Category Archives: Film

Film Review: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

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Why yes, I did go see a Twilight Lexicon early screening of Breaking Dawn – Part 2. What about it?

So, much like with the books, I have a love-hate relationship with the movies. I honestly think I watch them with a different part of my brain than the part I use for all other movie viewing. Do I see the bad acting, low-budget effects, terrible hair and makeup, and giant oozing portions of cheese? Yes. Does it bother me? Weirdly, no.

Kind of like with the books. I see the poor writing and the absurd relationships and the infuriating characters, and they somehow don’t really bother me. It’s weird and I don’t understand it. Once again, I feel the need to compare Twilight to Twinkies. Nothing really good or substantial about it, and yet it’s tasty.

And also, I think they will both survive the zombie apocalypse.

So if you, like me, also enjoy the books and the movies while remaining totally cognizant of the fact that they are far from literary or cinematic gold, this review is for you.

As I did not marathon the other movies before watching this one, I can’t objectively say how I thought it stacked up to the others. I’m always left with the impression that each one improves on the last, but that may be just because it’s the one I saw most recently. All the typical Twilight movie complaints were still there. Robert Pattinson still makes a weirdly constipated Edward (which is something I still don’t understand, because I’ve seen him in other movies and he can act. It’s just like he has decided that Edward should be constipated. Maybe it’s something about the whole hard-as-granite thing). Kristen Stewart is still an almost painfully awkward Bella. And the combo of constipated+awkward still makes me kind of uncomfortable when they’re getting all hot-and-heavy with each other (which definitely happens at least once in the movie).

The effects were still meh (although the wolves have gotten better), and the hair and makeup people have still not figured out what to do with all the dark brunettes masquerading as blondes (ain’t no way Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone, and Nikki Reed are believable as blondes. It takes away from buying them as the prettiest people ever when their hair is all dark-rooty and awkward. Sorry.) Also, it’s unfortunate that although the movie is pretty much entirely about pale-skinned vampires, they still weren’t able to make the pale skin attractive. Still just looks like caked-on white pancake makeup. Oh, and CGI-Renesmee was creepy. I know she was supposed to be cute, but no. Creepy.

But again, these are things I expect with Twilight movies. I noticed they were there, shrugged, and moved on.

So now on to what I liked.

I actually liked Taylor Lautner as Jacob a lot more in this movie than in others, probably because he wasn’t nearly so angsty (this is the beauty of splitting Breaking Dawn into two movies — all the angsty Jacob parts are in the first half). Billy Burke as Charlie has been a highlight of every movie to me, and this one is no exception. And while I still think most of the Cullens were miscast, I liked them anyway. It helped that my theater was very enthusiastic and cheered any time a Cullen was on screen. It’s hard to be cynical when everyone around you is beside themselves with glee.

I haven’t read the book in several years, but from what I remember, the movie followed the book pretty closely. Yes, some secondary characters were shoved to the background (although I think they all at least made an appearance). Yes, some very looooong sequences are shortened to just a couple scenes. But overall, it worked. Most of the best lines went to Charlie (as always) and Jacob (not as always — it was nice to see Jacob actually be funny and not all broody).

There is one major, major change…but there’s also not. You may have heard there was a big stink that the ending was changed from the book, and Stephenie Meyer was okay with it. Well, I’m guessing the reason she was okay with it is because it’s actually not changed from the book. Except that it is. Totally. But it’s not.

For the record, I loved the change-that-really-wasn’t-a-change. Best part of the movie, by far. It was exciting and awesome. It’s actually what I would like to talk about the most right now, but I’m not going to, because if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you’ll want to punch me for spoiling it. So I’m not gonna.

In a nutshell, it still had (many) flaws, but I still enjoyed it. Even though I still really don’t like Bella. Even though I’ve never, ever understood the appeal of Edward. Even though, basically, the moral of the Twilight universe is “massive age gaps in romantic relationships don’t actually matter so long as you look good together.” Even though when I compare it to other movies I did and didn’t like, I’m not actually sure why I liked it. Objectively, I shouldn’t like them. I really shouldn’t. And yet I do.

This is not the movie that’s going to convince Twi-haters to become Twi-hards. And really, nothing will. There are a million legitimate reasons to hate Twilight, and even though they are way less prevalent in this movie and there are a lot more enjoyable elements, you will probably still not see the merits of the franchise. But if you, like me, see those reasons as legitimate, yet have decided to like it anyway, I think you’ll like Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Embrace the cheese. Love it. Cheer it. It’s fun that way.

Oh, also, the thing they do with the credits? Yes. YES. All movie series should end that way. I would like to retroactively add that kind of ending to Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Pretty please?

Grade: B+ (qualified with all of the above caveats)

Breaking Dawn – Part 2 is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sensuality and partial nudity

Top Ten Tuesday (October 9) REWIND: Best Book-to-Film Adaptations

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It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and this week is a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure where we can pick from any of the past themes.

Anyone remember those? Are they still a thing? I was really bad at them. I always managed to pick the path that got my character killed, even when I was trying to keep him/her alive (because let’s face it, sometimes you just purposely make bad decisions to see how terrible the character’s fate will be…or at least, that’s what I did), thus confirming my hypothesis that I would make a terrible fictional heroine.

Anyway.

I looked over the list of past topics, trying to pick one I was sad to have missed out on the first time around, and settled on this one:

Top Book to Movie Adaptations

Okay, so I feel the need to make a disclaimer here:

The only titles to make this list are those that I have both seen and read. Therefore, some amazing movies that I know were adapted from books (like The Prestige and Fight Club) won’t be on here, because I haven’t read the books — yet. And vice versa.

So when you have the urge to yell, “You forgot ___!”, no I didn’t. I just saw it but didn’t read it, or read it but didn’t see it, or haven’t experienced it at all. But if there’s one I need to see/read, by all means, let me know. Because what I need in life are more books on my TBR list and more movies in my Netflix queue.

HERE WE GO. And in a rare and shocking turn of events, this list will actually be in order.

1. Lord of the Rings

I know there’s a lot of people out there who couldn’t make it through Tolkien’s epic fantasy chronicling Frodo’s adventures as he attempted to destroy the Ring of Power before it could be seized by Lord Sauron, but I actually really enjoyed the book. However, this is the rare instance where my enjoyment of the movie surpassed my love of the book. While no adaptation is 100% loyal to the source material, I thought these films evidenced a profound respect for the stories that inspired them. The settings are beautiful, the effects are flawless, and the acting is amazing. Some of my favorite movies of all time.

2. The Princess Bride

It’s no secret that I adore this book, and while I think the book is better than the movie (marginally), I still think the movie is fabulous. It’s also an amazingly faithful adaptation, taking most of its best quotes and scenes directly from the book. Probably a happy side effect of the book’s author writing the screenplay.

3. Jurassic Park

This is a case of the movie changing the book significantly, but still working. Lots of times when the plot or characters from the book are severely altered, it ruins the story, but in the case of Jurassic Park, most of the more scientific musings on Chaos Theory, along with a lot of the internal psychological tension, would have been lost on the big screen. It was a good call on the part of the film makers to switch the focus to more dino-action.

4. Everything by Jane Austen, except Mansfield Park

Honestly, I have a hard time reading Jane Austen. I know, I know, something’s wrong with me. I adore her stories, but not her prose. However, I love the movie adaptations of her books. Sense and Sensibility is my favorite, with Pride and Prejudice (the Kiera Knightly one, because I have a short attention span) a close second. I even like the modern updated comedy versions of some of them, like Clueless (Emma) and Bridget Jones’ Diary (Pride and Prejudice). The only one I don’t like is Mansfield Park, and that’s probably because I didn’t like the book either.

5. Little Women

I love this book, and I love this movie. I am not normally the biggest Winona Ryder fan, but I thought the casting of the March sisters was spot-on, and of course I thought Christian Bale as Laurie was fabulous (and completely broke my heart in that one scene). Um…yeah, I can’t think of anything more analytical to say about this one. I just love, love, love it.

6. The Notebook and A Walk to Remember

Kind of like with Jane Austen books, I also prefer the movie versions of Nicholas Sparks books. The difference is that these are the only two I like. His other adaptations leave me with a resounding feeling of “meh.” But I will always stop to watch these two, whenever they’re on, and I always — always — cry buckets of tears when I watch them.

7. The Green Mile

I strongly considered The Shawshank Redemption, but decided against it mostly because Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption is a novella, not a full book. However, The Green Mile is a novel that I really enjoyed, and the film adaptation, while brutal, was extremely faithful to the book. It’s a good thing Sam Rockwell was in Galaxy Quest right after this one, or else I would have had a hard time coming to terms with him again.

8. The Harry Potter movies

I’ll be honest, the first four Harry Potter movies left me feeling a bit…underwhelmed in theaters. I was fresh off of re-reading the books (as I did before each film), and I was too stung by all the parts that got condensed and omitted in the transition from page to screen. However, by Order of the Phoenix, I had come to terms with the fact that the movies were not going to be 100% faithful to the books, and I needed to accept them for what they were. And so I was able to enjoy the last four movies much more on the first viewing. Now, after seeing all the movies multiple times and setting my expectations accordingly, I can say that I thoroughly enjoy the entire series.

9. The Hunger Games

I know there’s a ton of opinions floating around on whether or not the film version of The Hunger Games lived up to the book. I’m in the “totally” camp. No, it wasn’t completely faithful, but then again, few movies are. You can see my in-depth analysis here.

 

10. A Time to Kill

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I used to be a complete Grisham addict, and this is my favorite of his books. I thought the movie was incredibly well done, in spite of the fact that I felt like I needed to shower afterward (partially because of the subject matter, but mostly because all the characters spend the entire movie so sweaty).

P.S. For another Top Ten rewind of sorts, head over to my Six Month Celebration Giveaway, where you can see my top 10 favorite books I’ve read in the lifespan of my blog, and enter to WIN ONE! They’re awesome books, guys. You know you want one of them.

Film Review: The Bourne Legacy

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I’ll be honest. In a year of amazingly awesome movies, this was one of the ones I was looking forward to the most. Which is kind of ridiculous since this year also includes The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises, Les Miserables, and The Hobbit. It is a GOOD YEAR for movies, folks.

So why was I looking forward to The Bourne Legacy so much? There’s a few reasons.

1) I love The Bourne Identity with great massive chunks of love. I enjoyed the other two as well, but that first one holds a special place in my heart for sheer awesomeness.

2) I also love Jeremy Renner with great massive chunks of love, the kind I do not have for Matt Damon. Don’t get me wrong. Matt Damon is great. I have seen and enjoyed many a Matt Damon movie, and Identity is probably my favorite of his movies. But I love Jeremy Renner more.

So you combine a franchise I love with an actor I love, and you get this movie. Hence my fevered anticipation.

After watching, I have mixed feelings. Many of them are good feelings. But not all. So let’s get into it. I’ll try to be as non-spoilery as I can.

The Plot

The plot for The Bourne Legacy was absurd, and I don’t mean that in a good way. Here it is in a nutshell:

Aaron Cross (Renner) is an agent that has been enhanced, both physically and mentally, by a secret branch of the government known as Outcome. Due to a leaked YouTube video (yes I’m serious), the government decides the only way to cope is to kill everyone associated with Outcome. But, through pure luck, Cross survives the missile intended to kill him. HOWEVER, he runs out of his special performance-enhancing drugs, and without them, he will become too stupid to function. Again, yes, I’m serious.

So Cross goes to kidnap one of the scientists working on Outcome, Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), also a survivor of an attempt to wipe out everyone associated with Outcome, because he thinks she may be able to get him more drugs. And then the rest of the movie is Cross and Shearing running from assassins/unfortunate cops and security guards all in a race to get Cross more drugs before he turns stupid, as Edward Norton, a.k.a. Evil Government, tries to find and kill them.

As I said, the plot is absurd. (And as an interesting tidbit, all those parts in the trailer where Ed Norton et al seem to be discussing how Aaron Cross is some sort of stunning new scientific marvel, even more amazing than Bourne? Yeah…they’re pretty much always talking about someone else. Sneaky trailer.)

Oh, and meanwhile, The Bourne Ultimatum is happening. Sometimes the movie reminds us of this. I watched the Bourne trilogy this week in preparation for Legacy, and while it enhanced my understanding of the plot a tiny bit, it probably wasn’t necessary. Most of the Ultimatum tie-in is superfluous, and even though they really try to make it relevant, it doesn’t actually have a ton to do with the get-him-drugs-before-he-turns-stupid-and-they-kill-him plot.

As a side note, since most of The Bourne Ultimatum takes place between the last two scenes of The Bourne Supremacy, we now have three movies covering the same 6-week time frame in this universe. Since they all end around the same time, I’m hoping that if we get another one (oh please oh please), Cross and Bourne can join forces to do…something. The whole movie felt like a setup for that to happen, even though from what I’ve heard, nothing is in the works.

The Acting

The acting in this movie was so good you kind of want to forget that the plot is terrible. Renner is fabulous. They should hire him to make ALL THE ACTION MOVIES. (Oh wait. I think they already did that.) But he’s also good at making you sympathize with him and cheer for him, even when he’s asking EVERYONE where he can get some more not-stupid drugs. He even injects a bit of humor into mostly humorless dialogue.

Weisz is actually more than just a damsel in distress (and I love her leagues more than the snooze-fest of a character that was Nicky Parsons [Julia Stiles]. Someone explain to me why Nicky Parsons was ever a character I was supposed to care about, because I think I missed the memo). She does useful things. She actually saves Aaron once in a crucial moment.

Edward Norton is, as always, spot-on. He does well as the “bad” guy who’s convinced he’s doing the right thing. He almost made me believe that killing important government assets was a reasonable response to a somewhat awkward YouTube video.

I could have used more of Joan Allen and David Strathairn’s characters, who were mostly there just to remind us that Yes! The Bourne Ultimatum is happening RIGHT NOW! Again, if there could be another movie where this story all comes together (the government conspiracy assassin story, not the give-me-drugs-or-give-me-stupid story), I would be a fan of that.

And then we had lots of sinister old men played by awesome actors like Scott Glenn and Albert Finney, who were mostly wasted as they just sat around being sinister and threatening Edward Norton.

The Action

As with all the Bourne films, this one is chock-full of action. Lots of fights, running, chasing, and gunplay. Oh, and there’s one part where he wrestles a wolf. YES. That happens.

I have to admit, out of the four Bourne films, I liked the action in Identity best because you could actually see what was going on. The use of extreme zoom + shaky cam makes it a little hard to follow in the sequels. Plus, it’s hard to top the fight where Bourne stabs the guy with the pen. I mean, it’s a pen.

However, I did think this one did a better job of filming the fights than Supremacy and Ultimatum. In those movies, I had a hard time figuring out who was getting punched in the face. In this one, I could follow the face-punching pretty well. And it was some pretty excellent face-punching.

And it wouldn’t be a Bourne film without a crazy chase scene, although this one is on a motorcycle to prove how hard core Aaron Cross is. Yes, even more hard core than Jason Bourne, as evidenced by the fact that Cross kills a lot more people and sports facial hair and wears sunglasses and goes shirtless for a good portion of the movie.

The motorcycle chase is fun, because high speed chases are awesome. Which is why every Bourne movie has at least one.

The Verdict

Much as I really wanted this one to be my favorite of the Bourne films, it wasn’t. Identity still holds that honor. However, even though the plots for Supremacy and Ultimatum are much tighter and smarter, I think Legacy is my second-favorite on the basis of sheer enjoyability. Yes, the plot is terrible and it is riddled with head-scratching inconsistencies, but honestly, I didn’t care. I loved the characters and the action, enough that I could forgive the plot.

That said, I really hope that if there’s a fifth Bourne film (and again I reiterate, oh please oh please), they put a little more thought into the story and motivations of the characters. Up until this movie, Bourne was one of the smartest action franchises out there, and I’d hate to see the intelligence factor thrown out the window in the hopes that the action will carry it. For this movie, it did, but I’m not sure if that tactic will work more than once.

Grade: B+

The Bourne Legacy is rated PG-13 for violence and action sequences.

Film Review: The Dark Knight Rises

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I love a good end to a trilogy, be it in book form or on the big screen. And The Dark Knight Rises, the conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, did not disappoint.

First, I know that Nolan enjoys using the same actors again and again (Christian Bale in the Dark Knight trilogy and The Prestige, Ken Watanabe in Inception and Batman Begins), but can we just take a moment to appreciate how The Dark Knight Rises was basically a giant Inception cast reunion?

Okay, now that I’ve got that out of my system (and totally want to re-watch Inception), let’s get on to the movie, shall we?

Once again, Christopher Nolan gives us a darker, grittier look at one of America’s darker, grittier superheroes. Batman by his very nature is dark, considering he goes vigilante mostly because he is coping very badly with the deaths of his parents when he was a child. He has no superpowers (unless being a bazillionaire is a superpower), and takes on bad guys using angst and fists and contraptions. But even so, previous Batman adaptations (even the Michael Keaton versions, which I L-O-V-E) still were a tad on the fantastic and comic-y side. Which made sense, since Batman is a comic book character.

However, Nolan’s Batman has always been different from previous incarnations. He’s angrier, moodier, growlier, and just all-around scarier. As is Gotham. As are the villains. And Dark Knight Rises took all that and bumped it up a notch.

Let’s hit some highlights.

The villain in Dark Knight Rises was Bane, played by an unrecognizable Tom Hardy, who was almost a complete 180 from Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. While they were both terrifying and calculating, The Joker was the ultimate in crazy madmen, while Bane was a sinister and philosophical terrorist. Personally, I think this was a smart move, first of all because Heath Ledger’s performance was so amazing that any similar villain (ie: The Riddler) would probably have come across as sub-par, and also because I am a big fan of the variety of villains that Batman has to choose from, and I liked that this movie used one that hadn’t been done before (we’re just going to pretend Batman and Robin never happened).

Everything about Hardy’s performance was spot-on, which is saying something when you consider that the only part of his face he could use to emote were his eyes. The voice, the movement, and yes, the eyes, were all creepy and fantastic.

Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman (who is never actually referred to as Catwoman in the movie) was one of the things I was a little concerned about going in. I mean, I’m a big fan of Anne Hathaway, but how can anyone measure up to Michelle Pfeifer?

Fortunately, she didn’t really try. She put her own spin on the duplicitous Selena Kyle, and I found that although I entered the theater fully prepared to compare performances, I didn’t have to. I love both actresses’ take on the iconic character. In The Dark Knight Rises, I enjoyed that it very clearly came across that she wasn’t really a hero or a villain — she was simply looking out for her own interests. Hers wasn’t a redemption story, but I have always enjoyed comic characters whose alliances are tenuous, because it keeps you guessing. Guessing is good.

I also REALLY enjoyed that she used her heels as weapons. Realistic that she could do all her action scenes in them? Probably not, but if you’re going to wear 5-inch metal stilettos as part of your supergarb, may as well make them useful.

Probably one of the highlights of the movie, for me anyway, was Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the passionate young cop Blake. Honestly, JGL is just one of those actors that’s just kind of an automatic movie-improver for me. And when the movie’s already good, he just makes it that much better.

I really enjoyed having a regular cop with no mystical ninja training still doing his best to bring down the Big Bad, that sometimes he was outsmarted and outgunned and outmaneuvered, and yet he still kept trying.

Actually, speaking of that, I really liked the cops in this movie, in general, even outside of Blake and Commissioner Gordon. They weren’t the inept and bumbling force we so often see in superhero movies. For the most part, they were admirable and heroic, and I like that they were actually helpful in this movie.

The only thing about Blake I did not like was the execution of where his character went by the end of the movie. Not the actual plot device, or JGL’s portrayal. Just how it was done. But that’s a minor nitpick.

As has been the case with all the Nolan Batman movies, the weakest link for me was actually Batman himself. I always find myself liking the supporting characters more, and this one was no exception.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Christian Bale. Have ever since I saw him singing and dancing in Newsies and Swing Kids. And his portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne is good, second only to Michael Keaton, who will always be my favorite. But his Batman doesn’t really make me feel things the way the secondary characters do, and that’s curious.

The only part of Bale’s performance I could have done without was the insistence on growling all his lines whenever he was in his masked persona. While his secret identity is still secret, I can understand and appreciate that he wants to disguise his voice. But by the midpoint of The Dark Knight Rises, nearly everyone he comes in contact with knows who he really is, and yet he continues to growl. I don’t get it. It can’t be good for his throat.

Getting to the plot itself, it’s what you expect from the conclusion to a superhero trilogy. The stakes and the body count are higher. The damage to our hero is greater. The odds seem nearly insurmountable. And the price to pay is dearer.

Yes, there are some holes in the logic. My years of chiropractic care tell me that one scene in particular is absolutely not based anywhere in the vicinity of reality. The bag guys’ evil plot doesn’t really make a ton of sense when you think about it. And the way Batman ultimately prevails (which is not a spoiler, because at the end of a superhero trilogy, does anyone honestly think the hero will not prevail?) is a bit of a head-scratcher.

But I didn’t care. I loved the action, the world, the characters, the acting. I really enjoyed the references to the prior two movies in the trilogy, including cameo appearances by Liam Neeson as Ra’s Al Ghul, a flashback to Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face, and my favorite, Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane.

The Dark Knight Rises did what the end of a trilogy is supposed to do: It wrapped up loose ends in an explosive finale, and left me satisfied while still wanting more. Of the three Nolan Batman movies, this one was my favorite.

Grade: A

The Dark Knight Rises is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language.

Film Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

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I’ve been trying to persuade my husband that he wants to go with me to see The Amazing Spider-Man ever since I first saw the trailer back in the spring. Look, here, I’ll show you.

Pretty awesome looking, right? But no. He said it looked “fine,” but he wasn’t all that into the idea of a reboot of Spider-Man so soon after the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire versions. *sigh* So I resigned myself to having to wait to DVD.

Then I changed my mind and decided to go see it with a girlfriend whose husband was being equally ridiculous. We were in the theater with a bunch of teenage boys, and THAT WAS JUST FINE.

Guys, this movie rocks. And here’s why. [WARNING: Spoilers ahead from the COMIC BOOKS. So if you’re not a nerd like me and don’t know what happens in the comics, and you don’t want to find out, you may want to skip this review.]

Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker

                 

Don’t get me wrong, I thought Tobey did a fine job as Peter back in the day. But Andrew Garfield was Peter Parker. He really embodied the character, making me completely buy him as the witty, introverted, awkward boy genius. But I also bought him as the tortured and conflicted  vigilante. He wasn’t just some masked superhero that takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. He was a kid, he made mistakes, and he got thoroughly beaten up several times — and then actually acted like he was sore afterwards.

Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy

Okay, now I know that Gwen Stacy was not actually Peter’s high school girlfriend in the comics. She was his college girlfriend. But at least this interpretation is closer to the source material than having Mary Jane as his high school girlfriend. And honestly, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane are the only two of Spidey’s girlfriends I’m interested in seeing portrayed on the big screen anyway. No one really cares about seeing Peter moon after Liz Allan.

And Emma Stone was a fabulous Gwen Stacy. She was sweet and smart and feisty, and Gwen and Peter together lit up the screen. They were adorable and lovable. Plus, she actually served a key purpose in the film, and was not relegated to playing the damsel in distress.

The only problem with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy was that the bar has now been set too high, so if they decide to go ahead with the death of Gwen Stacy later in this franchise (because we all know Gwen Stacy eventually dies, right?), I have no idea who they could cast to play Mary Jane that I would like more than Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.

Unless they somehow manage to get Emma Watson (which would be fitting, given the last name and all). I could probably like an Emma Watson MJ more than an Emma Stone Gwen Stacy. I think.

Oh well, maybe they just won’t kill her. Although that would be weird.

Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard

Okay, the villain of the movie, The Lizard, was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It was the same problem I had with Doc Oc in Spider-Man 2. You have a brilliant scientist, take something important away from him which causes him to do something rash, and he inadvertently transforms himself into a monster with a totally different personality. It’s that last part I have a problem with, and I know that part of the problem is that comic book villains tend to be kind of one-dimensional while they’re in their villain persona. But seriously, why would their personalities change once they give themselves all these unexpected new powers? And then why would they revert back later? It doesn’t make a lot of sense.

So while I really liked Rhys Ifans’ performance as Dr. Connors and felt he was sympathetic, conflicted and understandable, I lost that feeling whenever he completely transformed into The Lizard. He just turned into a patently evil comic book character bent on destruction (there is a small effort made to rationalize it by him saying he thinks he’s giving humanity a “gift,” but I’m not sure how he uses that to rationalize the occupied cars he decides to randomly hurl off a bridge).

BUT, this is no worse offense than every other superhero movie ever. It’s the Case of the Too-Evil Villain, and it needs a cure. But until then, I’m not going to let it ruin superhero movies for me, so I just accept it for what it is and move on.

Also, and I realize that The Lizard looks ridiculous in the comics too, but I could have done without the giant Joker-smile. But again. Small gripe.

                                

Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May

I loved the relationship between Peter, Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Of course, I love Martin Sheen in pretty much everything (have ever since The West Wing), so it’s possible that colored my judgement a bit. But I loved their interactions with each other and with Peter, especially after he’s been bitten and is trying to get a handle on his new powers (or, in the case of the above picture, metabolism).

And yes, I cried when Uncle Ben died. I cried in the 2002 version when Uncle Ben died too. I WILL ALWAYS CRY WHEN UNCLE BEN DIES.

But I will say, I felt his death more in this movie, because you actually see it all happen (if you’ll recall, in the ’02 version, his injury occurs off-screen and Peter finds him right as he’s taking his final breaths). And Peter’s reaction is heartbreaking.

Then his relationship with Sally Field’s Aunt May for the rest of the film is in turns tender and frustrating (on purpose) as she grieves Ben while trying to figure out what Peter’s keeping from her. They have a moment right at the end of the film that broke my heart just a little. Peter’s Aunt and Uncle aren’t a giant part of the film, but I really enjoyed what they brought to it.

The Action

It was great. I saw the film in 2D, and although I definitely noticed parts that were probably included for the sole purpose of making the 3D version awesome, I didn’t feel like I missed anything (3D gives me a headache and costs too much).

The Spider-Man swinging through NYC scenes were well done — you really got a sense of gravity and momentum, and it wasn’t just like he was flying safely through the city. You got the feeling that if he miscalculated, he could fall at any time, and it actually made me a little nervous watching him, because he was being so reckless. But it was a good nervous.

The fighting and effects were on par with what you’d expect from a big-budget summer action movie. Well-coordinated, entertaining, exciting.

The Writing

Aside from my problem with The Lizard being too one-dimensional, I thought the writing was solid. Spidey was clever and quippy, just as I’d expect him to be. The science behind the origin story was slightly glossed over, but still solid (as far as comic-book science is ever solid). But all the character development and dialogue was well done, and that’s the important thing.

The only other big problem I had with it is that at one point, The Lizard does something to UP THE STAKES and we brace ourselves for EVEN MORE DESTRUCTION…then nothing comes from it. Kind of makes me wonder what the point of upping the stakes was in the first place.

Little Things I Loved

  • Peter’s accidental first fight, where he has superpowers but no idea what to do with them and ends up beating up a crowd of thugs, while apologizing profusely the entire time and looking mortified at the end.
  • Flash Thompson. Unlike the ’02 version, The Amazing Spider-Man‘s Flash has some depth. Yes, he’s still a bully, but by the end you can see how he and Peter could eventually become friends. And they also worked in Flash’s love for Spider-Man, which is always amusing.
  • The fact that Peter did, in fact, make his web-shooters, and they were not a side-effect of his mutation (as in the ’02 version). Again, I’m not a stickler for comic accuracy, but I really like that this was included, because it helps underscore just how smart Peter really is.
  • Peter’s reluctant realization that the most practical material to construct his suit out of is spandex.
  • I know it’s cheesy, but I love scenes in superhero movies where the citizens of the city band together to aid the hero in a crucial way. This movie has one of those scenes (and it’s even a payoff from a rescue that Spidey makes earlier in the movie, which was neat), and I’l admit it. I got a little misty.
Parting Thoughts

 
I loved this reboot. I already had a soft spot in my heart for Andrew Garfield because of The Social Network and Never Let Me Go, but this pretty much sealed the deal. It delivered everything I like in a comic book movie: great action and effects, a likable hero, witty dialogue, high stakes, and a thoughtful interpretation of familiar and beloved characters. If you aren’t sure if this reboot is worth your time, it is.

Grade: A

 
The Amazing Spider-Man is rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence.