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Is
there anyone who saw the original Spider-Man
film at the cinema ten years ago and is now thinking, time for a reboot? Not to
forget the two sequels as well. Whether it is necessary or not, at least this
time it is more pensive and generally fun. Peter Parker is a school kid who
hasn’t had the most fortunate childhood. Our sympathies go to him in a very
genuine way, due in part to the fantastic performance from Andrew Garfield.
The
wise-cracking hero goes on a journey of discovery in a lovingly created comic
book-like world: from the everyday boy overcoming a bully named ‘Flash’, to swinging
across New York. We all know how Peter becomes Spider-Man and it is around this
part of the film that interest dips with only love interest Gwen Stacey
redeeming the plot. We see a lot of Peter Parker without his mask and the
confidence he gains from inventing it. This Spider-Man movie is less about the
people and the city around him needing a hero and more about what Spider-Man
means to our troubled teenager.
Gwen
Stacey is one of Peter’s true friends and on a script basis has not a lot going
for her. Luckily she’s given a warmth and surprising amount of depth,
particularly towards the end, by the always-brilliant Emma Stone. Sally Field
and Martin Sheen portray Peter’s
aunt and uncle respectively. Again,
prize performances help what is at points a shambles of a plot, and these
multi-layered characters really make this a family drama-action film.
Unfortunately the villain of the movie portrayed by Rhys Ifans generates neither sympathy or fear. As Dr. Curt Connors
we see not nearly enough of him and nor does he really have much affect on the
protagonist. When transformed in to a lizard he lacks any real menace until
very late on when an ending is hastily constructed.
With
fantastical heroes and villains CGI was always going to be a must; here, Marc Webb’s direction is spot on. Webb
knows that the action scenes must be carefully composed and special effects
just slow enough so that it can be effortlessly followed. It is also important
to remember that Webb is responsible on some level for bringing out the
performances and thus deserves credit.
The
reboot of the Batman franchise may be a tired comparison, but it is a fair one.
With the Dark Knight, the heroes and villains both symbolise states of the
human psyche and explore contemporary themes and issues of western society
without diluting what is essentially an action thriller. It is this submerged
layer beneath a twisting and turning plot that has captivated audiences. Spider-Man
however is far less engaging. It may be ambitious, and a trilogy is planned,
but painful plot holes and an unclear target audience prevent Spider-Man from
achieving greatness. But perhaps some of these issues can be addressed by the
desire for spectacle and huge scale that one comes to expect with superhero
movies these days, and not the film itself.
It
is ultimately flawed and may not stick with you once leaving the cinema but as
a series it shows potential. The highlight for me was a scene in which Spider-Man
must save a child from a falling car. The scene itself was great, but the few
children in the screening erupting in to cheer at Spidey’s success, were priceless, and proved there are some that will love
this.
James A. George is a born and raised Londoner. As an aspiring film writer and
director, James is studying creative writing with film studies at
Kingston University
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