Sometimes a stone is just a stone, and sometimes an apple can contain the secrets of the universe. In actuality everything contains the secrets of the universe many times over, in each and every atom. That's quite the eye opener, isn't it? The great Celestial Washing Machine spits out its particles, watches them circulate for a while and then pulls them back for a rinse and repeats the cycle. It's kind of nice. I much prefer death as a method of recycling than the cessation of all existence. There's some good in everything after, and anyone. Even the most evil and despicable people and monsters through history have been good worm food. That's my existential angst for the week.
On Monday night, two nights ago, I saw 'The Amazing Spider-Man'. It was a good movie but it wasn't great and that was almost precisely because of the things it couldn't do due to being a reboot. Spider-Man is an optimistic superhero with good intentions and lots of colour, but that was shown really well in the previous Spider-Man movies and so they can't do it again so soon. They must make a variation! Hence no Daily Bugle, or Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Venom or Sandman. It's just too soon for any of those franchise elements to return. Can Peter Parker stand firm and be away from the girl at the end of the movie for her own safety? Nope, he did that in 'Spider-Man', so he changes his mind here. That's the problem. Mary Jane? No, we can't, we have to do Gwen Stacy instead. Actually, Gwen Stacy was a really good character in this youthed up movie but if they stay on the comic book timeline then her grisly end can't be far away. Please movie makers, don't let that Green Goblin foreshadowing mean a predictable future arc. Please.
'The Amazing Spider-Man' has some very good points but instead of colour there are shadows and darkness. Instead of geeky Peter Parker quickly embracing the joy of his new powers we have angsty jerky Peter chasing down someone who resembles his uncle's killer. And instead of a broad, human story we have something very neat, very tidy, and very manufactured. Peter Parker's parents being responsible for the spiders that eventually bite him, the villain being a colleague of Parker senior AND working at OsCorp, Gwen Stacy being a senior intern working for Connors as well as a top student at Peter's school, Gwen's father being the police captain hunting Spider-Man, and a plot point with cranes all beggar belief. Still, I wanted to like it and it was a good try at Spider-Man. All it lacks is a good heart at the centre of the production, so as not to be a film made be committee but a noble endeavour instead. Of course, that's hard trick to pull off within a corporate industry but it can be done.
The next Spider-Man movie could be far better, hopefully with Peter being a lot less jerky and a more cohesive story. Emma Stone and Dennis Leary were far better than Andrew Garfield in the lead as they had more sympathetic roles. They won't be both be back in the next movie though, which is sad. Also, presumably, Rhys Ifans won't be back as Curt Connors and the Lizard has hopefully had his day in the sun. Ifans did well in the part but there was no way for him to win with such an abortive story.
Away from the cinema, things proceed well. I helped with a podcast today! Tomorrow: The world!
Meep meep!
No comments:
Post a Comment