Saturday, July 07, 2012

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN


Directed by: Marc Webb
Run time: 136 min

One day Gregor Samsa awoke and find himself to have been transformed into a cockroach, then he decided that he should be a superhero; the cockroach-man. The next scene will be Franz Kafka chasing me with a scythe in the field for ruining his Metamorphosis. Just kidding, however the re-boot of Spider-Man on the screen is deemed too fast for me since I still remember how Sam Raimi treat Spider-Man with humor and adventure. So can Marc Webb take spidey to the next level?

The story itself is familiar; how Peter Parker got bitten, discovering powers, reason to be a superhero, trying to balance it with real life etc. But the real challenge is how do Webb, who only have made one feature before, will please comic book and non comic book fans. Not just that, ever since Nolan gives new breath to Batman, superhero movies have a new standard to look at. The usual crowd pleasing story has become generic and screenwriters are demanded to give more emphasis on reasons on how the main protagonist do what he must do in a better manner. Viewers are getting used seeing CGI fanfare, thus a better story is needed to keep them in their seats.

Andrew Garfield is the new spidey and he is the right choice. From his physical posture to his acting, he can be a a good spidey in years to come. In the female lead department Easy-A star Emma Stone is adorable as Gwen Stacy and yes I am a big fan of her. They both are the right choice.

As the story progressed the viewers were given the familiar territory on the origin of a superhero and the last half is predictable it is the ultimate battle between spidey and the lizard (Rhys Ifans). Done in 3D the action scenes are awesome but for the first half it is not useful since one cannot se the difference between the 2D and 3D. One of the strong point is how Peter Parker fought most of the time without his mask, it gives the viewers a sense of realtiy since if he spend most of fighting with his mask on, it feels like just a stuntman and CGI in the  works.

I think what makes Spider-Man likeable is that he is just like most of us; common people. He's not as rich as Bruce Wayne or as privileged as Tony Stark. He is just a guy next door trying to make ends meet while keeping New York safe from villains.

However one cannot stop put this one apple to apple with Sam Raimi's spidey and I can say that it can stand in the same level, not worst but not better too.

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