Thursday, June 25, 2015

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012, PG-13)

I reviewed The Amazing Spider-Man 2 last year, but I’ve never gotten to the original reboot.  Is it problematic?  Of course.  Is the franchise all Spider-Man deserves?  Definitely not.  That said, I enjoy it despite its issues, and the leads at its center; earn back a lot of good will on its behalf.

Make no mistake:  a mere decade after the Sam Raimi trilogy began, we did not need another Spider-Man origin story, but that’s what we get here.  Many details of Spidey’s beginning diverge from the classic version, though, and the changes are mostly hit or miss.  I mean, if you’re gonna do all the Uncle Ben stuff, you kind of need to do The Line, you know?  Anyway, we see likeable nerd Peter Parker transform into a teenage superhero with the aid of a radioactive spider bite.  As he tests the limits of his new powers, works to make up for his weaker moments, and hopes to juggle vigilante crime-fighting with a potential love life, he searches for answers to the hidden scientific legacy of his father, who left under mysterious circumstances. 

It wasn’t until I rewatched this movie that I remembered the stuff about Peter’s dad, which I’d mistakenly thought was relegated mainly to the sequel.  However, it occupies an important chunk of the plot, setting some major plots in motion (full disclosure – most of my Spidey knowledge comes from the animated series in the ‘90s, so I don’t know if any of this has any basis in the comics.)  I’m not sure how I feel about that; it’s an interesting way to tie certain threads together, and Andrew Garfield plays it well, but it doesn’t quite work for me on a few levels.  First, I think daddy issues should be used cautiously as a rule, as they can take over a characterization pretty quickly.  Second, focusing so much on Peter’s dad detracts from Uncle Ben, who should be a larger figure when it comes to shaping Spider-Man.  And finally, I like the idea of Peter as an ordinary (admittedly very smart) kid whose life is changed by one tiny thing, and bringing his absent father into the larger story makes Peter “connected” even before the spider bite.

But enough complaining – Andrew Garfield’s Peter and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy make the entire franchise worthwhile.  Peter is written and performed so wonderfully true-to-character, I can’t help but love this movie.  He’s smart and resourceful (I love watching him tinker with homemade gadgets, and he uses his webs in really clever, creative ways,) a cocky smartass (it’s not quite Spider-Man without the dorky wisecracks,) and every inch the teenage superhero.  Peter’s discovery of his powers, in which he causes a lot of unintentional havoc on a subway car, is one of my favorite scenes in the film.  As his new spidey sense and crazy athleticism kick-in, he’s somehow amazingly graceful and hugely clumsy at the same time, and I just love it.

Gwen, meanwhile, is a breath of fresh air after the Raimi films’ version of Mary Jane.  She’s sharp, both in intelligence and humor, and I love that she’s not content to sit back and let Peter do all the day-saving.  She uses her brains and her bravery to pitch in meaningfully, and overall, she just feels like a character, not a love interest.  Even though we mostly see her within Peter’s sphere, you can tell she exists outside of him.  Don’t get me wrong – they’re fabulous together, but she’s great on her own, too, and without that, she and Peter wouldn’t work as a couple.

Warnings

Comic book violence, some swearing, and general criminal activity.

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