The Amazing Spider-Man © 2012 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
1 Spider-what?
As you may have heard, the web-crawler is back on the big screen starting next week! The Amazing Spider-Man is a reboot of the film franchise that kicked off in 2002 and starred Tobey Maguire. The whole thing is based on Marvel Comics’ numerous incarnations of Spider-Man. This time Andrew Garfield plays the web-slinger and Emma Stone portrays Peter Parker’s real first love, Gwen Stacy.
2 Will I like it?
Yes. If you’ve been to see a Marvel movie lately (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers), you know what to expect from the comic book adaptations: artistic license with the story, a love interest, and some major FX budgets being spent on climactic fight scenes. The scenes with Sally Field as Aunt May and Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben are great.
2 Will my kids like it?
Yes. They will be focused on the cool parts of the movie with web swinging, wall-smashing, and bad-guy fighting. The “rebellious teenager vs. loving but old-fashioned guardians” parts might make them yawn. They will be amazed at the cool science labs and 3D interactive holographic controls. (Ease them down gently on that one.) If they’ve seen the previous movies, let them know that this isn’t a continuation, but another version of the events.
3. How faithful is it to the comics?
Several key elements from the Spider-Man comics show up in this version that didn’t make it into the previous trilogy. I think it has been pretty well covered that blonde-haired Gwen Stacy is the love interest for Spidey, not the fiery red-head Mary Jane Watson. The other major improvement (to me!) was the inclusion of the artificial web-shooters developed by Peter Parker. Although they don’t go into the development too much, it is nice to point out to your kids the neat things you can do when tinkering!
In other areas, you’ll notice they took a few liberties with character designs and simplified some backstory (ie, Doc. Connors) while expanding in other areas (Peter’s parents). Even at almost two hours, there was no way to fit everything in. That’s why comic books come in a series (and so do movies nowadays).
4 When is the best time for a bathroom break?
The movie takes some time building up to really fun action scenes. You can probably skip dinner at the Stacy house as it is fairly predictable — but be quick! Lots of action just ahead…
5. How are the special effects?
GREAT. I was really disappointed by some of the previous Spidey films and was watching closely to see where the CGI broke down and the physics of web-slinging went bad. Shockingly, it looked… real! The web-crawler looks surprisingly solid when changing vectors or scaling walls. The LA Times has a great interview with director Marc Webb (yes, really Webb!) about their use of live-action over CGI. Even the scrawny skater physique of Andrew Garfield doesn’t suddenly bulk up when he puts on the suit — he still looks like a lanky high school kid in a costume.
The villain… well, that took a LOT of CGI and it shows up quite a bit. I never get to the point of being able to totally suspend my disbelief. Sad, but it does make him less scary!
6. How was the science portrayed?
The Oscorp laboratory was a clean, magical place with fancy 3D holograms everywhere, automated chemical synthesis capabilities, and genetic algorithm simulations that take seconds to complete. It was populated by polite people in white lab coats looking into microscopes and chatting with each other. It looked like a nice place to work! (Well, except for the liquid nitrogen sewers venting into the lab. All that boil-over would have been deadly!) All this is nice to watch, but it may leave your kids thinking that science is instantaneous. Emphasize the parts of the film where they describe how many decades they have been working on this problem and that “This probably happens slightly in the future” as most of that technology isn’t quite available yet.
A bit of math plays a key role in the film (how often do you hear that?), though it wasn’t fully explained or derived. It is a nice tip of the hat to the key role mathematics plays in a variety of sciences, including genomics and biology. NPR’s Science Friday had an interview and video of the science advisor to the movie.
The development of the web-shooters don’t get a lot of screen time or explanation. It is also a bit unsettling that Peter Parker can order a package of military-grade high-tensile synthetic cable-producing solution on a high-schooler’s income without attracting attention. Those used pieces of “webbing” should be able to be traced right back to the chemical manufacturer — and the customer — pretty quickly. If I were Peter Parker, I’d buy with cash.
I’m skipping over the bioregeneration speeds shown in the film. Suffice to say they are completely bogus.
7. How was the 3-D?
I’ll be honest: I was worried and I should not have been. Although there were a few “fly toward your face” objects in the movie, for the most part it didn’t feel like 3D. That said, I think it was a nice effect to have for the long shots of swinging through downtown New York City or gazing down the side of a building. Is it necessary? No. Does it add some extra flavor to the juiciest bits of the movie? Yep.
8. How about IMAX?
I saw the movie in IMAX and worry that I’d miss some of the great details if I hadn’t had it so huge. The downside was some massive vertigo during the few shots from Spider-Man’s point of view. It was so jerky and raw that I was a bit overwhelmed. I preferred the fly-behind camera angles that let me follow the web-slinger without being jolted by every blast of a web-shooter.
9. Do I need to get there in time to see some good trailers?
I honestly don’t know. Unfortunately, an advanced showing meant no trailers at all! I’d grab popcorn and get there early — just in case.
10. Will I want to see it again?
Not right away. It will be a good Saturday night movie in a couple of months or a neat Blu-Ray with commentary on the stunts and CGI. I don’t think you’ll be running out to the theater to see it again. Besides, you’ll need to save up for the sequel…
