New Spider-man Movie

[yell0w_lantern]

I take them both together, Batman and Batman Returns. In fact, the only thing I dislike about Batman is Prince music.

Who would be crazy enough to dress up like a bat so he could fight crime in a major metropolitan area?
Just watch the scene where Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne recognizes Joker in front of City Hall.  Mostly, he looks like a normal guy, not exceptionally handsome, and who would be afraid of him unless he dressed up like a giant bat? Probably no one. As skeptical as I was in 1989 of casting Mr. Mom, I think the choice was brilliant.

Who would be crazy enough to dress up like a cat and wander around with a whip? I believed Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle would.

I love the symmetry of their tortured characters.

I've never watched any of the films after Returns and I am not interested. Granted, I recognize the newer franchise is much more serious than Forever and Batman & Robin but I just don't care to see them.

[oldmanwinters]

I take them both together, Batman and Batman Returns. In fact, the only thing I dislike about Batman is Prince music.

Who would be crazy enough to dress up like a bat so he could fight crime in a major metropolitan area?
Just watch the scene where Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne recognizes Joker in front of City Hall.  Mostly, he looks like a normal guy, not exceptionally handsome, and who would be afraid of him unless he dressed up like a giant bat? Probably no one. As skeptical as I was in 1989 of casting Mr. Mom, I think the choice was brilliant.

Who would be crazy enough to dress up like a cat and wander around with a whip? I believed Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle would.

I love the symmetry of their tortured characters.

I've never watched any of the films after Returns and I am not interested. Granted, I recognize the newer franchise is much more serious than Forever and Batman & Robin but I just don't care to see them.

Thanks for sharing, Y.L.

I have my fanboy-peeves at the Burton movies (mostly at how willing Bruce Wayne is to give away his secret identity to whatever woman he's smitten for), but I do respect the movies for their unique Burton-esque atmosphere.  And I'm a sucker for Danny Elfman musical scores.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I watched the latest trailer and I still don't care.  I appreciate that they are breaking out a new villain, but I loved the previous series to death and don't really like this very much.  I may change my mind after I see it though.

[oldmanwinters]

I can't help think that Amazing Spider-man might suffer a similar fate as Incredible Hulk did in 2008 getting sandwiched between Robert Downy's Iron Man (and friends this time around) and Nolan's Batman.  Much like Incredible Hulk of '08, Amazing Spidey alienated a lot of fans from the get-go by A) following a previous entry in the franchise that disappointed a large amount of fans and B) went the "re-boot" route and still hoped the fans would care.  The one thing in AS's favor is... well, it's Spider-man! 

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

You are talking like Incredible Hulk failed in that regard.  Actually, it was  considered an amazing success that proved that a reboot could be successful much closer to a previous version then had been previously thought.  It wasn't that it was unsuccessful, it was that the other Marvel movies were so much more successful.

[Previsionary]

Indeed. Incredible Hulk, which lightly followed up on Ang's version, btw, so it wasn't a true reboot, led the way to X-men: First Class, which was definitely a hit. Spider-man's biggest issue outside of perception will be timing and word-of-mouth.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

It's a Replacement Scrappy, which I think it its main problem.

[oldmanwinters]

Don't get me wrong, folks. I really liked Incredible Hulk and still believe Ed Norton is the definitive Bruce Banner (modern day, anyway).  I actually get defensive of the 2008 movie everytime someone comes out and says "Mark Ruffalo played that part SO much better than the previous two guys; we finally got a guy who can carry a good Hulk movie."  As much as I liked Ruffalo in Avengers, I still think Norton has a better track record thus far.

But if you do the whole "ask the guy next to you or the guy in the coffee shop what he thought of it" route, Incredible Hulk just one of those films that has largely flown under the mainstream radar.  Sadly, a film franchise entry that doesn't generate enough revenue to greenlight a sequel almost immediately just isn't considered a sufficient success in the eyes of Hollywood and the general movie-watching public.  I think it suffered this fate in large part due to marketing confusion ("is it a sequel, reboot, or a re-quel?") and people prematurely declaring it "guilty by association" with the Ang Lee version.

I don't know if the 2008 Universal Studios film contributed in any way to FOX's production of X-Men: First Class.

It is my hope that Amazing Spidey gets more respect from the the fickle movie-watching public.

EDIT: lol @ "Replacement Scrappy."  That's a good term!

[Tomato]

I don't think it impacted X-men, but Incredible Hulk DID impact the Spiderman and Superman franchises... now that studios knew they COULD get away with a reboot if they felt the last film bombed (or because they weren't satisfied with the direction it was going) they could hit the giant reset button and still make some money.

[oldmanwinters]

now that studios knew they COULD get away with a reboot if they felt the last film bombed (or because they weren't satisfied with the direction it was going) they could hit the giant reset button and still make some money.

And we'll still be lining up to buy tickets!   

[Talavar]

2008's Incredible Hulk, which did not make back it's budget domestically, and is the lowest grossing of the Avengers-related films worldwide, is not really an "amazing success."  I'm not speaking to the quality of the film here (I enjoyed it quite a bit) but compared to all the other Marvel Studios films, it's the low man on the pole.

Also, I'm not sure what the Hulk's 2008 reboot showed movie studios that Batman Begins didn't already show them.  Got an underperforming or critically lambasted superhero franchise?  Reboot!

[Tomato]

That you can reboot a series a few years later instead of waiting a decade for people to hopefully forget the last movie.

[JeyNyce]

25min Super Preview:

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00051704.html

[captmorgan72]

I have to admit, I really like what I see so far.

[Deaths Jester]

All I got to say about this movie is...the Lizard they using sucks...I've seen him in the trailers and he looks so poorly rendered!

[captmorgan72]

His face looks too human, needs to have more off a snout.

[oldmanwinters]

So...

Apparently, "Webb has created the first superhero movie aimed primarily at women."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2012/jun/22/amazing-spider-man-film-for-women

Huh?!?

[BWPS]

So...

Apparently, "Webb has created the first superhero movie aimed primarily at women."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2012/jun/22/amazing-spider-man-film-for-women

Huh?!?

But I love quirky teenage romance movies* and I'm no lady!

I'm glad this is getting good reviews. I wasn't able to tell much from the trailer, but now I'm getting really excited.

*It's incredible how creepy that starts sounding when you pass the 16-20 age range.

[detourne_me]

It was a pretty good movie!
Garfield's and Stone's performances were easily the best part of the film. I fell in love with Emma Stones great sense of humor and andrew Garfield played a Peter Parker that was nerdy in a different way. He really reminded me of the kid from Breaking Bad with the awkward pauses and gestures.
spoilers ahoy!

Spoiler

The Good:
Spidey's web shooters, his use of webs and his lack of instantaneous spider-prowess

The Bad: Peter's ability to keep his identity secret and his mask on.

The Ugly: The lack of motive for the Lizard.

[JeyNyce]

The first reviews are in.  I wasn't expecting it to be as good as the first one, but man, this guy was harsh:

warning: minor spoilers
http://india.nydailynews.com/entertainmentarticle/0f7766e400f0a8de30100c2bfc8c69ce/the-amazing-spider-man-poorly-executed-reboot-ians-movie-review

[Talavar]

Harsh he may be, but it's generally getting guardedly positive reviews - 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, 73 on Metacritic.

[oldmanwinters]

Harsh he may be, but it's generally getting guardedly positive reviews - 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, 73 on Metacritic.

Sadly, I expect today's "guardedly positive review" to be next year's "OMG Amazing Spider-man sux'd so hard!"  Seems like that's just the way the internet and most people's memories work.

[Tomato]

That critique seemed uninformed and silly, honestly. It doesn't talk about the tone of the film, it doesn't talk about how everything relates to the source material, it doesn't talk about the acting ability of the different actors, it doesn't even really discuss the changes from the original movies to this one. The person complains that Gwen is just a pretty face, but A. Gwen was just a pretty face in the comics, and B. Mary Jane was no more then that in the last set of films (and it's not even a fair criticism based upon what I've seen from trailers and the like) so it's not like that's a substantial difference.

In all honesty, the one scene we see in the trailers where he fake cowers from the goon with the knife... THAT ALONE sells me this movie. I'm sorry, Toby Maguire was a great nerdy Peter Parker, but at no time during the last set of films did I EVER believe that he was the joke-a-minute Spiderman I loved even as a kid watching the old 90s toon.

[Tomato]

Just got back from watching the movie... I'm probably gonna give a more complete "review" (or whatever you choose to call my mindless rambling) on my tumblr later on, but for those who are worried that this film is a step backwards for the series, or that it's just a cheap remake of the Raimi films: Don't. "Amazing" is a solid film in its own right, and IMHO creates a world that is far superior to all three of its predecessors.

[oldmanwinters]

Just got back from watching the movie... I'm probably gonna give a more complete "review" (or whatever you choose to call my mindless rambling) on my tumblr later on, but for those who are worried that this film is a step backwards for the series, or that it's just a cheap remake of the Raimi films: Don't. "Amazing" is a solid film in its own right, and IMHO creates a world that is far superior to all three of its predecessors.

Aw, all you lucky peeps and your preemptive screenings!   

EDIT: My bad, Mato, I actually thought today was only July 2nd!  I guess the movie is already out!

I'm prepared to like the film.  And I hope Gwen Stacy can be reimagined into something more than just a "pretty face."  I really liked what the Spectacular Spider-man series did with her character.

[BlueBard]

I'm prepared to wait until it's on Netflix or at Blockbuster or on sale at Wal-Mart.

I like Spidey, at least I like pre-BND Spidey, but it's too soon for me to sit through yet another reboot of Spidey's origins.  In this case, yes I do need more time to forget the last set of movies.  There have been too many different "versions" of Spider-Man in various media over the last 10 years, some of them directly contradicting each other and most of them rehashing what I already know.

In comparison, the Hulk has not been done to death and they really, really needed a reboot to get Ang Lee's version out of people's minds and reset him for "Avengers".  (I didn't see Lee's Hulk, but I read the novelization and the whole plot was terrible.)

I might even want to wait until the sequel comes out, so I can tell whether Sony's going to trash the franchise.  I've always been in favor of the movie rights reverting back to Marvel, and seeing this in the theaters undermines that.

In short, boredom could drive me to see this in the theatres.  Otherwise, I'll figure out how to wait patiently.

[Tomato]

Heh, I usually wait until a week after a movie comes out to see it (just to avoid craziness of finding seats and beating people out of my way with a stick) but... my dad (who got me into comics and who I attend most of these films with) and I both happened to be off work at about the same time, the stars aligned in the heavens, etc. so I saw it first day.

I'm prepared to like the film.  And I hope Gwen Stacy can be reimagined into something more than just a "pretty face."  I really liked what the Spectacular Spider-man series did with her character.

Honestly, I feel like Gwen is more closely adapted from Spectacular then anything else. She's a nerd, she works in Conner's lab, she and Peter argue about who is actually the top in their class, that sort of thing.

I'm prepared to wait until it's on Netflix or at Blockbuster or on sale at Wal-Mart.

I like Spidey, at least I like pre-BND Spidey, but it's too soon for me to sit through yet another reboot of Spidey's origins.  In this case, yes I do need more time to forget the last set of movies.  There have been too many different "versions" of Spider-Man in various media over the last 10 years, some of them directly contradicting each other and most of them rehashing what I already know.

In comparison, the Hulk has not been done to death and they really, really needed a reboot to get Ang Lee's version out of people's minds and reset him for "Avengers".  (I didn't see Lee's Hulk, but I read the novelization and the whole plot was terrible.)

I might even want to wait until the sequel comes out, so I can tell whether Sony's going to trash the franchise.  I've always been in favor of the movie rights reverting back to Marvel, and seeing this in the theaters undermines that.

In short, boredom could drive me to see this in the theaters.  Otherwise, I'll figure out how to wait patiently.

While I respect that viewpoint, I think you're missing out. It's a wonderful movie, and a great adaptation of the comics.

Oh, and anyone interested in reading my "review" is welcome to do so, it's up here

[docdelorean88]

Tom, your review sums it all up entirely!

[Tomato]

Just want to tack on a few things here that I didn't want to go into during my review, either due to spoilers or just because that thing was long enough without me adding more junk to it.

Spoiler

Firstly, I want to state for the record that, as an artistically minded person, the designs for Spiderman's costume and the CGI Lizard were very weak IMHO. Granted, the Lizard looks a LOT better on screen then he does in a lot of the trailers and merchandise, but his head still reminded me of the Goombas from the god-awful Super Mario Bros movie (it also reminded my dad of Voldemort). Spiderman's costume is kind of a shame too, because Garfield has such a great build and the fabric textures are so perfect that if they'd just kept it classic instead of trying to be stylistic it would have been even better than the Maguire suit.

Now, the thing I really want to touch on is this: We've already seen George Stacy die in this film (this is in spoiler tags for a reason people) but I don't see Gwen lasting past the trilogy either. The whole build up to Norman Osborn, the hints about Gwen's life being put in danger because of Peter's actions... I smell a death sequence coming, just saying.

[MJB]

Saw it. Liked it.

Wife liked this one better than the first one.