REVIEW: "The Amazing Spider-Man"

[MegaNaught]

Another abandoned sub-plot, and why? How special is nameless-killer-of-Uncle-Ben? Why not resolve a crucial part in Spiderman's Origin, by either have him confront his uncle Ben's killer and have a scene with him letting it be/getting over it.

Maybe this is reading to much into it, but I got the impression that Peter didn't catch his Uncle's killer because, in this interpretation of Spider-Man, it's what keeps him going.

[kalorama]

Another abandoned sub-plot, and why? How special is nameless-killer-of-Uncle-Ben? Why not resolve a crucial part in Spiderman's Origin, by either have him confront his uncle Ben's killer and have a scene with him letting it be/getting over it.

Well, on some level it was resolved. Not by him finding the killer but by Peter realizing (after saving the little kid on the bridge) that his powers give him a greater responsibility than personal revenge.

[Pauly T]

The whole point of Peter originally finding Ben's killer is to realize that he was the same guy he let get away earlier and then feel guilty over causing his uncle's death.

The course of events in ASM makes catching him unnecessary, but it will be interesting to see Peter's reaction when he does...

[Karl O'Neill]

Well, on some level it was resolved. Not by him finding the killer but by Peter realizing (after saving the little kid on the bridge) that his powers give him a greater responsibility than personal revenge.

We get a camera shot of the WANTED poster on his computer at the end of the movie. It's an unresolved plot.

They made this movie in view of parts II & III before this even hit cinemas. You can always rely on kids to be dazzled by Spiderman spinning his way around new york. It's a giving.

[Emissary of Justice]

Is it just me, or did Flash Thompson look like WWE's Tyson Kidd?

It wasn't just you. It was freaking me out until Spidey smashed him at basketball.

In the comics Aunt May has always known Peter is Spider-Man, when she put two and two together is anyones guess, but she just kept that to herself till Peter reveals his identity to her himself.

And yet she still dated and almost married Dr. Octopus, the same guy who tried to kill her nephew over 20 times?

[kalorama]

We get a camera shot of the WANTED poster on his computer at the end of the movie. It's an unresolved plot.

They made this movie in view of parts II & III before this even hit cinemas. You can always rely on kids to be dazzled by Spiderman spinning his way around new york. It's a giving.

Well, I'll well past the point where I can claim to either know or care what "dazzles the kids." That said, the fact that he's still on the loose is why I said it was resolved "on some level," said level being the emotional one (for the reasons Pauly T explained). Unless there's some big twist planned (i.e., he was working for Norman Osbourne and was sent to murder ben or he becomes a supervillain) his actual apprehension will be pretty anitclimactic. In the larger story/character sense, the guy's capture doesn't mean much.

[Monty_Cristo]

Spidery never caught the thug who killed Uncle Ben. Considering the time spent on Peter's hunt for him, I get the impression that's a deliberate thread for the sequel.

christ, i hope not. i nearly fell asleep during his "quest." it rang so hollow after Peter not showing even a sliver of guilt for treating Ben and May like garbage just before the death scene. i don't think Garfield's as good as Tobie at crying on demand. all i saw in his performance was emo and self-pity.

[1505627]

christ, i hope not. i nearly fell asleep during his "quest." it rang so hollow after Peter not showing even a sliver of guilt for treating Ben and May like garbage just before the death scene. i don't think Garfield's as good as Tobie at crying on demand. all i saw in his performance was emo and self-pity.

hisquest is how he shows his guilt

[David Walton]

I'm still wondering what happened to that big steel tower that fell off the top of Oscorp? There were visible police cars and other stuff underneath it.

I would have cut the scene out with the Lizard crushing Spidey's web-shooters and have Spiderman catch that thing with his webs. Just seemed wierd and awkward having it fall and not hit spiderman or see him attemp to catch it somehow. It really renders the scene redundant.

Funny thing is, I saw that scene in the trailers and I assumed they were going to kill Captain Stacy with falling debris like in the comics. They made such a point of it!

Overall, I felt like this film fell short of the Raimi franchise, even though it was decent.

They danced around some stuff they should have spelled out in no uncertain terms, like Peter's deliberate connection to Uncle Ben's death. In spite of the fact that he even has Gwen Stacy as a confidante, he never once explains how his sense of responsibility is connected to Ben. To hear him talk, it's more about the equation he gave Connors.

[kalorama]

Funny thing is, I saw that scene in the trailers and I assumed they were going to kill Captain Stacy with falling debris like in the comics. They made such a point of it!

Overall, I felt like this film fell short of the Raimi franchise, even though it was decent.

They danced around some stuff they should have spelled out in no uncertain terms, like Peter's deliberate connection to Uncle Ben's death. In spite of the fact that he even has Gwen Stacy as a confidante, he never once explains how his sense of responsibility is connected to Ben. To hear him talk, it's more about the equation he gave Connors.

Who did he explain it to in the first Raimi movie? Not everything needs to be spelled out. Everything the audience needed to know was there on screen.

[David Walton]

Who did he explain it to in the first Raimi movie? Not everything needs to be spelled out. Everything the audience needed to know was there on screen.

He didn't explain it to anyone in Raimi's film. We got that moment when Peter confronted the burglar and realized his fatal mistake.

My point being that Raimi went for the direct approach which served Amazing Fantasy 15 so well.

Webb's film danced around that connection, which could have at least been nailed down when Peter found an actual confidante.

Just not a fan of Peter hunting for the criminal (and not even finding him.) Stan Lee got it right the first time around, and there's really no need to try and be more clever about it. Because it doesn't work as well. It's okay to hit your audience over the head with the most important moment in Peter's development into a hero.

[Spike-X]

Webb's film danced around that connection, which could have at least been nailed down when Peter found an actual confidante.

Peter lets bad guy go. Bad guy runs out on street. Uncle Ben tries to stop bad guy. Bad guy shoots Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben was only there to begin with because he was out looking for Peter.

Which part of that "dances around" the connection?

[Karl O'Neill]

It doesn't dance around it, but it's certainly more trite and ham-fisted.

[David Walton]

Peter lets bad guy go. Bad guy runs out on street. Uncle Ben tries to stop bad guy. Bad guy shoots Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben was only there to begin with because he was out looking for Peter.

Which part of that "dances around" the connection?

Peter doesn't realize it's the same guy until he gets a police artist's sketch, which hardly resonates as much as Peter confronting him only to discover his role in Ben's murder.

[David Walton]

It doesn't dance around it, but it's certainly more trite and ham-fisted.

I have no idea why they tried to change up such a powerful moment in Spider-Man's history.

Stan Lee got it right. There's no room for improvement on this one. Which is why Amazing Fantasy 15 is still one of the best comics in history, even fifty years later.