"The Amazing Spider-Man" - Will it translate to "an amazing movie?"

This blog will be about the upcoming movie The Amazing Spider-Man.  I will discuss the movie, the movie's similarities to the past Spider-Man films, some predictions, and discuss if the movie should even be made.  If you like "going in fresh," perhaps you should skip this blog until after you've seen the movie.  But definitely read it later.  Never, ever just skip one of my writings altogether.  That would be a crime most heinous.




On July 3rd, the fourth Spider-Man film will debut on the silver screen.  However, instead of a continuation of the previous adventures, we will get to see a new take on the Spider-Man story.

Here's a four-minute preview recently released:

From previews, we know/can speculate the following:

- Peter becomes Spider-Man
- He meets Gwen and shares his secret
- Her father, police Captain George Stacy, doesn't trust the masked vigilante, Spider-Man
- Dr. Curt Connors becomes the Lizard, and Spider-Man must stop him

Ever have déjà vu? Ever have déjà vu?

How much of the above is new material, unseen by the majority of the public in the first Spider-Man trilogy?  

Let's analyze:
Peter is bit by a radioactive/DNA-altered/mutated spider. (Spider-Man)

Grossest. Pimple. Ever.
Or
"I've got no strings to hold me down..."

Peter learns he has powers, and develops them. (Spider-Man)

When the subway hand rails are too sticky to touch, grab the ceiling.

Peter meets Gwen Stacy. (Spider-Man 3)

Wanna stay alive?  Appear in the third movie...

Peter meets Gwen's father, George Stacy. (Spider-Man 3)

"Hey, if staying alive worked for Gwen, I'll follow suit."

Peter befriends Dr. Curt Connors. (Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3)

"Villains die in your movies?  I'll just avoid becoming one altogether."

And, judging by the trailer at the beginning of this blog, it appears half of New York will see Spider-Man unmasked, a recurring problem of all the movies in the original Sam Raimi trilogy.

"Can't.... keep.... mask on...."

What's New?



It appears that this film will be a little more faithful to the comics than the original trilogy.  A little.

Gwen Stacy will be shown as Peter's first true love. This is the legitimate first major relationship in Peter Parker's dating career before he gets involved with Mary Jane Watson, as portrayed in the original trilogy by actress Kirsten Dunst.

"Face it, tiger, you'll have to wait to hit the jackpot."

Dr. Curt Connors will actually undergo his infamous experiment with lizard DNA on himself, in an effort to grow his missing right arm (as lizards regrow their missing limbs). The experiment, however, will cause him to mutate into the Lizard. Judging by the picture below, it also appears the Lizard will not be a mindless beast, but instead be self-aware (which has been depicted in the comics). While Dr. Curt Connors appeared in the original trilogy, the experiment and inevitable conflict with Spider-Man did not (though it was rumoured to have been the plot of Spider-Man 4, had it been filmed with the original cast).

In the comics, police Captain George Stacy likes Spider-Man. This similarity was portrayed by James Cromwell in Spider-Man 3. Instead, The Amazing Spider-Man will have Captain Stacy and his police force pursuing Spider-Man (though the idea of the police after Spider-Man has been seen in comics before). Though unlike the comic books, this incarnation will offer a new angle.

Absent from this film appears to be J. Jonah Jameson, expertly portrayed by J.K. Simmons the first time around. With the absence of JJJ, it appears the role of "war against Spider-Man" will be filled by George Stacy, as mentioned above.

Perhaps the greatest change from the movies but best aligning with the comics is that we will see Peter Parker develop his web-shooters, one of the fundamental things Spider-Man is known for. The first time around, as you recall, the web-shooting came from his actual wrist, another super-spider power that developed alongside his spider-sense, wall-crawling, etc. Having Peter develop the web-shooters truly shows his other defining trait outside being Spider-Man - being a science whiz - which was (in my opinion) underdeveloped in the original trilogy.

See, kids?  Stay in school.  Science is awesome.

Are These Plot Points Enough to Reboot the Franchise?


Well that, I suppose, is the multi-million, possibly billion dollar question, isn't it?  I, in particular, have set my sights on comic book mega-blockbusters The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises this summer.  The Avengers is the round-up of five movies (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America), whereas The Dark Knight Rises is the bookend, the denouement of the current Batman franchise.

The Amazing Spider-Man, however, is showing us a lot of what we just saw 10 years ago (some elements as little as five years ago), from the beginning again.

However, the appeal seems to be there.  Comicbookmovie.com has indicated that early tracking estimates The Amazing Spider-Man to make $125 million in its opening weekend.  They argue that there are enough Spider-Man fans to buy tickets, as well as younger females interested in the real life off-screen relationship of the two lead stars, Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker) and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy).

But outside of hype, is there really any need to go through this on film?

Here's the potential movie spoilers as we go over some comic book history:

In the comics, Captain George Stacy is killed during a conflict between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus when debris falls from a building. Will this happen in this film? Will this be the "with great power comes great responsibility" moment? Judging by this photo, who knows...

Also in comics, after getting serious about their relationship, Gwen Stacy, too, dies, after falling off a bridge during a skirmish with the Green Goblin.

Note: Recall that the first Spider-Man film paid homage to this scene, with Mary Jane Watson falling from the bridge while Spider-Man and Green Goblin battled - except in this scene, he saves her.

And the reason why Peter's parents are dead/missing, and Peter lives with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben? Why, his parents were spies! It appears that some of this secretive aspect will play into the movie, as Peter's father, Richard, and Dr. Curt Connors were partners in projects together.

Final Thoughts

Growing up, Spider-Man was one of my favourite heroes. He even rivaled Batman for top spot! And when he first made his theatrical appearance on my birthday, 2002, I was blown away.

That said, rehashing a lot of the same plot points only a few years later doesn't excite me the same way. I'm aware the movie will be fun, and there will be a lot of new twists and turns, but completely rebooting this film still has me shocked.

On the other hand, what could they do with a new cast had they filmed Spider-Man 4? The intent was to use the Lizard, as Connors was established, but who is the love interest? Gwen? What happened to Mary Jane after three movies?

Spider-Man is too hot of a franchise to let sit on the back burner, and Marvel knows it has to keep pumping out movies to milk this cow. I don't blame them for this. And I'll even forgive a reboot - so long as it doesn't unnecessarily mull over how his powers work, how he develops them, etc. Give him powers, a reason to fight, and let him fight.

I'm not saying omit his origin story, far from it.  Just don't dwell on it!  You know the reasoning everyone, comic fan or not, knows Parker gets his powers from a radioactive spider?  Because it's been done a zillion times in comic book reboots, various cartoon reincarnations, and already on film!  We get it!
Do your scene, show the spider-bite.  Don't change it to something drastic like a family history of spider bites, or an alien spider, or anything too wacky (look at the backlash Michael Bay is already getting about Ninja Turtles by saying they will be aliens, and the movie hasn't been made yet).  But do the scene, and move on.  We've got CG tussles to see.

I will say this, however: If Peter jacks the web-shooters from somewhere/someone instead of inventing them himself, I won't be impressed. As mentioned, this is a perfect opportunity to indicate that he's a science kid - even though he's in high school - and using his talents to develop web-shooters will highlight this.