I liked the way Peter Parker was characterized in this film. He had that factor the previous Peter did not have. He had spunk. The old Peter was a sort of timid guy, the guy that would not hurt a fly or something like that. This Peter gave the kind of impression that if ever he mistakenly killed a fly, he'd just brush it off and say, "Ooops" which was good because a superhero, especially a teenager who has a lot of angst, would not go on being a goody-two-shoes about things. The new character had more life and was more real.
In this film, the audience could actually SEE that he was smart. He had that automated bolt set on his door and gadgets that need not be expensive but essential to any guy who does what he does (photography, tapping into the NYPD emergency frequency and what have you.) The previous Peter only had glasses to boot. Dark rimmed glasses does not equate to genius.
Exhibit A. Justin Bieber.
Exhibit B. Hipsters.
I don't need to explain those now, do I?
But given that the old Peter had no idea that the hipsters will happen, the glasses was a dead giveaway for smart guys.Now, moving on...
Aside from Peter's character, I also enjoyed his opposite Gwen Stacey. For the first time in Superhero movie history, the leading lady was actually smart, not smart because the hero tells her to do what she has to do but smart because she also wants to kick some serious butt and she also knows what she's doing. I thought it was cool of her when she went back to the school and tired to help Peter by smacking a school trophy on the Lizard's head. Another was that scene with the antidote, the way she stuck by finishing the formulation. Okay, that was half and half, it was cool that she wanted to be part of the save-the-world committee but it was kind of stupid to risk her own life. But that scene, where Peter wanted to end it and she just said, "He made you promise, didn't he?", that was epic. I remember my guy friends saying, "That is a girlfriend. You would never find a girl like that anywhere." And it hit me. Guys want the exact same thing that girls want. The Dream Girl. We all want that Dream person whomever it maybe.
Okay, I'm going off track. I should reserve that for the next blog.
The comedic timing was perfect. I especially liked that scene where Peter and Gwen was talking in the hallway and it was just so awkward and Peter could not put his words together. That there was like a funny silent film and the awkwardness really worked its magic. Kudos to the actors. They made it very believable.
The scene I like the most though was the subway scene. It was funny on so many levels. It was refreshing to see that the main character was beginning to realize his power but it happened accidentally in the most unsuitable place. Most superheros discover their powers while their at home.
Exhibit C. Spiderman 1.
Exhibit D. Green Lantern.
Now, on to the bad parts...
The lizard look was exceptional but it did not look like a lizard. At all. It looked like a failed cross between a T-Rex and a Gorilla.
T-Rex
Gorilla
Sad. The advancement in CG should be astounding by now and still they don't get it right. I think they were trying to make it look more humane since Dr. Connor was handicap. But still. If they were trying to make a reboot, they should make a better one. And since they were all about the CG, they should have gone even bolder.
The physics of the jumps were tricky. Since spiders are good jumpers (at least the small ones), it's easy for them to leap up to 50 times their own strength but given that they increase the pressure in their third or fourth leg. Peter has no third or fourth leg. So scratch the 50, say 25 and he was injured so maybe 12.5 times. He could still reach the contraption easy. The distance of the building to the truck was a good 8 yards (I think). He would have reached it. Okay. I won't argue anymore. I'm no physics wiz. The jump that I most admired in the entire film was the Gundam boost. It wasn't really a jump. It was the scene at the end of the movie where Spiderman was inside an array of triangularly shaped metal bars and he used his web to hoist himself through the bars. I noticed it because it reminded me of Gundam, the way the Gundams were boosted out into the atmosphere.I went on with my mouth again because I think it was the only legitimate "jump" given that Spiderman was not all spider and was about 80% human.Anyway, on to the next...
The scene where he was surrounded by the cops and Gwen's dad was pointing a gun at him. That was just stupid. He (the captain) could have just said, "Hold your fire" then and there but he did not and let that stupid guy shoot the poor kid. And he (the captain again) gets killed, they put all the blame to poor spidey. Deym.
The web was also kind of questionable. The web that Peter used to save the cars from falling off the bridge was the same web that was used to shut the lizard up. It is the strongest thread ever conjured by anyone in that film. Why then was it easily stripped of by the lizard when Peter was trying to stop him at the school? He couldn't have easily cut it off. The spider's thread was resilient to anything. And just one claw and poof? Gone? Hmm... sounds not right.
But all in all, I think I like this version of Spiderman because the audience has an idea of how Peter lost his parents and how he came to be. Each character in the movie has their own depth that when you watch the movie you get a feel of who they are and might even familiarize them with people in your life.
It was a good show. A nice serving of seconds, please!
No comments:
Post a Comment