ever find Ben’s killer, but I think this is part of him realizing his responsibility. The argument before Ben’s death is all about Peter’s abandonment issues, the reason for the argument is because Peter was looking for clues about their disappearance, and the robber kills Ben because Peter didn’t stop him. All of these add to his guilt, fuel his anger, and weigh on his conscience. When he’s no longer seeing red, these plot points don’t matter anymore because he’s seeing the bigger picture of saving the city. While the parent’s thing will come back into play in the sequel, for this movie’s theme, it works to it’s advantage.

It’s hard to say that every character embodies some ideology of the theme, but the characters do help inform Peter’s understanding of the theme. While “with great power comes great responsibility” is quick to say, I feel like this version of that statement carries a bit more weight to it by refining what Ben believes is being responsible: “if you can do good things for other people, you have a moral obligation to do those things.” The former, ironically given this Peter’s arc, could be misconstrued as “becoming a tyrant” or “getting revenge,” whereas the latter is about “doing good.” Captain Stacy talks about doing due process and evidence, whereas Spidey thinks they should just take his word for it. Connors understands that his research may benefit the world and turns evil to force that benefit upon others, shirking the responsibility he has of choice and free will. While Gwen is very dynamic and interesting, she doesn’t offer a lot, thematically.

So, overall, I must say that I enjoy this movie a ton. While I don’t think that everyone understood exactly what The Dark Knight was doing that resonated with people, I do think that the creators of this movie did. It’s got the angst and muted colours down, but it’s not so muted that it feels bleak and uninteresting, and not so angsty that it feels pretentious or whiny. The dialogue and execution of themes and ideas in this movie prove that there was a clear understanding of what worked about The Dark Knight and it was applied very well here. The characters are given greater weight and believable motivations, set up in fantastic ways. The actors that portray these characters do a wonderful job, bringing in chemistry, humour, and emotion creating a more realistic performance.

What else can I say? I think the movie is amazing.

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About the Creator

B.D. Reid

A competition-recognized screenwriter and filmmaker, building to a career that satisfies my creative drive but allows me to have time for friends and family.

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