THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN – Directed by Marc Webb, written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Jeff Pinkner; starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Sally Field, Chris Cooper, Dane DeHaan; rated PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi/action violence); in wide release 5/3/14; running time: 142 minutes.
Our two founders, Bryan “Swank-mo-tron” Young and Lucas “Kill-tacular-tron” Ackley got together and watched “Amazing Spider-Man 2,” the new film in Marc Webb’s Spidey franchise. They put together a roundtable review of their thoughts. Be warned, there will be spoilers:
Swank-Mo-Tron: I’ll be the first to admit that I came into this film with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I love the character of Spider-Man, albeit not as avidly as you, Lucas, and had very low expectations for this film. With expectations so low, I was pleasantly surprised when the last third of the film (save the last few minutes) satisfied me greatly. But getting to that point for me was almost unbearable. This film starts out with a sequence that made me think I was in the wrong movie, Peter’s father, Richard, in an airplane brawl that looked more like it belonged in a Jason Bourne movie than a Spider-Man picture… Then it switches to a great, cartoony action sequence that culminates in Peter being the coolest graduate in school. Then it turns on a dime into a haunting story, where Peter sees the ghost of Captain Stacy everywhere… My problems begin with how uneven this film is.
Kill-tacular-tron: As a whole I will say that I enjoyed this film. If you enjoyed the last movie, you will enjoy this one. If you hated the first film I don’t think Webb has done much to redeem himself to those of you in that camp. Bryan, I completely agree with you about the last third of the film firing on all cylinders. The earlier sections seemed to misfire here and there and interrupt the flow. After a lot of thought, I think I have identified the misfiring piston, albiet an obvious one: Marc Webb. And not in the sense that he is the captain of the ship, but more so the ship he’s built. Mike Ryan with Screen Crush interviewed Marc Webb earlier this week, here is an interesting tidbit I want to expand on:
Also, you know, listen, I made mistakes the first time around. You know, about the costume and I think I shot too much at night. And this time, I was like, “I want to go back to the iconic Spider-Man.”
Webb recognizes his additions to the universe haven’t been strong ones. Some can be easily changed, like the costume, while others need to be tied up. Specifically Peter’s parents and their connection to Oscorp. I think if you removed all of the sections involving Peter’s parents the movie would’ve been a leaner and meaner experience. Webb is amazing at directing the characters interacting, especially out of costume. But his spin on the lore hasn’t been as fulfilling.
Swank-mo-tron: I think it’s his spin on the lore that I have the most trouble with. Jamie Foxx’s Electro suffered from the same problems as villains in Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3.” First he likes Spider-Man. Then the cops shoot at him. Then he hates Spider-Man. And that’s as complex as he gets. It’s, to be frank, lazy. And they could have instead spent that time doing a better job of building the Green Goblin character. But, like Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3,” it seems as though there was a mandate by the studio to include certain characters, and in this case it was to build to the “Sinister Six.”
The action didn’t raise the stakes until that final third, and then at that point I’d almost forgotten how bland the rest of the movie was. And when Webb finally gave me the moment I’ve been wanting to see on screen for the last 20 years, I cried tears of sadness and joy. But I wonder if I can blame the film for that, or if it’s my love of the source material.
Kill-tacular-tron: I have tried my damndest not to compare Webb’s films to Raimi’s. They are different entities, and I feel it is doing each of them a disservice to compare them. That said, I didn’t feel the same way you feel about Electro. I liked him quite a bit, I liked Max’s story as well. Webb established him as an unstable individual, possibly even bi-poloar. I am on the fence about Harry. To date there hasn’t been a Green Goblin on screen that didn’t look ridiculous. I’m not sure how they could pull it off, to be honest. But if you take that out, we don’t get the best part of the film that you had been waiting two decades to see. Plus, every on screen interaction with Andrew Garfield and any other character was great. Outside of a few actors (Paul Giamatti), the casting for this film was spot on. What about Spider-Man? I think we both can agree that anytime he was on the screen it was pitch perfect.
Swank-mo-tron: I think that’s true. There’s nothing wrong with that part of Webb’s approach and, for the most part, it brought smiles to my face. I think that’s why this film frustrated me so much. There was so much dead weight to it. It clocks in at 142 minutes and you can feel every single one of them. Excising Peter’s parents and focusing on just his relationship with Gwen would have streamlined this movie incredibly. But instead we’re given long stretches of espionage that have only tenuous connections to Peter, and the corporate world that Harry Osborn is living in. I feel like we’ve seen enough of these movies, why can’t we have one that tells a story 100% from Peter Parker’s point of view. Why is the Goblin around? Who knows. That’s part of the mystery Peter has to ferret out. I think that’s what I love most about the comics, they all felt so perfectly from Peter’s perspective. And I think that’s the movie that Marc Webb would actually knock out of the park.
Kill-tacular-tron: I completely agree with you on all fronts. Cut the fat, shorten the run time, and focus on what Marc Webb does best. Last night I spent a long time thinking about that espionage and how it is tied into the films. What would we be missing or have to rewrite if it was removed? Nothing. Harry is still friends with Peter and needs his help to survive. His solution would be the same without Richard Parker’s research with Osborne. Aunt May would still feel the need to express to Peter that he is HER son. The villains all being created through Oscorp still works too. I am not even saying you need to remove the relationship between Richard Parker and Norman Osborne. Just give it less screen time. Maybe have it be a twist in one of the later films that Richard helped developed a serum that has been a part of creating Peter’s rogue gallery. Peter would now be torn of what kind of a man his father was, perhaps leading into one movie where the focus is him uncovering that while trying to discover who this Green Goblin is.
Swank-mo-tron: For my money, this film is too long, too bloated, and too convoluted for me, but the ending with Gwen really worked. It was something I’d wanted to see on screen forever and it delivered. I’m giving it a 6 out of 10.
Kill-tacular-tron: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 needed to trim the fat and focus on what worked best. I loved when Spider-Man was on screen and appreciated Webb following through with Gwen’s story. If you liked the first film, definitely go see this one, 7 out of 10.
You can check out the Big Shiny Podcast’s “flash review” of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” here!