'We all have secrets: the ones we keep... and the ones that are kept from us'
We're taking it back once more to last year and the (new) Spider-man movie. I could never quite get as involved with the previous Spiderman instalments, there was always something that was holding me back with the characters and the story, therefore when The Amazing Spiderman (2012, directed by Mark Webb) was announced with its principal cast being Andrew Garfield and one of my favorite new actresses Emma Stone – I just couldn’t resist – and I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t think it would be fair to say that Spiderman has been ‘done too many times before’ after all, out of all the fairly recent Spiderman films made, I think that this probably has to be my second favorite behind Spiderman 2, but greatly improved over the final addition over Sam Raimi’s direction - Spiderman 3; The Amazing Spiderman revisits points that I would have liked more elaboration on and adds a suitable new take on the Marvel super hero.
The film follows a young Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) who is living with his relatives Aunt May and Uncle Ben following the absence of his parents. He is shown to have difficulties fitting in at school and harbors troubles surrounding his parent’s disappearance and apparent death, this is further increased when a street thief encounters one of Peter's remaining family members. Peter engages with Dr. Connors, a scientist at Oscorp to try and discover secrets to his father’s mysterious documents, however this goes awry when Peter gets bitten by a genetically modified spider, thus spawning the birth of Spiderman. The rest of the film follows the consequences of Peter’s actions in pursuing his father's elusive studies at Oscorp, his interactions with Connors and his budding relationship with Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone.
Andrew Garfield and Emma stone give energetic and emotive performances, bringing something new to the marvel universe. For instance, I feel as if Emma stone gives a more empowered sense to the character of Gwen Stacy than that of Dunst’s portrayal of Mary Jane Parker, although I appreciate that they are two very different characters. Garfield on the other hand, manages to embody all the feelings of regret, isolation and curiosity that Peter Parker has; I think that this is added to by Garfield’s own admission that Spiderman has had an ‘important influence on him since he was little.’ Consequently, it shows, and is heart warming to see someone portray a character that he understands in his own way, breathing new life and energy into the piece. In further regards to Stone, she gives a suitably smart and charismatic performance where the romance between her and the title character is believable and has greater complexity to it.
There is a stronger sense of humanity with this version of the character than previous versions, as is displayed by the making of his own web shooters, opposed to it being a part of his genetic material. Additionally, this film allows the audience to be able to see Peter Parker learning how to cope between difficult relationships and overcome his struggles; this is a character that many people may be able to identify with, which is comforting to an audience and encourages a sense of unison and universal empowerment for the character to do well, therefore it is satisfying for a viewer when this underdog eventually becomes the ‘hero.’
The thematic of the piece centers around intimate loss and missed affection of several family members (Uncle Ben, Peter’s mother and father) and for some reason I feel more affected watching this version as it strikes a deeper sense of emotion with me. In addition, it’s appeasing to see a film which portrays a particular ‘coming of age’ story alongside a crime fighting action hero; its significant for me to be able to be reminded of the super hero’s that we all take such a great interest in, from our childhood and be able to appreciate an installment like this as we all get older.
The musical score is amazing, and adheres to the title of the film itself; James Horner achieves a familiar but distinctive tone that is both warming and suitably dark in areas. Moreover, the score for a specific character's death (without giving too much away) is particularly touching and adds beautifully to the scene.
This latest reboot offers the ability to see things in a new light, the visuals are dazzling – and before you say it – I didn’t watch it in 3D and it was still breath taking - (I’m not really a fan of 3D as I feel it can sometimes take away the ability to be able to fully engulf ones self in the movie rather than be distracted by special effects) - the scenery shots and moving image work is spectacular and adds to the incredible dimension of the film.
Visually, The Amazing Spiderman doesn’t rely solely on the special effects; the underlying story is that of the younger Peter parker and Gwen, which is something you just didn’t get from the previous Spiderman films. For example, Parker is likable, cheeky and suffering from the trials and tribulations of the teenage years, and Gwen is everything he needs to escape those feelings of sorrow and angst. Despite the dark undertones of the film, there is romance and some very funny moments – for example, Garfield’s line - ‘oh no! You’ve found my weakness. Small knives!’ was extremely comical upon first viewing and was a much-appreciated point of light heartedness in a particularly dangerous situation.
Overall, I was skeptical about watching this new version of Spiderman since the collection of films that predated it have been so successful (I am often suspicious about the intentions of revisiting a classic tale – I’d better not see a Harry potter remake – ever) but this has completely altered my opinion and allowed me to be more open to reboots. This quickly became my favorite summer addition until The Dark Knight Rises and suitably so. On the whole, The Amazing Spiderman is beautifully constructed, if somewhat familiar in its story and the musical score is appropriately dramatic and grand and intimately touching at the same time. The characters are a lot more likeable, cheeky and easily relatable and the narrative develops coherently and is frenetic in its pace. If you enjoy the marvel superhero then this will not disappoint, it's true to its purpose and justifiably entertaining and captivating, giving hope to those who feel like underdogs and want to believe in something bigger.
4/5 starsReviewed by Mel.
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