When Marc Webb and Sony originally rebooted Spider-Man, they took a darker, more intimate approach. But after mixed reviews and 'The Avengers' they decided to go brighter and bigger. At first, I agreed that the TASM2 approach would ultimately be better for a character like Spider-Man; but after watching the two back to back, I realized that in my opinion, the smaller more intmiate, and perhaps darker approach really worked better. And in this article, I'll explain why.
First off, I remember leaving the theater for 'The Amazing Spider-Man' excited that we finally got a more adult approach to the character. And I was really hoping they would continue along this route in the sequel. And when I learn more about the original script, it seemed like they were going to. But after already seeing this more brighter, campier approach in the Raimi films, it was disapointing to see them return to that after establishing such a different tone for this universe. 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' traded much of that maturity in character and tone for more cartooney archetypes and cringeworthy dialogue. With each viewing of TASM2, I feel my love for it wanning and my fondness for the first TASM growing. Here are a few reasons as to why I believe TASM1 was overall better than TASM2:
1. The Story
To begin with, the first Amazing Spider-Man had a more tight story. The movie opens with Peter phyiscally looking for his father through a game of hide & seek. This metaphor sets up the film perfectly.
A lot of people say TASM doesn't have a story, but it does. It's a simple coming of age, character-driven story about a boy looking for his father but instead finding himself and his destiny while learning that with great power comes great responsibility. That's it in a nut shell. It's opposite of most superhero films. Instead of the plot driving the characters to act and interact a certain way, Marc Webb took a much more intimate approach and allowed the characters to drive the plot. All of the characters contribute somehow to the overarching theme of responsibility, making them all valid and important. In TASM2, there's several themes of hope, abandonment, power, time, but rarely do they ever intersect. It's also nice to see a small cast of characters thoroughly explored (Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, Dr. Curt Connors, May Parker, Ben Parker, Captain Stacy, Flash Thompson). Even Norman Osborn, though not seen on screen, is a felt presence in the plot. All these characters feel very human and believable, which is sadly lost in some of the characterization in the sequel (Max Dillon, Aleksei Sytsevisch). Harry Osborn is the only new character that really brings that humanity back, but we didn't get enough of him.
When you listen to the DVD commentary by Marc Webb, it's clear that every moment in this film has a purpose, never making the film feel too busy. The plotlines concerning Peter's family, his romance with Gwen, the Lizard, and becoming Spider-Man all meet and weave together well throughout the whole movie. In the sequel, the plotlines weave in and out of each other, some connect and other don't, which disrupts the flow of the story. It's also nice to see the direct nods and influences to comic book
stories and not just things in them. (TASM2 nodded to things such as Ravencroft, Electro's ultimate costume, Gwen Stay's death). For example, it's clear that TASM draws influence from the first Ultimate Spider-Man comics arc. From his relationship to his parents and Ben & May, to Oscorp being the place of origin, to his retaliation with Flash and basketball, to the mishandling of responsibility that killed Uncle Ben, to the slight wrestling nod, to the villain fight in the school, to the final battle on a building, the influence is very clear. But they of course substituted some original 616 elements into it, including Gwen Stacy instead of MJ, the classic Lizard storyline instead of the Norman Osborn Ultimate Goblin, and Captain Stacy's arc. It was truly a great mix of both worlds, which made it feel very comic book influenced.
And even though many people say Spider-Man shouldn't have a gritty 'Dark Knight' tone to it, I believe it actually works well here. The origin story of Spider-Man is quite dark, and this film nicely explored the deep emotions that these characters are feeling. Nothing was rushed. As an adult, it also feels nice to watch a CBM where you are treated like one. They didn't tone down the angst, the violence, the sorrow, which I felt like was way scaled down in the new one (along with unnecessary over-explaining and exposition). The first Amazing Spider-Man was what I've waited to see for so long.
2. The Action
Although amazing visually, I was slightly disapointed by most of the action in TASM2. Most of the fights seemed more like chase sequences with a couple hits here and there. Even though Electro was a very powerful villain, I didn't feel like he was as much of a threat to Spider-Man. The Times Square sequence especally was a bit of a let down in this regard. It started off promising and had so much build-up, but when it came to Electro gaining the upperhand, the battle was nearly over. The fight sequences also weren't smooth; the powerplant fight for example kept cutting away to conflicts that tried to raise the tension, but just felt more cliche than anything. I will say this though, even though the Goblin fight was short, the tension was great, and it left me on the edge of my seat even though I knew what was going to happen.
What I liked in the first movie was how smooth the action was. It all flowed very well. The battle against Lizard at the school is still probably my favorite fight sequence in a Spidey film yet. I love how the backgrounds are kept more neutral colors so that the red & blue on Spider-Man's suit and the green on the Lizard really pop. In the sequel, I feel like the characters blend a little more with their backgrunds because of how colorful the film is already. And even though Electro is stronger than Lizard, I felt Spider-Man's inexperience against such a physical threat made for better tension. Their first encounter in the sewers is great evidence of that. Between the Lizard and the police chasing him down, I felt a real risk of danger for Spidey, and thus made me more interested in seeing how he would handle it.
3. The Villains
Say what you will about Connors/Lizard in this movie, but I think overall he was great. Now I loved a lot of things about Electro and Goblin in the new one, but what bothers me is how little Goblin we got to see and how unnecessary Electro was. And I know they will probably get used again in sequels, but what I liked about the first film is that while it was setting up for sequels, it still did its best to flush out a villain and properly develop him with enough screen time. We got to learn about the kind of man Connors was, his motives, and his plan as the Lizard. And even though I love Jamie Foxx as Electro and Dane Dehaan as the Green Goblin, their motives were very rushed and not given the time they deserved, especially since the Goblin conflict was planned from the beginning. And on that note, when I go back and read interviews from Webb and the producers, it really sounded like they were planning bigger things for Norman Osborn in the second film, so I am disapointed that we didn't get much of him beacause his shadowy presence was built-up well in the first one.
4. The Romance
I love Gwen Stacy, I think she is a great character and very much needed after the romance arc we got in the Raimi films. But I gotta say I enjoyed her a bit more in the first film for a couple reasons. For one, I loved seeing her reach out to Peter in various ways (after the fight with Flash, after Uncle Ben dies). She was kind of a hero to Peter Parker in a way and I dig that. I also felt her involvement in the climax was greater with her not only getting the antidote, but also getting everyone out of Oscorp, even though she knew the risks. In the second film, all she really does is run over Electro and push a button, which was a little disapointing to be honest. And because of the on-again off-again nature of their romance in the second film, I felt like we didn't get to see much of who Gwen was as an individual because most of her scenes contributed to the romance plotline somehow; whereas in the first film, she had a more active role in Peter's life before they even had a romance, and this helped her character shine more. And plus, it's really really hard sometimes to root for Peter and Gwen's romance after the promise to Captain Stacy, even though I really do want them to be together. They kind of shot themselves in the foot with that one.
5. The Lead
Ok, so I truly felt like Peter Parker had much more character development in TASM1 than in TASM2. In the beginning we see an intelligent outcast still trying to find his place in the world and discover who he is years after his parents abandon him for no given reason. The first time he tries to be heroic by standing up to Flash, he is crushed. When he gets his powers, he's reckless with them, but also just having fun. When Uncle Ben dies, he seeks revenge and becomes even more of an outsider. When he saves the boy on the bridge, he decides to use his powers for good, and Ben's lesson of responsibility sinks in (huge missed potential by not having Gwen die on the same bridge he saved the boy on). He saved the boy and reunited him with his father, a moment that Peter can never have but can now give to others; thus he finds his motivation in being a hero. Then Peter takes responsibility for taking down the Lizard after realizing he helped create him. Overall, Peter in the film act more like a teenager today and less like the 'nerd' archetype of the Raimi films. And in TASM2, I feel like he doesn't have anywhere he's going. He ends the movie the same way he started it, except with one more death on his shoulders.
I also liked how the TASM1 suit was different and more organic than the new one (but the new suit is great too). Spider-Man starts out very cocky, but becomes humbled when he sees how great of a threat he's up against. And like I mentioned earlier, in the new film he always seems cockier because the threats are much more manageable. Overall, I really appreciated the development of Peter/Spider-Man in the first film more so than in the sequel.
In conclusion, I really admire how human and raw 'The Amazing Spider-Man' is compared to the more cartooney and polished 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2.'