tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5314474708646498103.post2328794381977423604..comments2022-12-30T04:51:03.116-07:00Comments on Andrew Bud Adams: So I Finally Saw "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5314474708646498103.post-52044246243103076252014-08-28T10:13:05.797-06:002014-08-28T10:13:05.797-06:00I heard about that and I agree. I thought he was g...I heard about that and I agree. I thought he was great in the one scene they gave him. There's plenty they can do without him.Andrew Bud Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12150287331130816055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5314474708646498103.post-20261527356652950742014-08-28T10:11:03.523-06:002014-08-28T10:11:03.523-06:00Oh man, I completely forgot about Dr. Kafka! He wa...Oh man, I completely forgot about Dr. Kafka! He was definitely one of the "count on one hand' issues of mine, though I got a good laugh/eye roll out of him. His character is a woman in The Spectacular Spider-Man (seen rehabilitating Electro at Ravencroft, no less), but I wonder if they chickened out of showing a woman killed the way the character is in the movie.<br /><br />I'm personally glad they ended with the Rhino scene. It just worked for me, restoring the "keep on keeping on" concept that Spider-Man has always represented.Andrew Bud Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12150287331130816055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5314474708646498103.post-15093803460804773902014-08-28T10:04:02.695-06:002014-08-28T10:04:02.695-06:00Yeah, I guess those tone shifts just weren't a...Yeah, I guess those tone shifts just weren't as noticeable to me, though my complaints kind of fit into the campy category (like Electro's suit becoming pure electricity). Again, I like a lot going on at once, provided everything is linked. I think the franchise stuff in Iron Man 2 was more noticeably tacked on, but I like that movie, too...at least more than most people seem to.<br /><br />To me, the biggest issues with Spider-Man 3 were reopening a resolved plot point (Uncle Ben's death) and mishandling the symbiote, both when Peter wears it (Tobey Maguire can't do "tough") and when Brock wears it (Venom gets like 10 minutes of screen time). I know Green Goblin gets a similar treatment in ASM2, but it's more justified in that case because we've already seen that villain on screen before; that, and his story fits much more comfortably within the larger plot than the unbelievably random arrival of the symbiote in SM3.<br /><br />Yeah, I was happy over the news that Shalene Woodley was cut. If they bring M.J. back in, I hope it's with a different actress.Andrew Bud Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12150287331130816055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5314474708646498103.post-7035904612158485582014-08-28T08:52:42.369-06:002014-08-28T08:52:42.369-06:00Another interesting note on Norman Osborne. There&...Another interesting note on Norman Osborne. There's apparently concept art of a disembodied head in cryostasis, leading a lot of people to speculate that Norman will come back somehow has another Goblin in future movies. Personally, that boat has sailed, and I hope they don't expand the idea.Wildfirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09058061530119832668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5314474708646498103.post-22664846270501129312014-08-27T22:29:33.257-06:002014-08-27T22:29:33.257-06:00Anyway, I think those are the two big things peopl...Anyway, I think those are the two big things people had issue with: wild tonal shifts through characters like Rhino (and don't even get me started on Dr. Kafka and his horrid accent (again, something that would work in the comic, but comes off as weird in this movie)) and Goblin's oddities, and the movie suffering from bloat because they stuffed in Spider Man universe expansion.<br /><br />Oh! And I read that the entire Rhino mech scene was originally intended as a post/mid-credits scene. This could have helped the movie breathe a little more as well. But Marc Webb was originally contracted to direct a film for Fox, and broke that contract to film ASM 2. As recompense for that, Sony agreed to add the X Men: DoFP stinger on at the end of the film, forcing the Rhino mech scene to be added directly onto the end of ASM 2. Curse you, Fox!<br /><br />Ok, I think I've complained enough. One could easily think I really disliked the movie. The truth is, though, I quite enjoyed the movie, even on a second viewing. I think it absolutely nails Spidey, and of course the chemistry between Garfield and Stone is so darn fun. I think once we finally hit ASM 3, we will have gotten rid of much of the seriousness residue from the first movie and we'll have a really, really solid Spider Man, quite possibly the most fun, playful and entertaining Spider Man movie we could hope for.<br /><br />Electro has gotten a bad rap as well. One of the deleted scenes involves Dillon and his mother before he goes to work. His mom is rather cruel to him, further explaining his character progression more. The scene also contains another "scene" in Dillon's brain where he acts out and yells his true feelings at his mother, similar to what happens earlier with Alistair Smythe (BJ Novak). I'm sad they cut that, because it does a lot to further reinforce his fractured mind.<br /><br />But even without that, I think his character is done pretty well, and I don't get why people criticize his arc so much. I think the movie very clearly demonstrates how forgotten his character is and how, once he's not only forgotten by his idol, and seemingly humiliated and shown up by him, he reacts with his newly acquired power. And further on, when approached by Harry, he finds out that not only does Harry need him (as nobody has before), Harry gives him the offer of exacting revenge on Spider Man and he jumps at the opportunity. I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up as part of the Sinister Six.<br /><br />Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborne actually disappointed me quite a bit, and I think it's because his arc was compressed because of all the world building. Ideally, I would have liked it if he was introduced in this film, but didn't become Goblin until the next film. Of course, that would have delayed Sinister Six for another movie, but I think it would have done right by the character. It would have been neat to see Norman survive this movie, so the next movie would have been Harry as a Proto-Goblin, with Norman taking a refined formula which turned him into something like the Green Goblin from the Ultimate Spider Man comics where he's a behemoth. Oh well, opportunity lost.<br /><br />All in all, the movie has inconsistencies and outright failures, but it succeeds more than it fails. It contains so much of the soul of Spider Man that it's still a delight to watch, and I'm very excited to see where the future takes the series.<br /><br />And I think I wrote enough that I probably should have made this a blog post since this was long enough to span two comments, but it's more exciting to see huge comments like this, right?Wildfirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09058061530119832668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5314474708646498103.post-11905188022121958032014-08-27T22:28:52.199-06:002014-08-27T22:28:52.199-06:00This, like a few other films, has received quite a...This, like a few other films, has received quite a bit of criticism from both critics and fans. It's interesting to note that it currently has a 53% on Rottentomatoes.com, which is just 7% shy of being certified as Fresh. What that means to me is people are complaining very loudly about the things that are wrong with the movie, while still appreciating a lot of the things it does very right. And I think that's happening because it's SO CLOSE to being, well, Amazing.<br /><br />First, let me just say how awesome the suit is. I'm not sure I've heard a single person complain about the suit. I love how big the eyes are. It is classic while integrating the longer-legged spider on the back to create a unique touch.<br /><br />Ok, I think the biggest thing this movie suffers from is wild shifts in tone. One of my first thoughts after seeing the movie for the first time was that Marc Webb decided he wanted to come closer to the tone of the comics more, but he still had to deal with the "serious" things he started in the first movie such as Peter's parents. So this is largely a transition movie for this and my following point. Before I go there, I need to say that in the special features (of which I've watched all that are on the disc) Marc Webb specifically mentions he wanted to bring in some heavy comic elements. And that's where even more issues arise. Rhino is laughably camp. A character like that would be right at home in the old comics, but in not only a more grounded movie, but also with remnants of the "serious" themes from the first ASM, Rhino comes off as utterly absurd and pulled a lot of people out of the movie. Same goes with Goblin's appearance and odd laughing. Laughing for the Green Goblin worked in the first Spider Man with Willem DaFoe worked because the character was kinda campy, and somewhat humorous as a character in general. With DeHaan's Goblin, it's just out of place.<br /><br />Ok, so the second reason this is a transition move is because it's really busy expanding the Spider Man universe, which makes it suffer from the same problems Iron Man 2 did. The main storyline suffers for the sake of developing a larger, more expansive storyline. And frankly, I'm STILL in utter disbelief that Sony forced a too-large storyline into Spider Man yet again. I mean, I get that Marvel is making money hand over foot with the MCU they've built up and Sony wants a piece of the pie. But c'mon guys. The issues with Spider Man 3 are pretty well known by now, and you guys tried to do it AGAIN. Again! The more I think about Spider Man 3, the more I'm convinced it was ultimately a huge middle finger to Sony by Sam Raimi for taking over his film. Anyway, ASM 2 could have benefited from not forcing Goblin to come about in this movie. But I think Sony was so anxious to expand the Spider Man universe to rake in the dough that they sacrificed good character development for it.<br /><br />If I'm not mistaken, this movie had some reshoots after principal shooting was done. The story felt so much smaller at the beginning of development. At least that's what it felt like when reports were coming out. But it kept ballooning and ballooning until it became what it is. And can you believe that Mary Jane was supposed to make a cameo through Shalene Woodley? Man, I"m glad that was ultimately nixed. Maybe it was the little amount of pushback Marc Webb could manage, I dunno.Wildfirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09058061530119832668noreply@blogger.com