I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE FOR THE LENGTH OF THIS ARTICLE IN ADVANCE I JUST HAVE A LOT TO SAY AND DO NOT REMEMBER HOW TO POST IMAGES ON HERE TO MAKE THE READ A LITTLE MORE EASY. SORRY!!!!
Hello fellow CBMers! I haven't put a review on here in a couple years so I must say it is refreshing to be back!
(plus the new word set up for the articles is great!) yeah its been a while since I've contrbuted here. Anyways the reason I'm posting this review is I am a die hard Spider-man fan. Now when I saw the early reviews for the latest film I thought "eh these movies always get a bad wrap at first". Then as the US release date was inching closer I started paying more attention to the rotten tomatoes guage; (I never follow that site to the point that it would influence my opinion but I was curious what other reviewers thought of my favorite super heroe's latest outing) as the film started to go from fresh to rotten I started quaking in my boots a tad. I really wanted this film to be a fun experience not just for me but for any moveigoer and I will admit I thought we had another spider-man 3 on our hands. Even with that I still went to the theater that Saturday and saw the film in IMAX 3D with an open mind. With a second showing under my belt I decided that an unbiased review was necessary. Then I thought 'why stop there?' that being said this is going to be a two part in depth review and editorial on this franchise.
Part 1: this review
Part 2: an editorial on why this franchise is simply a victim of bad luck and timing and what makes it so disliked by some fans.
Now without further backstory lets get to my review!
PLOT
Ohh boy ummmmmm. I cant say there is a true 'plot' more like 'plots' because our favorite writers Orci and Kurtzman cant make a cohesive plot to save their lives. so lets look at each plot in this film.
Max and Spider-man: well this is essentially Batman forever is the riddler was Mr.Freeze. I wouldn't say the character is TOTALLY the same as those two mentions but you can see the parallels. It's pretty simple 'Spidey saves Max Dillon, Max builds an unhealthy obsession with Spidey because he is ignored and life and a superhero made him feel special; Max gets his own powers and when he thinks Spidey will help him his mind twists it so that he feels betrayed and his main goal is to show the world how noticeable and powerful he is and make Spider-man die before him because, he feels, he was betrayed. That's a general idea to the best of my knowledge of it. I did not mind this plot point but I do not think it should have been marketed as the main 'hero and villain' plot. That role should have been given to..
Peter and Harry: this plot was not given too much in the luxury of growth. It needed it too. The friendship between Harry and Peter was teased as a very old friendship but instead what we got was a guy who almost seemed to use Peter as an outlet to find a way to stay alive as he had the same disesase as Norman. Maybe all Osborns really do only care about themselves. I have no idea on that part. Harry was a desperate man and we seem him as a bitter, rich boy who sees his dying father to an inexperienced CEO with a terminal illness who tries to get Spider-man's blood to try and live. When he is denied by this he feels betrayed and becomes desperate to live. It is like the tragic tales you find in mythology where a man becomes a monster to cheat death. When the Goblin finally emerges we see what becomes of a man who cheats death. When he learns who Spidey truly is his betrayal is doubled and his rage grows so fast he decides to bring to life the most defining event in Spider-man and comic book history. Now Iiked this plot but we barely saw Peter and Harry together. It was very much Harry's arc but I feel the deterioration of that friendship would have held greater weight if it took precedence over the Max plot. I can't feel anything for these two guys if I have not seen these two spend more than one scene together as best friends.
Peter and Gwen: THIS. THIS. This is the true plot of the movie. I loved watching these two on screen because I felt the love and the heartache they were going for. Now the fact that they were dating does help the chemistry but if the movie was advertised as a tragic love story over an 'Electro fest' maybe reviews would have been more favorable; MAYBE. Now at this point everyone knoes Gwen's tragic fate which was handled beautifully but I also admired how every choice the couple made led to it. Contrary to popular belief I think it is worse if you know the ending because you know you can not stop what will happen but by the end of it you don't want it to happen. And that's coming from an MJ fan! I loved this plot. This is the true plot of the film.
The Parkers and Oscorp: I won't spend too much time on this because it felt like a loose end in the film. An end that needed to end though. Aside from a powerful speech by Aunt May saying how much she cares for Peter there isn't much about this plot line. You do learn what Richard Parker was working on and why Oscorp was after him but when you hear it you wll not be surprised. Oscorp was a truly evil company and with a sinister six movie on the way at least we can guarantee that Oscorp will showcase all of it's evil projects even if the movie flops.
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A minor plot that I wont go to far into is the idea of Spider-man giving hope and Peter Parker growing on. This was a very good backbone for the movie that I will express my love for in the conclusion of the review.
CHARACTERS
Peter Parker/
Spider- Man: No matter what anyone says this movie finally got Spider-man right. Raimi had him quiet and hardly joke. The first ASM had Spidey make SOME jokes but he always had his mask off. This movie had him crack jokes with the mask on and even talk to himself when injured JUST LIKE IN THE COMIC. On top of the stellar web swinging effects he was actually super funny in a corny way only Spider-man could ever pull off. Garfield also managed to encapsule the drama that is the life of Peter Parker. He doesn't studder as much but then again he has grown since high school in this series. We see him as a smart guy with a very cheesy side. Not cheesy in the way that he is a full on dork to the degree that past live action Pete's were represented (counting the 70's show. HA IT'S NOT ALL MCGUIRE) but in a more 'he's 19 but he acts like a big kid' which to me has always been Pete in every day life. He HAS to. His life sucks! We also see him grapple with loving Gwen so much but doesn't know whether to keep her or let her go to keep her safe, or he realized that 'promises; line from the past film was bad. He knows loving her is bad but like the rest of us young people we think we can beat the odds; and by the end of this movie we learn that sometimes the odd play against us. Garfiel, to me, is the best representation of this character and to me the most relatable as well. I hope if that rights rumor is true the only thing that happens is an integration into the MCU and he and the cast can stay.
Gwen Stacy: Emma Stone made a relatively bland but memorable love interest int oa smart, charasmatic and independent female lead. She isn't afraid to get into the thick of a battle to help Spidey not because she wants to but because she CAN. She shows she is capable of stopping a godlike electric villain and finding secrets at Oscorp and doesn't even need powers to do it. She also is a woman with a path. She does not NEED Peter to further her life; She needs him because she LOVES him. But if he can't decide to be with her to keep her safe she won't wait on him. I like that she is still going to further her own life no matter what and she does not play as the damsel in distress. It makes her climactic passing all the more sad because you realize you do not want her to leave. Even the abiguity of whether the whiplash or concrete killing her added an extra layer of guilt for Peter and made Gwen even more memorable.Peter needed Gwen. She was his parallel. She had the brains and she loved him as much as Peter loved her. Im curious how Mary Jane will be introduced. My vote is for Jane Levy as MJ.
Max Dillon/ Electro: Jamie Foxx hammed this role up. When he is introduced he is such a pitiful man with visions of throttling his boss, Alistair Smythe of spider-slayer fame. Oscorp was so evil they stole his ideas of a clean power station to power NYC and Max knew it. Because he was so invisible no one even knew his name or even his birthday. All of that changed when the genius was electrcuted and landed in a tank of what I assume were genetically enhanced eels that but him and made him a being of living power. Reminiscent of the ult. comics iteration, many claim he was Dr. Manhattan or Mr.Freeze because of his looks and powers. At first he was scared of his power and then he went evil. Many said his motivation was not clear but I will try and figure it out; Max saw Spider-man as a best friend because he saved him ONCE and gave him purpose. He played up spidey and put him on a pedastal. ( Much like JGL's character in (500) days of summer) its a weird unrequited friendship that Spidey had no idea of. In the times square scene Max's face is on the screens and he is scene by all. When he is shot after Spidey says no one shoots him, Max retaliated and Spidey saved him. This made Spidey get the spotlight again and Max felt betrayed and felt like a fool again. At this point he decided to grow and show how much power he has. It is a LOT too. he was practically Godlike and while he had some mildly cheesy lines and some real BAD ones I loved it. He was the fractured muscle as a villain and it was a visual experience in the end.
Harry and Norman Osborn: Norman was a spiteful man even when he was on his deathbed. He belittled Harry and almost relished in the fact that he had the same disease as Norman. I feel Norman will return as an ultimate iteration of the GG because Harry was the glider version. Harry was a desperate character and when he was given nothing he used his natural Osborn skill of manipulation to play his cards in his favor. While he is not dying the famous Goblin mask is a mutation that 'comes and goes' he truly looks haunting as the Goblin and while his motivation to end Gwen seemed clouded I saw it as he was so overwhelmed with betrayal by Pete and Spidey after descovering they were the same his twisted psyche said 'KILL HIS HOPE'. I loved Harry's Goblin and look. It was fitting and haunting and just as good as Dafoe in my opinion.
Alexi Systsevich/Rhino: Paul Giamatti hammed it up from beginning to end. He didnt over crowd the film either. Rhino was always an idiot and I think showing him for all of four minutes as an incompetent villain who thought he could kill Spidey was funny and refreshing. I loved his cheesiness and the suit. Was not a fan of the guns as Rhino is brute force. He does'nt need guns. But a mech makes sense. Plus this guy played a part in getting Pete in his suit so how can you hate a villain for that?
EFFECTS
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EVERY SCENE WITH SPIDEY WEB SWINGING. NUFF' SAID.
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The times square scene and electro displaying his power was truly a sight.
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The slo mo, spider sense scenes were really cool and an interesting way to show how Pete uses that power.
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The Goblin transformation was haunting and gross in a good way. It reminded me of a haunted house at universal studios mixed with some American Werewolf in London.
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The best effects scene hands down was when Electro took over the city and his face was on a building and the web swinging chase that ensued. that was a true comic book moment for me and gave me chills.
All in all the effects were top notch and a real highlight and the best representation of the characters movements yet. It definitely set the standard for spider-man films in terms of effects.
SCORE
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The score truly shines when Electro blows up times square. You get a real good idea of just how much power he has and Pharrel and Zimmer help us understand Max with the track 'My Enemy'
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The track 'I'm Goblin' also makes you feel like you stepped fot in a horror story and you feel in real danger when the Goblin arrives.
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Other great themes include the Gwen and Peter theme that is a very beautiful piece and is strong enough to even bring a tear to your eye. Also the track 'still crazt' showcases its stellar guitar riffs as Spidey swings and takes you back to that 90's theme.
IMPACT AND CONCLUSION
I always enjoyed the Webb series. Yes I grew up with the Raimi series but TASM and this movie was released at the time where I was the same age as Pete. I got how he acted as a teen because I am that age. I related greatly to this franchise and on top of that it had Spider-man moments I yearned for as I child. Some of the things that stuck out was Gwen's graduation speech about overcoming hard times and how life is luck because I have learned myself after recently graduating that hope is all we need because life does get rough. Also I loved how the little boy went to face the rhino. It was like he embodied what Spider-man means to everyone and that left me with a smile.
In conclusion, this is a love story through and through. A love story with Spider-man. It is Marc Webb working in his (500) days of summer style but being stck with the plot (or lack of) from Orci and Kurtzman an that is why I give this move an 8.5/10. Tonally it has issues but I blame Arad and the writers for not giving Webb a chance to get the backbone of the love story this, is a chance to flesh out. (much like how Cap is a CBM but it's a political thriller first). Also it manages to do what may CBMs do not do anymore, give moments that look like a comic has come to life. Many times in this film I noticed getting chills because there were scenes that looked so much like a moving comic and I think that is really what makes or breaks a CBM. I truly do not know why this movie has gotten so much strong hate but I do agree with some fans that it can be a bit of a mess. But really the goods outweigh the bads.
Once again I apologize for the length of this article but I do hope you enjoyed it! In the next week or so I will be posting part 2 of this article where I do an editorial in which I try to decipher why this perfectly competent franchise gets a bad wrap. MARVELFREEK OUT!