IT'S OFFICIAL: SPIDER-MAN IS HEADING TO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
You've definitely heard about this already. So in honor of this joint announcement from Sony and Marvel, we can all finally look back at those "Amazing" Spider-Man movies that maybe just weren't too good. Like, at all. Okay that's not true. It would be ignorant of me to say there were no good aspects to these products. But man, there were just so many negatives.
The movie's feel like a shorthand; Using audience knowledge of Raimi films or comic book lore to explain why character A uses a certain variable to get to the next notecard plot before conflicting with character B. They try to cover it up with some sloppy dialogue but at least nobody really bought it this time. Before overhead, ASM2 made around $65 million. They predicted a billion dollar franchise would spawn from these movies. Kinda screwed the pooch (possibly several) on that one.
Andrew Garfield won't be suiting up as webhead outside of roleplaying in the bedroom with Emma Stone, so don't feel bad for him. He's still dating Emma Stone. He'll be alright. Drew Goddard isn't confirmed to be out but he's sort of in the wind (remember that time Sinister Six was supposed to start filming around January?). It's still sort of a mess but I just wanted to take this time to look back at the potentially great, but not really, Amazing Spider-Man franchise to appreciate what it got right:
Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man
Let's get one thing straight, Andrew Garfield was not a good Peter Parker. Fuck not relating to the comics (though he's only Parker in name only), I couldn't begin to describe Parker as anything other than a sociopath. He cost nearly half the Stacy family their lives and gets to final swing with triumphant score blaring in the background (in an admittedly cool shot). That's where the actor switches gears. Garfield is capable of portraying a variety of emotions, but the shit script can't string a coherent character arc for him to play. As Peter, his emotional outbursts and cocky mannerisms feel out of place. As Spider-Man? It's where every aspect of his performance truly shines. He permeates a warm and welcoming "Friendly neighborhood" superhero.
The Spider-Man Suit in The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Besides being a beautiful movie to look at, this is the best iteration of the web-head's costume ever put on screen. Just look at the damn thing. Garfield fills out the suit well (butts) but it's bright color palette is a complete tonal shift from the first movie's suit (thank you based god). The eyes are bigger, the suit's texture looks less like a basketball. There's a very good chance this is going to be the standard from all Spider-Man suits going forward.
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| Peter broke a promise to a dead man just to get it in. |
Captain Stacy is a godsend in a pretty mediocre but mostly-not-okay Spider-Man movie. Dennis Leary was born to play men in uniform. He demands authority while having you believe his best interest is to protect those he cares about. His teaming up with Spider-Man in the climax of the first ASM earned its genuine triumphant music blares. He's also the only character in these damn movies to get an arc. He goes from being a stand-in for J. Jonah Jameson from Raimi's first movie (antagonist with public platform against Spider-Man), to believing in the good Peter could do as a masked hero. His death still evokes an emotional response from me. Someone else died because of Peter. That's Spider-Man. The movie proceeds to shit the bedding of Captain Stacy's grave with the final scenes of the movie, but until that point, Captain Stacy was the dude.
Emma Stone (Not Gwen Stacy, Just Emma Stone)
Emma Stone is probably an angel sent down from heaven. She is going to be good in everything she's in. She's basically a younger Meryl Streep with bigger eyes. Stone is trapped within the confines of Webb's fascination with the MPDG (manic pixie dream girl) but she still emotes on a personal level unseen by the majority of superhero leads (men included). Her expressions elevate material that is on par with the dumbest blockbusters. She and Andrew Garfield deserve better than this. Now they are free (obligatory no strings reference).
Now that I've pointed out all the positive things, I'm hoping we can all agree that even if this franchise has its fanbase, the only things worth mentioning are the surface textures of the franchise. There's no heart or soul. We're grabbing tangible details in hopes to latch onto something more meaningful when it really isn't there. There were talented people involved in this series. It's a shame we didn't get to see them do more with it on their own terms. Rest in peace, Amazing Spider-Man. You never amazed me as much as I hoped you would, but you always showed promise. Now where the hell is my Miles Morales Ultimate Spider-Man movie?
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