Blu-Ray Review – The Amazing Spiderman 3D
:
Positives
Negatives
When I first heard about this film I had to check the wealth of knowledge that is the internet. Had it really been long enough to reboot a franchise? Actually it has been 10 years, so maybe, just maybe. Actually contrary to my original thoughts, we do not get a standard reboot to the origin [...]
When I first heard about this film I had to check the wealth of knowledge that is the internet. Had it really been long enough to reboot a franchise? Actually it has been 10 years, so maybe, just maybe.
Actually contrary to my original thoughts, we do not get a standard reboot to the origin story of Spiderman. Instead we get a better and respectful renovation of the Spiderman tale. It is done very well and for some it will feel like the Spiderman Trilogy with Tobey Maguire at the helm never existed.
One of the greatest upgrades with this incarnation is the better balance between action and the actual story telling. The characters within the film seem to be clearer and more defined.
Peter Parker’s transformation from High School nerd to web slinging super hero is portrayed in a fresh way, which is handy as we are treading over some very worn ground. But the premise is still the same – Boy Gets bit – Boy Kicks ass.
Andrew Garfield is in the titular role and even though the British Actor who was made famous from his role in The Social Network is 28, he seems to have such a boyish charm that he can get away (just) with playing the 16 yr old Peter Parker. Also there is no denying the on-screen chemistry between Garfield and his love interest Gwen, played by Emma Stone (but I guess we all know that this isn’t a faked chemistry huh?).
There are problems though, Gwen seems to be shoe horned into Spiderman’s life – Not only is she the Daughter of the policeman in charge of the hunt for Spiderman, but she is also lead intern at the sinister corporation that gives rise to a villain for Spidey to fight, The Lizard.
Actually the CGI’d Lizard could have been the worst aspect of the film, if it not for the ground work Rhys Ifans put in earlier in the film portraying The Lizard’s alter ego, Dr Curt Connors.
There are not as many ACTION sequences as you would imagine. But, when there are moments of action, it is done extremely well. Stand out scene is on the subway train when Parker has the first onset of his new powers, very funny stuff.
When it comes to the transfer and audio, it is of the quality you would expect from a modern blockbuster. The soundstage is used very well with wisps and rasps flying from all around. Unfortunately even though the transfer is clean and crisp, when viewed in 3D it seems to lose a lot of the brightness. The film is for the most part made up of night scenes and it can become quite hard to see what is going on. Even worse because 70% of the film is lacking any 3D depth at all. It is almost not necessary to wear glasses at all. When the 3D does kick in it is OK, the web swinging scenes are done well but the action happens so fast it is hard to get a concept of the depth. Not the best 3D in the world, not when you compare it to other releases I have reviewed recently.
At the end of the day, ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ is a good reboot, if slightly unneeded. It is a shame that the 3D wasn’t implemented better.
Scott Lawlor
Great review though I must say I really disliked the movie. I think rebooting it so early was unnecessary and what’s even worse – the film was so boring. I only managed to finish it because of Emma Stone.
I can completely understand your thoughts Sati. It did feel a little too soon to reboot this one. But I still managed to enjoy it!!
For me, they ruined the essence of Peter Parker. I feel the whole point of him is that he is just a typical kid who happens to get superpowers…and the Peter in this movie didn’t seem like a typical kid at all
Really? He didnt? I thought he felt pretty typical. Average joe. Nerdy.
Nice review matey, I actually enjoyed this a lot. Maybe I’m biased as Andrew Garfield was standing mere inches from me at comic-con and he was so darn charming! It still doesn’t beat Spider-man 2 which is my fave from the trilogy, but still it was a pretty good one.
Oh yes I forgot you had that up close meeting of Mr Garfield. I can completely understand why you have a soft spot for the film!!
This film made me chuckle. I ended up tuning out when I saw how they knocked off Uncle Ben. What is an old man doing walking down a street in Queens at that time of night
Yeah I guess that was a bit sill!! Thanks for the comment matey
I’m a bit behind in terms of Spiderman, I only ever saw the original and wasn’t really impressed so never got round to completing the trilogy. I was much more interested in the darker take on superheroes that the x-men films offered at the time. I would be interested to see this though, I like Andrew Garfield and it sounds like I could prefer it to Sam Raimi’s version.
It isn’t a bad version at all matey. Garfield is excellent in the role.
I agree that this movie was completely unnecessary. I got The Amazing Spider-Man from Blockbuster at Home through DISH last night and did not get into it at all. Granted, a lot of it had to do with there being no time to get over the horrible film they called Spider-Man 3, but besides that I just didn’t see anything new or original. My supervisor at DISH is a huge Spider-Man fanboy and even he said he was not feeling it. After about thirty minutes of being reminded of why I used to like Spider-Man I took it to the Blockbuster store down the street for a free exchange. I only have one day to watch movies a week and I am happy I didn’t have to put it off to wait for the mail man.
I have to agree with Sati. I got The Amazing Spider-Man from Blockbuster at Home through DISH last night and it was far too early for a reboot. The movie was not horrible, but everyone in my office at DISH agrees that it was terribly boring. It was just the same old story again and unfortunately even Emma Stone could not convince me to watch the whole thing. After about 40 minutes of watching the rerun I took it over to the Blockbuster store down the street for a free exchange. I only have one day to watch movies a week and I am happy I didn’t have to put it off to wait for the mail man.
Glad you loved it, Scott. I am too a little bit biased since I have a little crush on Garfield
Yeah I guess it was too soon to make the reboot
It’s a decent reboot, but can we get a villain already that wasn’t born from some lab accident? I want Ian McShane as Kraven the hunter! Enough of this Electro nonsense!
I tried hard to stay awake throughout this film, it’s so uneven that I got frustrated with it. Good thing I didn’t waste my money seeing it in theater. I watched it on 2D BD and the picture was good but I was a bit disappointed with the lossless sound, it wasn’t as immersive as I’d hoped. Well maybe I just tuned out since I didn’t really care for the film. Totally an unnessary reboot, I prefer Raimie’s version.
The subway scene was great Scott. I enjoyed it strictly for Andrew Garfield’s acting talent. When Uncle Ben died, I really felt it. Plus, they kind of made it edgier. Not great, but a worthy film.