"THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" (2012) Review

"THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" (2012) Review

Five years after the release of 2007's "SPIDER-MAN 3", Sony Pictures and Marvel Films decided to release a new SPIDER-MAN movie. The latter proved not to be a third sequel to the 2002 movie, "SPIDER-MAN". Instead, it turned out to be a franchise re-boot featuring a new actor in the lead and the first film of a new trilogy. 

With Andrew Garfield now portraying Peter Parker aka Spider-Man and Marc Webb directing, "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" commenced upon an entirely new saga about the web slinger. In this film, Peter is a geeky high school student and science major who lives with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May in a suburb of Queens, New York. At least a decade earlier, he had witnessed the mysterious disappearance of his father and mother, scientist Richard Parker and his wife, Mary. After discovering his father's old briefcase, Peter makes the acquaintance of the latter's former lab partner, Dr. Curt Connors, who is now working as a geneticist at Oscorp. Dr. Connors is working on cross-breeding experiments in order to discover a formula based on lizard DNA in order to regenerate missing limbs. During his first trip to Oscorp's Manhattan offices, he discovers that the fellow Midtown High School student that he loves, Gwen Stacy, is working there as the chief intern. Peter is also bitten by a genetically engineered spider. 

During the subway ride home, Peter becomes aware of his new abilities. He also continues his visits to Dr. Connors at Oscorp. His new powers and visits to Oscorp lead to his growing neglect of his household duties. Peter also manages to help Dr. Connors by giving the latter Richard Parker's "decay rate algorithm", the missing piece in the scientist's experiments. After a quarrel with Uncle Ben, Peter storms out of the house and the latter hit the streets looking for him. Unfortunately for Uncle Ben, he encounters a thief who had just robbed a convenience store and is shot dead. Determined to find his uncle's murderer, Peter decides to assume the identity of the costumed vigilante, Spider-Man. When Oscorp executive Dr. Rajit Ratha decides to fire Dr. Connors and use the latter's formula at a VA hospital under the guise of a flue shot, Connors tries the formula on himself and becomes the human/lizard hybrid, the Lizard.

Many Marvel and Spider-Man fans had complained about the lack of need for a Spider-Man re-boot so soon after the last Sam Rami film. What many did not know was that Sony Pictures had signed a deal, guaranteeing major control over the Spider-Man franchise as long as the studio releases a movie every five years or less. Sony originally had plans for a fourth Spider-Man movie with both Rami and actor Tobey Maguire. But the plans fell through and the studio decided to re-boot the franchise with a new actor, a new director and a new trilogy. 

Some fans and critics claimed that "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" was a lot closer to the original comics tale than the Rami films. I found this claim ironic, considering that the movie proved to be no more faithful to the comics than the films made in the last decade. Comic book fans know that Peter Parker's first love was Betty Brandt, whom he dated in high school and who eventually became J. Jonah Jamerson's secretary at The Daily Bugle. Peter met both Gwen Stacy (of this movie) and Mary Jane Watson (from the 2002-2007 films) in college, not high school. He was a lot younger when his parents died. But hey . . . I managed to enjoy both the Rami/Maguire trilogy and this film.

That is correct. I enjoyed "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN". It had plenty of well choreographed action. The special effects team from the Pixomundo company did an excellent job with the action sequences featuring Spider-Man's battles with the Lizard. The company's efforts were ably supported by Marc Webb's direction and the three cinematographers - Alan Edward Bell, Michael McCusker and Pietro Scalia. One of my few complaints about "SPIDER-MAN" was that the film almost seemed like two separate stories. I could never accuse "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" of that flaw. Screenwriters James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves made sure that Peter's transformation into Spider-Man and Dr. Connors' transformation into the Lizard were connected plot-wise. After all, Peter's visit to Connor at the Oscorp labs led to his painful encounter with a genetically altered spider. And the visit, along with Peter's discovery of his father's notes, led to the creation of the formula that enabled Connors to become the Lizard.

The movie also boasted some excellent performances by the cast. Andrew Garfield was outstanding as Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. He did an excellent job of portraying a fatherless boy in search of a father figure, who is forced to grow up on his own. Emma Stone portrayed Gwen Stacy, the girl whom Peter dated during his early years in college. Stone's Gwen was a smart, witty and earthy young woman who found herself torn between Peter and her father's opinion of Spider-Man and vigilantism. Another excellent performance came from Rhys Ifan, who did an excellent job in revealing the complex man whose disappointments in life led him to utilize the formula that transformed him into the Lizard. He also managed to convey Connor's darker personality through the CGI figure of the Lizard.

Other first-rate performances came from Denis Leary, who portrayed Gwen's father - NYPD Captain George Stacy. The latter role seemed a slight cry from Leary's usual roles. Although he managed to utilize his usual rapid fire wit, Leary also conveyed the image of a stern and responsible man, who harbored concerns not only for his daughter, but also the citizens of New York City. Martin Sheen and Sally Field created excellent chemistry as Ben and May Parker, the couple left to raise Peter after his parents' death. It is a crime that the pair never worked together before, because I thought they really crackled with chemistry. I could say that both had great chemistry with Garfield, as well. But I feel that Sheen had more interesting scenes with the young actor than Field. Irrfan Khan had to be convinced by his children to take the role of Oscorp executive, Dr. Rajit Ratha (a character created for the movie). I am glad they did, for he proved to be very effective as a shadowy representative for the corporation's reclusive CEO, Norman Oscorp. The movie also boasted solid performances from Chris Zylka as Flash Thompson; and from Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz as Richard and Mary Parker, Peter's parents.

I will not deny that "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" was a very entertaining movie for me. But it had its flaws. One, there seemed to be a minor lack of originality in the script. A good deal of the story seemed to be borrowed from the previous SPIDER-MAN movies. As with Maguire's Peter, Garfield's Peter started out with an unrequited crush with the leading female character. And Dr. Connors' career faced extinction, just as Dr. Otto Octavius did in "SPIDER-MAN 2". However, the movie also borrowed a subplot from the 2000 movie, "X-MEN". Just as Erik Lensherr plotted to transform the world's population into mutants via a machine, the Lizard in this movie, plotted to transform New York City's population into reptilian/human hybrids. In fact, his scheme struck me as lame. The problem for me laid in the fact that Connors did not transform into the Lizard, until the second half of the movie. 

Speaking of the Lizard, as much as I had admired Ifans' performance, I was not that impressed by the villain's role as Spider-Man's foe. I mean, honestly . . . the idea of Spider-Man facing a giant lizard rampaging all over Manhattan did not do anything for me. Frankly, I saw dealing with the problem of the Lizard as a job for the Men in Black, not Spider-Man. Everyone seemed to be filled with praise for Emma Stone's portrayal of Gwen Stacy . . . including me. However, I had a problem with the screenwriters' portrayal of Gwen in this movie. Frankly, she seemed too perfect . . . too ideal. She lacked any real personal demons that could have made her interesting to me. I could never say the same about the comic book Gwen - even if she had a tendency to be a crybaby. 

Could someone explain why Peter suddenly decided to end his search for the thief who had killed his Uncle Ben? It seemed as if the entire subplot had been dropped. And what happened to Dr. Ratha after Peter saved him on the Williamsburg Bridge? I have one last complaint . . . and it has to do with C. Thomas Howell's character, a construction worker named Ray. In the Williamsburg Bridge sequence, Spider-Man saved Ray's son from falling into the East River. Ray reciprocated Spider-Man's actions during the latter's final battle with the Lizard by using several cranes to help convey the web slinger (who had been shot in the leg by the NYPD) to Oscorp's tower, in order to stop the Lizard from using the formula on New Yorkers. I found that minor scene so incredibly cheesy that I practically cringed with embarrassment. It seemed as if the screenwriters were trying to re-create those moments from two of Sam Rami's films in which New Yorkers came to Spider-Man's aid. Only in this movie, I found Ray's actions embarrassing, not inspirational.

"THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" had much for me to admire. It had excellent performances from the cast led by Andrew Garfield. Marc Webb's direction in the action sequences and intimate scenes was first-rate. And the screenwriters managed to avoid the mistake from the Sam Rami 2002 film of creating a fragmented plot. Unfortunately, I believe that"THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" had other flaws - including a lack of originality - that made it difficult for me to embrace the idea that it was the best SPIDER-MAN movie ever made.

"THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" (2012) Photo Gallery

Below are images from the reboot movie, "THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN".  Directed by Marc Webb, the movie stars Andrew Garfield as the new web slinger, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans:


"THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" (2012) Photo Gallery

ABRAHAM LINCOLN - List of Books/Novel

This year marked the release of three movies about the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.  He was born on Sinking Spring Farm, in southeast Hardin County, Kentucky (now part of LaRue County) on February 12, 1809; making him the first president born outside the original thirteen colonies. I could write an essay about his life and achievements. Instead, I have made a small list of historical books and novels centered around his life and four years as President:


ABRAHAM LINCOLN - List of Books/Novels

Historical Books



"Two Roads to Sumter" (1963) by William and Bruce Catton - This book recounts the fifteen (15) years leading up to the U.S. Civil War, seen through the vantage points of the two leading politicians involved in the conflict: Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.




"Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution" (1990) by James M. McPherson - This book offers a series of thoughtful and engaging essays on aspects of Lincoln and the Civil War that have rarely been discussed in depth.




"Lincoln" (1996) by David Herbert Donald - This winner of the Lincoln Prize (awarded to awarded annually for the best non-fiction historical work of the year on the American Civil War since 1991) is a close biography of the 16th U.S. President.




"Team of Rivals: The Political Genuis of Abraham Lincoln" (2005) by Doris Kearns Goodwin - This is a biographical portrait of Lincoln and some of the men who served with him in his Cabinet from 1861 to 1865 - Edward Bates (Attorney General), Salmon Chase (Treasury), and William H. Seward (State).  Segments of the book was used as source material for Steven Spielberg's 2012 drama, "LINCOLN".



Novels



"Lincoln" (1984) by Gore Vidal - Part of the author's "Narratives of Empire" historical fiction series on American history, this novel centered on the four years of the Lincoln Administration during the U.S. Civil War. A 1988 miniseries starring Sam Waterson and Mary Tyler Moore was based upon it.




"Freedom: A Novel of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War" (1987) by William Safire - This novel examines the careers of the principal Northern actors of the U.S. Civil War and how the Emancipation Proclamation came to be signed by Abraham Lincoln.

"Abraham Lincoln:  Vampire Hunter" (2010) by Seth Grahame-Smith - This novel is a "biography" of Lincoln's political and private life, and especially his activities as a vampire hunter in the early and mid 19th century.  A movie adaptation of the novel was released during the summer of 2012, staring Benjamin Walker.

"WESTWARD HO!": Part Two - "THE WAY WEST" (1967)

Below is Part Two to my article about Hollywood's depiction about the westward migration via wagon trains in 19th century United States.  It focuses upon the 1967 movie, "":   


"WESTWARD HO!":  Part Two - "THE WAY WEST" (1967)

I.  Introduction

Based upon A.B. Guthrie Jr.'s 1949 novel, "THE WAY WEST" told the story of a large wagon train's journey to Oregon in 1843.  The wagon train is led by a widowed former U.S. Senator named William Tadlock (Kirk Douglas).  A former mountain man named Dick Summers (Robert Mitchum) is hired as the wagon party's guide and among the last to join the train is farmer Lije Evans (Richard Widmark), his wife Rebecca (Lola Albright)and their 16 year-old son Brownie (Michael McGreevey); who were living near Independence when the wagon train was being formed.

During the journey to Oregon, the movie introduced audiences with the other members of the wagon train.  They included a family from Georgia named the McBees (Harry Carey Jr., Connie Sawyer and Sally Field), and the recently married Johnnie and Amanda Mack (Mike Witney and Katherine Justice).  Personal friendships and animosities flourished during the 2,000 miles journey.  Summers managed to befriend both Lije and Brownie Evans.  The latter fell in love with the McBees' extroverted daughter Mercy, who developed a crush on Johnnie Mack.  The latter had difficulty consummating his marriage with a sexually unresponsive wife.  Frustrated, Mack turned to Mercy for a brief tryst.  Senator Tadlock proved to be an intimidating, yet manipulative leader.  Only two people dared to question his decisions - Summers and Lije.  Especially the latter.  Although willing to question Tadlock's leadership, Lije was reluctant to replace him as the wagon party's new leader.

"THE WAY WEST" received a good deal of negative criticisms.  It has also been compared to"HOW THE WEST WAS WON" to its detriment.  I plan to write a review of "THE WAY WEST" in the future.  But right now, I am more interested in how the movie fared in regard to historical accuracy.


II.  History vs. Hollywood

The Tadlock wagon party headed for Oregon Territory in 1843, the year known as "The Great Migration of 1843" or the "Wagon Train of 1843", in which an estimated 700 to 1,000 emigrants left for Oregon.  The number of emigrants in Tadlock's party and the year in which the movie is set, seemed historically accurate.  "THE WAY WEST" also featured a few well-known landmarks along the Oregon Trail.  Such landmarks included Chimney Rock, Scott's Bluff, Independence Rock and Fort Hall.  Fort Laramie did not play a role in the movie's plot.

So far, "THE WAY WEST" seemed to be adhering to historical accuracy.  Unfortunately, this did not last.  One, the wagons featured in the movie came in all shapes and sizes.  They ranged from farm wagons to large Conestoga wagons.  I cannot even describe the wagon used by the McFee family.  It was not as heavy as a Conestoga, but it was long enough to convey Mr. McFee's peach tree saplings across the continent.  The draft animals used by the emigrants turned out to be a mêlée of oxen, mules and horses.  The movie did point out the necessity of abandoning unnecessary possessions to lighten the wagons' loads.  Only, it was pointed out when the wagon party attempted to ascend a very steep slope what looked like the  in Idaho.

"THE WAY WEST" did not feature a large-scale attack by a horde of Native Americans.  But the movie came damn near close to including one.  The wagon party first encountered a group of Cheyenne warriors not far from Independence Rock.  When one of the emigrants, Johnnie Mack, mistook a chief's young son hidden underneath a wolf's skin as a real wolf and shot him, the wagon train made tracks in order to avoid retribution.  The Cheyenne caught up with the wagon party and demanded the head of the boy's killer.  The other emigrants declared they were willing to fight it out with the Cheyenne, until they discovered they would be facing a large horde of warriors.  In the end, Mr. Mack confessed to the crime and allowed himself to be hanged, in order to spare Brownie Evans from being handed over to the Cheyenne by Tadlock.

Dramatically, I found this sequence to be effective.  I admired how director Andrew V. McLaglen developed the tension between the emigrants, Senator Tadlock and the Cheyenne demanding justice.  Historically, I found it a mess.  The number of Cheyenne warriors that had gathered for the sake of one boy struck me as very improbable.  The only times I could recall that many Native Americans gathering at one spot was the council for the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie and theBattle of Little Bighorn.  And considering that the Cheyenne nation were spread out from the Black Hills in present-day South Dakota to southern Colorado, I found this encounter between the Tadlock wagon party and the Cheyenne historically improbable.

"THE WAY WEST" fared somewhat better than "HOW THE WEST WAS WON" in regard to historical accuracy.  But I found it lacking in some aspects of the plot.  Like the 1962 movie, "THE WAY WEST" proved to be more entertaining than historically accurate.