The Amazing Spiderman

[Steve Williams]

Let me preface my comments by saying that I have seen all of the Spiderman movies including the latest installment yesterday

FWIW, I have enjoyed the 3 previous films with Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. This latest installment now includes Andrew Garfield (Social Connection) and Emma Stone (The Help)

Well what you get for your next 136 minutes is a remake of the very first movie told as a different story. Martin Sheen and Sally Field as peter Parker's aunt and uncle


Spiderman's nemesis in this film is the Lizard man played by Rhys Ifans

Having said all of that there isn't much else to share. The movie is watchable but never reaches the grandiose scale of previous installments. The special effects and sound were certainly there but at the end it just left too much to be desired. The movie was just too long however if you see it make sure you stay until the end of the rolling credits in order to get a flavor of what to expect in the The Amazing Spiderman 2 coming in 2014.

Overall, the kids all loved it but for me it never rose above a 6 out of 10 and was the weakest of all of the 4 movies

[Steve Williams]

Well one need not make a good movie to achieve "blockbuster" status....

Sony Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man earned another $35 million its second weekend, a drop of just 44% in ticket sales. The Marc Webb-directed action adventure, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen and Sally Field, has reached $200.9 million domestically. Overseas, Spidey added $66.6 million this weekend for an international total of $320.5 million. That puts the worldwide total for the $230 million-budgeted film at $521.4 million.

[DaveyF]

Well one need not make a good movie to achieve "blockbuster" status....

Sony Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man earned another $35 million its second weekend, a drop of just 44% in ticket sales. The Marc Webb-directed action adventure, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen and Sally Field, has reached $200.9 million domestically. Overseas, Spidey added $66.6 million this weekend for an international total of $320.5 million. That puts the worldwide total for the $230 million-budgeted film at $521.4 million.

Stan Lee and Marvel comics must be laughing all the way to the bank this year, WOW.

[JackD201]

I walked into the theater with low expectations. I mean how many times do we have to see Peter bitten and Uncle Ben killed? Personally, I liked this re-imagining more than the Toby versions. I liked the darker more conflicted Parker as played by Garfield. I also felt that aside from the intensity, this Spidey was more creative and resourceful. I also liked how they went back to the original web device instead of the mutated glands in the other. I always figured if you got those web glands from the bite, you better be shooting 'em from behind! While Dunst is a sweetheart and one of my favorite young character actresses since her turn as the eternal child in Interview with a Vampire, I really have a soft spot for Ms. Stone. I can't even remember who played Aunt May or Uncle Ben, Fields and Esteves Sr. on the other hand are hard to forget in any role. Having said that, there were some continuity blunders in this one whereas the original was pretty tight.

In my mind Iron Man is still the best Marvel series on film. They could never get Hulk right, butchered the X-Men which had the most promise, made FF campy, and please don't even mention all three horrid Punishers. Yet Marvel billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Stark along with his Avenger buddies is going to get pummeled by DC's billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Wayne when Nolan unleashes the finale of the Dark Knight Saga in a few weeks time. That puts even this Spidey low on the comic adaptation totem pole for 2012.

[Phelonious Ponk]

I liked it. I thought Sheen and Fields were excellent choices. The new twists (and the one return to old) on the "origins" story were good and the pace was great. And it didn't seem long to me at all. Is it as good as the original? It's too soon to tell, IMO, because what is so good about the original Spidey series is how the main characters and secondary stories develop over the arc of all three films. In a genre that isn't big on character development anyway, I consider that a big plus. But for a first installment, in spite of the fact that Tobey is Spidey, this worked really well for me. I enjoyed the revisions, the actors, the slightly darker point of view. I wasn't bothered by the fact that Peter was a bit cooler and more confident than tradition would dictate. I was OK with the fact that Peter, not Spidey, got the girl. And I was fine with the fact that she was not the girl next door, loved from afar since childhood. One thing did bother me a lot: They could have called her Mary Jane Watson anyway. C'mon. Throw me a bone.

I love the Ironman series -- great fun -- but the original Spidey has more depth in my view. None of them hold a candle to Nolan's Dark Knight, though. The first two are the best film adaptations of comic superhero stories to date. I'm breathlessly anticipating the finale.

My 15-year-old son and I (yes, we're hopeless nerds) have an on-going superhero game of who's best. Ironman crushes all the Thors and Hulks and X-Men below him (though some of those characters are pretty cool). Spidey is sort of better than Ironman, sort of not -- depends on the criteria of the moment. Batman towers over all of them...well, except for the one, the top dog, the old immortal master of all fantasy fiction:

Gandalf rules. He has no peer.

Tim

[Steve Williams]

I must be getting old as to me it was a remake of the first film. I also thought the Lizard also looked hokey. The story, although long had many holes in it and often just left too much to one's imagination (perhaps not a bad thing)

Yes I too like Emma Stone. Garfield is an OK choice but no one is commenting on the scene just after the rolling credits. We also need to do something about Martin Sheen's horrible dentures. They don't fit into his mouth

[JackD201]

No fair! Tolkien is like bringing a ballistic missile to a knife fight!

[Phelonious Ponk]

I must be getting old as to me it was a remake of the first film.

It is, and too soon at that. But it's pretty well done, I thought. I expected less.

No fair! Tolkien is like bringing a ballistic missile to a knife fight!

Pretty much what my son said the first time I played that card. Now we just assume The Wizard is Wild. I'm really looking forward to Fall, and The Hobbit. If they screw it up, I'll hunt them down like dogs.

Tim

[NorthStar]

---Steve, methinks that you are finally evolving in your movie watching experience.
{I did not see that flick as I'm thru with Theaters; I'll wait to see it on Blu I guess.}

[audioguy]

---
{I did not see that flick as I'm thru with Theaters; I'll wait to see it on Blu I guess.}

I only go to theaters for special I-Max stuff or with the grandchildren for one of their movies. The sound in my home is superior to 99% of all theaters I have been in and no noise; no $400 drinks with $700 pop corn; and I get to take a leak(s) without missing any of the film. (and, my chairs are more comfortable and recline).

But I am looking forward to this movie on Bluray!