3/23/2012 – “Whatever a spider can?” What else do you do?
I’ve really got nothing specifically against the new Spider-Man movie. I don’t think the cast is bad, I don’t dislike the new costume, and the Lizard…well, looks silly, but no sillier than the Green Goblin or Abomination.
But as much as I have nothing against it, I’m also not really that pumped up about it. And I’m not seeing many other fanboys get pumped up about it either. Maybe that would be different in a year without Avengers or Dark Knight Rises, but then again, maybe not. It would still be the 4th Spider-Man movie, and when you start hitting that number, franchises usually become something you watch instead of something you’re really excited about. In 2002, I stared at my TV screen like a mental patient when each and every commercial came on, still not quite able to believe I was seeing a live-action Spider-Man swinging around. Now it’s like, “Oh, he’s still swinging, huh? No, no, that’s cool.”
Add to that, the reboot factor. There’s nothing wrong with reboots, they happen all the time and can easily be successful. Batman Begins and Casino Royale both revitalized their respective franchises, but they both marketed heavily on what made them different from their most recent incarnations. This was serious Batman, who could almost conceivably exist in the real world. This was rough-around-the-edges James Bond, without the endless quips and perfect hair and laser ejector-seat underpants. The Amazing Spider-Man trailers aren’t giving us that “this ain’t your father’s Spider-Man” vibe. Quite the contrary, they’re very much saying “this is exactly your father’s Spider-Man. And your older brother’s Spider-Man, and even your Spider-Man from a little while ago. And hey, here’s how he got his powers again.”
I dunno, it could be a great movie. I’m just not losing any sleep over it.
Quotable quotes from the world of comics:
“Avengers X-Sanction #4 was abysmal. Seriously. The attempt at having a point followed through on a fan-predicted plot point envisioned and foreshadowed before Bishop chased Cable through time, and that means this entire storyline served no purpose. Argh.”
Hannibal Tabu, The Buy Pile
March 24th, 2012 at 8:01 pm
I agree 100%. I’ll probably wind up seeing it out of habit, as I’ve gone to see nearly every movie based on a Marvel character (Punisher 2 & Hulk 2 being the only exceptions), but I’m not excited about it at all.
I would so love for them to just glaze over the origin in the first five minutes, but I know that’s just too much to hope for.
March 25th, 2012 at 12:57 am
I’m excited about the new movie, mainly because it’s looking like I’ll finally be able to believe that it’s Peter Parker on screen, since I never once bought Tobey as the character. He almost never cracked any jokes, and it always felt so badly forced on the few occasions that he did wisecrack (“here’s your change!”), and Tobey always felt ridiculously pathetic and sadsack-y where all of the humor in the movies was always at his expense (not helped by his hilarious crying face). And aside from having brown hair, he just doesn’t look at all like Pete.
So what I’ve seen of Andrew Garfield (forget his styled hair for a moment) and the way that he and the script are portraying Peter in the new movie as having a sense of humor –just judging by trailers and interviews– have me excited to finally see a decent representation of Mr. Parker on the big screen, at the very least.
The rest of the movie is kinda secondary right now. Gwen and George (Dennis Leary!) Stacy? Yeah, that’s pretty cool, I guess. The Lizard? A new origin story? Pete’s parents? Webshooters? They’re okay, but they won’t make or break the flick for me.
April 6th, 2012 at 9:20 am
Agreed. It’s really too soon for a reboot, so it feels more like a fourth movie. I’m actually feeling, “Why bother?” I’d have preferred they just recast or go with a “soft reboot”. No origin, but no reference to the Maguire movies either. Treat it almost like a writer/artist change on a comic book. Some things are changed, but you’re not starting over.
I think a full reboot needs at least a decade since the previous film. It’s especially true of characters like Spider-Man, Batman, & Superman. Their origins are fairly well known and don’t need to be retold over and over. I liked how the Burton Batman film made it a flashback since Batman’s story is pretty simple and doesn’t have any fantastic elements.