The story traces the character’s
origins, his transition from a shy,
nerdy and aloof schoolboy, Peter Parker to a superhero, Spiderman. One day in the boring life of Peter
Parker (Andrew Garfield), he stumbles upon a lost research piece on cross-species genetics his dead father
was working on. In an effort to find out what
happened to his father, he reaches his former
collaborator Dr Curt Connors at Oscorp.
Connors (Rhys Ifans) is working
on a cure for his lost arm based on repties’ ability to grow new limbs and
is under pressure from the corporate
honcho Rajit Ratha (Irrfan Khan) to deliver results. Things go terribly
wrong when Connors tests the new genetic
concoction on himself and turns into
the ‘Lizard’. Meanwhile, Parker has been bitten by a genetically altered spider and gains superhuman strength and spider skills.
The bulk of the 132 minute runtime is spent on how Parker comes into terms with his new powers,
how losing Uncle Ben prompts him to
turn superhero, his runs-in with the law
and having some fun handling school
bullies; all this when he is not
busy with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Towards the end, when the
challenge of saving the city from the
Lizard emerges, Spiderman is ready
for the challenge.
After watching reboots, it is impossible to resist the
temptation to compare the film with
the previous versions, especially
since they were successful in the past. Per se, it would be unfair to compare special effects since
technology improves with the passing of time. Even otherwise, the latest
edition is better than its predecessor.
One, better cast: Andrew
Garfield (from ‘Facebook’ fame) gives a more realistic Peter Parker without making him look like a wimp as
Maguire did. And it’s great that the series bid goodbye to Kirsten Dunst who didn’t look one bit like a
superhero’s girlfriend. Emma stone
who was seen recently in ‘The Help’ is
an apt choice as Parker’s girl and confidante. The lead pair share some great on-screen chemistry.
The lead pair is effectively complemented by the villain in Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen playing
the father-figure Uncle Ben, Sally Field as Aunt May and Dennis Leary as
Captain Stacy. Irrfan Khan’s role is
best described as understated but
effective. Surely, it’s way better
than Anil Kapoor’s unfunny gig in Mission Impossible 4.
The second key improvement is the emphasis on Parker’s intellect as he uses technology to spin webs like in the comic books where he gets
his natural web much later. Thridly, the transition
from a regular kid to Spiderman is handled well. The subway train scene and the one in the abandoned shipyard are very
well done.
A notable absence
in the new film is Parker’s employer ‘The
Daily Bugle’ and its editor who portrays spiderman negatively in the media.
Here, he has a disbeliever in the
local police chief Captain Stacy who
also happens to be Gwen’s father. The famous
line by Uncle Ben ‘with great power
comes great responsibility’ is missing too.
The film is not without shortcomings.
The weirdest thing is that the high-security Oscorp building seems to allow unfettered access to interns who seem
to know everything that happens there; pretty amazing huh? In the climax scene,
he may have lost his webbing machine,
but why does he find it difficult to
cling to surfaces?
Every relaunch attracts
a new segment of the audience and so would this latest edition of
Spiderman. What’s best is that the film-makers have ensured that the usual Hollywood
superhero movie fans are kept happy too.
For all the exciting action it has
to offer with minimal drama sans sentimental garbage, ‘The Amazing Spiderman’
is a go!
Rating 7/10: Refreshing reboot with great lead-pair
chemistry!
Comments
and it varies... btw, what was it that you found average abt the film?