STILL
SPIDEY by Bennett Campbell Ferguson
Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield (left) star in "The Amazing Spider-Man"
Thin, slouched, and armed with
a cynical smile made to melt hearts, Andrew Garfield plays a decidedly ignoble
Peter Parker in "The Amazing Spider-Man." Of course, in this 2012 screen retelling of
the Marvel Comics hero’s adventures, the story is the same as ever—once more,
Peter (a Queens-based teenager) gains the speed and agility of a spider and becomes
a costumed vigilante. Yet this time, he
comes off as a snarky hooligan, rather than a shy outcast.
There’s
also the fact that the original trilogy of Spider-Man movies (which was smashingly
directed by Sam Raimi) played as a grand and tender saga of heroism and true
love, whereas the newer film (under the direction of the less-experienced Marc
Webb) feels timid. Many of its images
have the bright, flat look of sitcom shots and Mr. Webb appears unwilling (or perhaps
forbidden) to take the kind of creative risks that could have made his film as exhilarating
and heartfelt as Mr. Raimi's run.
And
yet, despite all of that, there is much charm to be found in “The Amazing
Spider-Man.” I can't report that the
film is truly worthy of its predecessors (which are three of my favorite movies
of all time), but I'm happy to tell you that it is still wonderfully easy to
like. Boldness may make a great
blockbuster, but so does attentiveness to the niceties of character
development, something Mr. Webb (whose first film was the irritating but
thought-provoking romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer”) clearly understands.
Moving
at a pleasantly slow and even pace, “The Amazing Spider-Man” weaves
increasingly delightful story threads into its web: a touching kid romance
between Peter and his high school crush, Gwen Stacy (an adorable Emma Stone);
some wild bits of action (including Peter's rooftop tussle with a pack of
menacing alley thugs and a climactic twist involving several well-maneuvered
cranes); and a few surprise moments worthy of remembrance in the Spidey cinema
archives.
Among
those gems, a surprisingly sincere encounter between Peter and the meathead
bully Flash Thompson (Chris Zylka) stands out.
Yet a few others revise Spidey mythology in more surprising ways. For example, watch Peter removing his contacts
(who knew?) and donning his father's old glasses early in the film. And better yet, keep an eye on him as weasels
his way into his father's former workplace—the sleek Oscorp tower, which dwarfs
every other skyscraper in New York (and just so happens to belong the man who
will become Peter's greatest nemesis).
There's
something spectacular about seeing the beat-up, rumpled-jacketed Peter coming
up the Oscorp escalator, amidst a mass of immaculate adults immersed in their
own concerns—they never notice our hero. But this is still his movie and while some
scenes in "The Amazing Spider-Man" are tepid and familiar, the sight
of Peter literally ascending into the adult world feels just a little bit
grand.
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