Dear Readers,
As you may have guessed, this particular entry is about the Amazing
Spiderman 2. As the days grow
longer and summer approaches, we have a whole slew of new summer blockbusters
to look forward to. The Amazing
Spiderman 2 is one of the first this summer. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone reprise their roles as Peter
Parker and Gwen Stacy in this visually impressive high action film. As usual, I will do a quick review of
the film that does not contain any spoilers first, then go on into a more in
depth analysis. If you have not
seen the movie yet and don’t want it spoiled, please read the next paragraph,
but no farther. For the rest of
you, enjoy the ride.
I must confess that I lied for dramatic effect in the title
today. I used to like
Spiderman. When the first of the
Spiderman movies with Tony McGuire came out, I loved it. The concept of a brilliant high-school
kid who accidentally acquires a really cool set of superpowers really appealed
to nerdy me. I enjoyed the second
movie, but not nearly as much as the first one, and then tragedy struck in the
form of the third movie in the trilogy.
In my humble opinion, the third Spiderman movie was a wreck. There was not enough genuine character
development, the action sequences were way to long, and the presence of three
villains, all of whom needed development and back stories, was simply too much
to handle in one movie. And the
poison of the third film did not simply ruin that movie, but the previous two
as well, working on my perceptions of the characters and coloring my opinions
negatively. The first Amazing
Spiderman did little to repair my opinion of the characters. While Toby McGuire played a very
traditionally nerdy Peter Parker, Andrew Garfield’s character was a good
looking, physically confident show off, who spent most of the movie
accidentally revealing his new powers to whomever happened to be looking. He came across as an angst-ridden
skater not a bullied nerd.
Furthermore, the complex background story about his parents’
disappearance seemed a bit superficial for the story they were trying to
tell. In this new movie, however,
the character came into his own.
The major difference for me was the transition from simple skater to a
practical nerd. There are many
different types of nerds, but the most interesting is the practical nerd, the
person who may not be a conceptual
genius, but who can design and build the things he needs to accomplish his
purposes. Those who are familiar
with the T.V. show Myth Busters are very familiar with the concept of
the practical nerd, and Tony Stark in Iron Man is the most obvious
example in the modern superhero pantheon.
The practical nerd is the inventor, the genius who might not understand
the subtleties of theoretical physics, but who likes to build web slingers in
his room and explode batteries in his garage. This transition from sullen skater to inventor creates a
character that is accessible to the primarily nerdy audience, while at the same
time creating a foundation of bravado and confidence that translates well to
Peter Parker’s alter ego, the wise-cracking Spiderman. Besides the development of Peter
Parker, the film also did a pretty good job of balancing the action sequences
with slower moments. Like the
third movie of the original film trilogy, the movie featured three different
villains, however, unlike the previous film, The Amazing Spiderman 2 was
able to balance the action by focusing on a main villain, Electro, and while
treating the encounters with Green Goblin and Rhinoceros as teaser battles for
a future films. The battle
sequences with Electro were beautiful visually, and although I thought it was a
little bit prolonged, it was so well constructed that I did not mind as much as
I normally would have. On the character development side, the on again off
again nature of Peter Parker’s relationship with Gwen Stacy was a bit annoying,
but understandable given his guilt over her father’s death. The continued revelation of the story
behind Peter’s parents’ disappearance was interesting, but should have been
developed further; as it was, it felt like the story was developed to an
important revelation, but then was left without any consummation. Perhaps this was deliberate in an
attempt to keep the story building in future films, but as it was, it was a bit
confusing, as the movie followed the story in one direction and then left it
hanging to run off in another.
Overall, however, I thought the story was solid, the characters likable
and well developed, and the action sequences thoroughly entertaining. As summer blockbusters go, The
Amazing Spiderman 2 was above average; entertaining and well thought
through.
Now for the spoilers section. My friends who read comic books reliably informed me when
the first Amazing Spiderman came out that Gwen Stacy was Peter Parker’s
first girlfriend, and that her death was hugely pivotal to the development of
Spiderman as a character. I
was prepared, therefore, for the “stunning” twist at the end of the movie. In a dramatically wrenching moment, the
Green Goblin pushes Gwen off a high platform, Spiderman shoots a web to catch
her, and either the fall or the force of her momentum being abruptly arrested
kills her. The dramatic was nicely
foreshadowed throughout the film by Peter Parker’s sense of guilt for the death
of Gwen’s father, Captain Stacy, and the promise he made to protect Gwen by
staying away. In the end, Gwen
asserts herself and states that she has the right to make her own decisions
about how she will live and risk her life. She chooses Peter Parker, Spiderman,
and to rush into danger because it is the right thing to do. The choice costs her everything, but it
was her choice. No one made it for
her. Through this moment, Peter
learns that he cannot control the choices of everyone around him. He can only control the decisions he
makes and choose to do the right thing, even when it hurts. This is what made the movie so hugely
impactful for me. A lot of times,
superheroes do not lose much. They
go through rocky moments in their relationships, their homes are sometimes
destroyed and the ones they love are constantly endangered, but it is very rare
to see a superhero actually lose someone that critically important to him. The fact that the Amazing Spiderman, in
the course of movies, loses three such important people (Uncle Ben, Captain
Stacy, and Gwen), brings home the depth of the sacrifice he makes, and creates
a dark shadow that contrasts well with the glib way in which Spiderman
approaches his job to protect the city.
Life is always going to be made up of losses, of tragedies, and those
need to be portrayed in the world of superheroes. Whether you have superpowers or not, it is the tragedies
that motivate the greatest triumphs and the little humorous moments that arise
in those triumphs that makes the tragedies bearable.
A final note;
I apologize if this entry feels a
bit rushed. I try to get blog out
every month for you, my readers, and this has simply been one of those
months. I have been going through
quite a bit at home, work, and school in the last 30 days, and my writing has
taken the biggest hit. Hopefully
things will calm down a bit over the next couple of months, and I will be able
to give you the kind of reviews and analyses that you expect. In the mean time, I hope you enjoyed
what I have to say about The Amazing Spiderman 2. In June, you can probably expect a
review of How to Train Your Dragon 2, if everything goes according to
plan (which, in life is very rare, but a girl can dream, right?!).
One final question. I write this blog every month, mainly
because I want to keep practicing my writing, but also because I am curious
what the wider world think of my ideas about movies and books and all the other
random stuff I write. If you are a
consistent reader, or just a one time reader dropping in, please leave me a
comment to let me know what you think.
What do I do well, and what needs improving? Are there books or movies that you have read or seen that
you think I should check out and write a review for? Do my thoughts inspire any thoughts of your own about the
movie once you have seen it? I
want feedback… something to help me improve and become a better blogger and a
better writer. Thanks!
Well, back to reality.
