Amazing Spider-man

People keep asking me what I thought of the new Spider-man movie and I have no idea why *eyeroll* so I figured it be easier to share here. To put it simply, I loved it.

Ohh surprise surprise! Sean loved a Spider-man movie, no shocker there. Well, let me explain something first. I don't know exactly how to put it into words to be honest, but I view things differently in sobriety. I've become less obsessive over things like this. In the past, I would be counting down the days til a new Spider-man movie was coming out. Or watching the Avengers trailer 100 times a day analyzing it until the premiere. But I didn't do any of that.

Yeah, I grew up. Who knew?

It's weird right? But don't let that scare you. I obviously still love all these things, that will never change, I am just now enjoying it on a more normal, healthy level. Ya get me? Though if my Facebook/Twitter is any indication, Star Wars is still a daily part of my life. So that said, I went into Spider-man with only seeing the trailer about 3 times. I didn't read all the articles online, leaked photos, magazines or anything. I went into the theater knowing as much as the Average Joe. Well, maybe above average (truth.)


What I did know going in was there would be a lot of Peter Parker over Spider-man as they decided to do some new, revamped origin story involving his parents. That's all well and good and all, but did we really need the origin story AGAIN? Even people who don't care about Spidey know his origin.


Spider bite, powers, great power, great responsibility, etc...


But from here on out there will be SPOILERS regarding the new film...

Not many people can say "I can jump from here.... and live!"

Alright, now let's get into this. Like I mentioned, I didn't think another origin story was necessary but their take on this was enough to grab my attention. Peter's parents, Richard and Mary, aren't spoken of much in the comic books so here they are trying to give us some "untold story" into their past, their connection with Oscorp, and their mysterious death. This movie is the first in an already planned trilogy, so here they are merely planting the seeds of mystery. I wasn't "wowed" by these scenes, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little curious on this take in the Spidey mythos. Discussing with a friend of mine, he mentioned he doesn't remember this from the comics. That's because it's not. Like Batman Begins, it's a different take on the origin which for me, I'll accept because, to put it simply... it's different. It's NEW and it's different. I don't need an exact retread of the story all over again. Change it up. Keep me on my toes. 

The wrestling match from the comics/original movie? Not here.

Mary Jane? No sir

Gwen Stacey? Oh god yes..

The biggest plus for me is having Gwen over Mary Jane. While not my ideal candidate for the character I do have to admit Emma Stone nailed it out of the park here (knee highs and that hairband? Dear lord...). It is impossible not to fall for her in this flick as she's infectiously adorable. Her scenes with Peter are some of the best in the movie. But I'm sure most are wondering why Gwen over Mary Jane Watson. Simple. Gwen was Spidey's first true love. MJ was chosen for the original trilogy because she's the most recognizable. It's a popularity contest, really. You have to give the audience something they are familiar with or they are going to be confused. Which leads us to the biggest and most fantastic change over the original films...

Mechanical Web-shooters.

This single-handedly made the movie for me because not only did it show him with the mechanical web-shooters (like it's supposed to be) but it portrays Peter as the genius he really is. So why did they make the web-shooters organic in the originals. Simple. It's an easy sell. People need the simplest answer for why something happens. I had talked to MANY people who had no idea Peter actually created his web-shooters himself. To them, it doesn't make sense. Why should he have to build them? He was bit by a spider that gave him super powers so logically he should be able to shoot webs, right?

This is why it was done in the originals as organic. It's easier to accept. For some reason it makes perfect sense to tell someone all these things are possible because he was bitten by a magical spider. But if you say that Peter was an incredibly smart individual and crafted the mechanics himself, then suddenly that's too much for ones brain to handle.

So as a fanboy, this was a joy for me. Watching him build them, seeing the web cartridges, having the Lizard crush his wrists and breaking them (!!). That was key for me because running out or fluid or having them break is what made Spider-man more vulnerable. 

Oh man, and there's a scene in the sewer where Spider-man actually creates a web formation that he perches on (and plays games on his cell) while waiting for the vibrations in the webbing to point him in the direction of the Lizard. Bloody brilliant.

For now, I will leave it at this. It's getting way too hot sitting here at the computer but I will continue this another day, preferably after seeing the film again which I plan on doing soon...