OH-PINION: WATCH OUT WE GOT A FANBOY OVER HERE!

Breaking the tradition of just writing movie reviews here, I dare myself to express my written opinion which I try to write at least once or twice each month, to spice up things here. I think I can say that I'm fed up with hypes, especially hype surrounding a certain movie. What I mean is that in the age of minute by minute update from social networking site and news site, people can get to know the news about their favorite movie in faster.

They get to know casting rumors, paparazzi taking pictures on the set, discussion board, leaked scripts, speculations and so on and so on. They can also post/share it on their social networking site, flooding our timeline with their obsession.

I take the case of The Dark Knight Rises, one of the most anticipated movie of this year. Sure, I do anticipate it but in a quiet way. I could, if I wanted to, browse and try to find news on the film but I chose not to because I want to have a pristine experience as I walked into the cinema. But I find it difficult. Although I didn't click on the links people posted on the film on the social networking site, but upon seeing the link itself, after some time and after too much link, is getting annoying.

I don't get it, sure they are excited but hold on to your horses. Must you always satiate your thirst for every tiny detail on the movie you like? Doesn't it decrease the excitement as you watch the film? Wouldn't it be easier for you to just sit back, relax and not knowing everything before you watch a film?

I remember as I watched The Dark Knight, I didn't know much about the story and blown away by the twists and brilliance of the film. I would not get such experience if I keep reading about any tiny detail film before the film released let alone spoilers. Spoilers, the crucial ones, ruin your experience. Say anything you want but I hate spoilers.

Then comes the film and the reviews. There are fanboys reviews and neutral one. The fanboys will praise it and see that the film has no flaws at all, the neutral ones point out weaknesses and strength and the one that bashed the film got bashed back.

It is reported that recently the site rotten tomatoes disabled comment function on The Dark Knight Rises reviews due to floods of lashes from 'certain' readers who dislike certain bad review. I think it is too much. Sure it is fine to like something but to like it too much is just annoying. These people should learn that there are other people with different opinion in this world. The number of fanboys reviewing films adapted from comic book and praising it with as many superlatives as possible, is too damn high!

As for me, I cannot be a fanboy of anything. I can like a movie but can still see that even in the most thought provoking film, there are still minor flaws here and there.

A film which is adapted from any other material should stand alone in its own and bitch please, I don't like it when some people say that I should read the book/comic/poem/whatever the original source material, in order to understand the whole film.

So what does Wesley Sneijder and Sergio Ramos has to do with this? Nothing. I just want to put a picture here for no reason.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Run time: 164 min 

It's the one we've been waiting for such a long time, the epic conclusion of the Batman saga by Nolan. Eight years have passed after the events in The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) lives in recluse because he let himself being blamed for Harvey Dent's death but he cannot stay recluse forever since a new villain, Bane (Tom Hardy) appeared and wreak havoc in Gotham. Not only that, past ghost still haunts him. With story elements ripped off from Karl Marx's guide book on how to stage a proletarian uprising against the bourgeois and fancy gadget, Batman must save the city that has once condemned him.

As for me, the first half is boring, as if Nolan is still having a raw script to build up the setup for the awesome second half. Like it or not people will have to put it apple to apple with The Dark Knight and sorry to say, Rises is not better than The Dark Knight. I am not saying that Rises is bad, it is still better than The Avengers.

In The Dark Knight we have the maniac Joker which has been acted brilliantly by Heath Ledger with can creep you out. Joker can give Batman the feeling that Batman's existence is meaningless without him, whilst Bane is just another straightforward thug that has less brilliance than Joker.

With sequel, the director is challenged to top his last film, not in terms of explosions fanfare but in terms of story and for this one Nolan is half successful. Nolan could be more provocative with the proletarian uprising elements and financial injustice but the whole thing seemed to be sidelined by a nuclear bomb ready to explode in Gotham. One crucial thing is being left off, where is Joker? He is involved on Harvey Dent's death that become the starting point for Rises. How come not even his name (and existence) being mentioned at all?

Additional character is just decent, like Selena Kyle (Anne Hathaway) as the burglar which does not even mentioned as cat woman or Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) who is very important and John Blake (Joseph Gordon Levitt) who gives a breath of hope for sequel.

Rises is just like Spider-Man 3 to Spider-Man's Raimi franchise, The Godfather Part 3 to The Godfather saga and Return of the Jedi to the Star Wars saga. A decent ending that sometimes feel like an overlong coda for the whole series and struggle to look better than the second film.

Fan boys will praise it, Nolanites will be screaming in orgasm (and perhaps some tears are shed), but not for me. I think the film is good, a honorable ending for the epic saga but it could have been better.

Special Note: My deepest condolences for the shooting victims in Denver, Colorado during The Dark Knight Rises premiere.

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.