The Amazing Spider-Man Naturalistic and Convincing Characters in TASM

[AbsractPo3tic]

That is very good point. I think the whole premise of Spidey lends itself to more then its fair share of teenage self-pity. Heck, I think we all feel more then a bit of pity for Peter. However, taken with the entire package (Garfield's look), I think it is hard to simply brush aside the idea that the film has potential of being a bit self-indulgent in that matter. In an attempt to bring "realism" into the character and his world, I fear an overly somber place I may not want to be.

I don't think it'll be overly somber..there's a video interview Marc Webb did and he pointed out that that's just the first teaser and they're still knee deep in post production so other trailers will show other aspects of the film so that doesn't bother me. I agree with you that trailers will garner the majority of attention and that's where people will get their info from but the film is still a year away so if they can't get the right perception out, that's on them lol..but anyway, I definitely feel that the world won't be as somber but it won't be bright and happy either. There has to be a balance and there has always been a balance in Pete's world between the happiness and the sadness, even when he feels like the world is beating him down. The reason I don't think it will be self-indulgent in the realism is because I'm going off of what the director and anyone else involved has said. Now, maybe I'm naive for that and I can take that on the chin if need be, but if I have a choice between believing people who worked on the film vs assuming I know or just believing some guy commenting on a website, I'm going with the people involved. They could be lying lol but until I have proof, I have to side with that because they know more about the film than I do.

 

[AbsractPo3tic]

I agree that context is key, and I think your point about "That's life" is important when it comes to the very point of this thread. As are expectations. After all we live in a world where Twilight is quite popular with a large part of society.

The aesthetic of a character mean so much. It isn't necessarily about the actor "looking" like the character, but how they look in the boarder strokes of the world. Like it or not, more people are going to learn about TASM from that trailer then Comic-Con or any message board. People know, or least they think they know, what Peter Parker and Spider-Man should look like. And lets be honest, he looks a little Twilighty. That is seemingly the farthest thing from what the GA expects from Spidey. In this world seemingly driven by social media, presenting that image of TASM was kind of... well dumb imo. Asking people to educate themselves on the film seems harsh. They see the image and they comment on it.

But, lets get away from the trailer, and lets talk "realism" in our characters. I am of the belief that that is one of the last thing we want from our characters. Otherwise, why are they so pretty? t:

What I think the GA want is the illusion of realism, without the material being so. They want the characters to act how they wish they could, not how they would necessarily. Act and talk natural, but go on and be your awesome self. Thus, Peter doesn't get to spend a good chunk of the film "being realistic" and wallowing in pity.

I don't think they want people to educate themselves, because the film is still a year out. I agree with you that it'd be stupid for them to rely on the audience to do the knowledge themselves, but we are a year away and none of us here have any inkling as to how they're going to promote and market the movie so I always say its best to reserve judgement. I know that's not the thing for a message board lol but I guess I've never been much to go that route. I like to wait and see before I judge. With that said, all of these sites and twitter reactions fawning over the footage at comic con could very well be disappointed when the movie drops in July and them telling us how good the film looks, they'd have egg on their face.

 

[Billy the Poet]

How Garfield, dressed in every teenagers' typical outfit, with glasses and eccentric hair style, looks anything like Cullen or whoever was that from Twilight

I remember barely surving the first film of Twilight, while my ex was delighting in watching topless guys here and there and spent most of the film being jealous of Stewart's role in it. I did watch the first film and I say Garfield in TAS looks nothing like any of the main characters in Twilight. This is a label only and it will remain until the franchise is over, unfortunately.

Same goes with the film's tone being darker. It's not. It can be realistic, naturalistic and contemporary to our society's perception, but, in no way, it can be as dark as some imply, when comparing to Nolan's films. Raini visibly tried his best to implement darkness in Spider-man 3. Maybe it was Sony that wanted the new film to be dark ala Batman, as well. But, reading about Webb's vision, seeing a lot of pics and watching the teaser, in the sum, tells me the film will no way be dark. Serious? Yes. Natural? Yes. But not dark. It's Spider-man in our world, thus the film does it best to represent the everyday common surroundings of New York City.

As for the emo thing, Tobey looked emo in Spider-man 3. But, both 1 and 2 and TAS are far from being called emo. I assume you read the comics. From Lee's era to the Ultimate, true Parker has always been saddened or anxious about something. He always had a lot of pressure on his shoulder, trying to maintain his personal, professional and superhero lives all at once. He lost many close people, despite all his powers. This is called tragic, not emo.. This is what, as I believe, TAS is going for. All the fun would go to wisecracking and sarcastic Spider-man and, at some point, Peter's relationships with women. This is when the character tried to look happy in order to mask his actual problems. Peter never gained confidence as Spider-man in one night. He firstly tried his humor in order to mask his lack of confidence. It grew on him, as he got used to it. Parker became confident after a while of being Spider-man. It was a gradual transformation. It had a long-term process, rather than it was a miracle in one day. This is why the film does re-origin - to be elaborate in exploring the actual path and arc of Peter, because the beginning has a great impact on the end. The way Peter begins and the way he ends are one line of from where we started to where we ended.

Again, I have not seen the film yet. These are all my thoughts based on what I've seen and learnt about it.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Where did you get the myth that most teens have that kind of hair naturally? The "big hair" on guys is fad brought on by those movies.

Also there is a fine line between being sad and playing a game of self pity. I really, really don't want to hear about how "hard" it is being Spider-Man when it is clearly a choice. Let others say it, not Peter.

 

[DACrowe]

Spidey has a sense of humor, but Peter being a hard case who gets in fights with school administration and rides his skateboard through the hall sounds way off. But if it's a good movie, I'll probably overlook that.

 

[Billy the Poet]

Where did you get the myth that most teens have that kind of hair naturally? The "big hair" on guys is fad brought on by those movies.

Also there is a fine line between being sad and playing a game of self pity. I really, really don't want to hear about how "hard" it is being Spider-Man when it is clearly a choice. Let others say it, not Peter.

I have never stated it was natural. But, to not look outdated, I can see Peter putting some wax, thinking it will make him more appealing to others, since he is anti-social and rarely cares about his look. I doubt you expected him to be a classic nerd with glasses and overgreased hair. That would put many people off and destroy the story's premise to put the character in our today's reality.

I definitely agree with you on this point. Raimi, as I think, didn't choose the right approach to expressing how and why Peter feels depressed from time to time. I never really rooted for the protagonist in his films, because I never really believed in the problems he was facing. In addition, it's obviously clear that Peter has to always remember that it's his choice, but we all have doubts in decisions we make, especially after they're made. Thus, I see Webb trying to increase motivations for Peter to hold back to his choice and stay true to his priorities, which are essential part of who he is and what he represents.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

I like what Webb had to say in this interview:

[YT]sMaWnzT0HeA[/YT]

Basically, he didn't want to do a stylized version of Spider-Man, where he's recreating comic book panels with visual loyalty but he wanted the world that these characters live in, to resemble the world that we see, when we walk out of the theater.

That's perfect because unlike other iconic figures such as Batman or Superman, Spider-Man does live in a real city and Peter is just a regular kid from Queens. If Webb can get the tone and feel of New York City just right, that'll definitely go a long way in selling it.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I have never stated it was natural. But, to not look outdated, I can see Peter putting some wax, thinking it will make him more appealing to others, since he is anti-social and rarely cares about his look. I doubt you expected him to be a classic nerd with glasses and overgreased hair. That would put many people off and destroy the story's premise to put the character in our today's reality.

I definitely agree with you on this point. Raimi, as I think, didn't choose the right approach to expressing how and why Peter feels depressed from time to time. I never really rooted for the protagonist in his films, because I never really believed in the problems he was facing. In addition, it's obviously clear that Peter has to always remember that it's his choice, but we all have doubts in decisions we make, especially after they're made. Thus, I see Webb trying to increase motivations for Peter to hold back to his choice and stay true to his priorities, which are essential part of who he is and what he represents.

For whatever reason Peter looks the way he does, I still argue he looks influenced by those movies I don't particularly like. Which is my only real point on that matter.

 

[Billy the Poet]

For whatever reason Peter looks the way he does, I still argue he looks influenced by those movies I don't particularly like. Which is my only real point on that matter.

I understand your opinion. It's just for me I can't find how Peter would resemble any of Twilight's characters.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I understand your opinion. It's just for me I can't find how Peter would resemble any of Twilight's characters.

You don't see how the lanky, big haired Brit looks Twilighty?

 

[Billy the Poet]

You don't see how the lanky, big haired Brit looks Twilighty?

Big hair? What do you mean by big hair? His hair is of normal size. I'm just twenty-something and, when having short hair, I used to do the same thing. I don't have anything against that personally. What do you want his hair be like?

Compare these both





Either way, I'd never call Garfield's hair in TAS anything that would remind me of Twilight.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I don't want his hair to look like anything. It looks how it looks. Which invokes a certain image. That comes with casting.

 

[Billy the Poet]

I don't want his hair to look like anything. It looks how it looks. Which invokes a certain image. That comes with casting.

Hair style is a kind of style as well. It will look like something anyway. It's a part of appearance.

 

[AbsractPo3tic]

Hair style is a kind of style as well. It will look like something anyway. It's a part of appearance.

Lol ok since we're talking about hair, who's to say that they were inspired by twilight? Peter's hair has been styled so many different ways in the past, including an awful awful mullet but his hair, much like the character, is always a staple of the times. That's the way a lot of guys wear their hair so it's no different than an artist giving him a mullet when that was in style. And as someone pointe out, James dean wore his hair like that so what if that's the inspiration? At the end of the day it's just hair. To me anyway.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

(I'm personally predicting the potential for Oscar buzz already, though).

Tee hee

 

[Oscorp]

The more I watch interviews of Marc Webb, the more I like him!

 

[©KAW]

Then stop watching him, the last thing you need to do is fall in love with the director before he delivers the goods. That's why this place is infested with Raimians.

 

[Oscorp]

Then stop watching him, the last thing you need to do is fall in love with the director before he delivers the goods. That's why this place is infested with Raimians.

I know that he's delivered before with (500) Days of Summer though and I loved his style there.

 

[Ajendo]

Then stop watching him, the last thing you need to do is fall in love with the director before he delivers the goods. That's why this place is infested with Raimians.

Exactly! before the first spidey movie came out, I dropped my pants long before the movie came out, only to find that I was royally screwed over in every possible way imaginable.

I for one am excited just at the prospect that we're getting a new movie that doesn't involve the contribution of Raimi and his cast of penny-pinching loyalists.

That being said, I'm pleased with what I've seen and know of thus far, although the costume is a minor gripe but not enough to write this movie off.

For now, the observations I've made are essentially what every one here has largely noticed. I like that the characters appear to have a tangible fabric and depth that entices the viewer to observe and emote as opposed to just watching the pictures go by. What's interesting here is, back in 2002 on these very boards when I expressed my discontent with the dialogue and character exchanges at how unnatural the execution and delivery was, I was chastised and needless to say, it spurned countless arguments, flame wars, suspensions and bannings, simply because a minority opinion didn't gel with the rosey-eyed masses of the newly released spider-man movie How times have changed.

Anyway, I think this movie has a lot to draw from. It has the luxury of being the 4th cinematic spidey movie and can draw upon the previous movies' strengths and weaknesses and when compared to the various source material that they're looking at, it helps to give a clearer indication of what is likely to work and what isn't; namely the tone of the movie and the characters themselves.

I think it's important for Peter/Spidey to be realised accurately because it's those two persona's that are at the forefront of being instrumental to the character's popularity and if you remove that, we're left with something empty and almost unrecognisable. However, the balance is important and I think purely based on what I've read from various interviews is something that they've paid quite a bit of attention to in order to prevent the tone of the movie falling into either dark and grim territory and the flip side of runny cheese on toast.

I also think that this movie has a better caliber of actors leading and supporting this movie as a collective than the previous efforts. Someone mentioned the importance and significance of the supporting cast and I agree. I don't get the impression these actors are here to just appear as mere characters but as something more; characters conveying natural sensibilities worth the audience to be invested in and to be compelled by.

I think it's fair to say, although I could be wrong but this movie feels as though it's had the most attention being paid to it.

 

[socool]

For now, the observations I've made are essentially what every one here has largely noticed. I like that the characters appear to have a tangible fabric and depth that entices the viewer to observe and emote as opposed to just watching the pictures go by. What's interesting here is, back in 2002 on these very boards when I expressed my discontent with the dialogue and character exchanges at how unnatural the execution and delivery was, I was chastised and needless to say, it spurned countless arguments, flame wars, suspensions and bannings, simply because a minority opinion didn't gel with the rosey-eyed masses of the newly released spider-man movie How times have changed.

Hmmm. Interesting. Did your join date only decide to kick in last February?

 

[bunk]

Either the hairstyle works for Garfield, or it doesn't. The style has been around forever anyway.

 

[ModestMr.Green]

Indeed it has. People seem to be making a huge oversight when they refer to that as the 'Twilight hairstyle.' The hairstyle was popular dating back to James Dean, and it's popular with a great deal of young men these days. That's why Edward Cullen was given hair like that to begin with. Besides, it seems that it's not a hairstyle he's going to be sporting the whole film. Look at the scene where he's eating dinner with the Stacy family. Down, slightly combed.

As for the 'emo' thing, that's just a shoddy label to apply to any film. (With the possible exception of Twilight.) Peter Parker is the outcast, the nerd, the downtrodden. I hate to make generalizations, but this is a forum full of comic book geeks, myself included. You can't tell me that some of you weren't persecuted in high school in much the same way, and that if you were you were completely pleased with your situation. Self-pity and somberness come with being a teenager, especially the outcast. Expect it.

 

[Vid Electricz]

I like what Webb had to say in this interview:

[YT]sMaWnzT0HeA[/YT]

Basically, he didn't want to do a stylized version of Spider-Man, where he's recreating comic book panels with visual loyalty but he wanted the world that these characters live in, to resemble the world that we see, when we walk out of the theater.

That's perfect because unlike other iconic figures such as Batman or Superman, Spider-Man does live in a real city and Peter is just a regular kid from Queens. If Webb can get the tone and feel of New York City just right, that'll definitely go a long way in selling it.

That's great to hear. I'm quite tired of films like Watchmen, 300 and Sin City where there's this feverish, *********ory loyalty to translating the exact artwork from the panel to the screen, as though this somehow equates to loyalty to the source material.

Watchmen proved this 100% wrong. Zack Snyder translated the visuals perfectly, no doubt, but had very little, if any understanding of the story and underlying themes within it that makes it so special. Which is why Watchmen is a critical failure.

I believe Webb has a good head on his shoulders in that he's more interested in translating the overall spirit of who Peter Parker is and what Spider-Man means rather than a literal minded visual translation of the comics.

 

[NinjaCarm]

Exactly! before the first spidey movie came out, I dropped my pants long before the movie came out, only to find that I was royally screwed over in every possible way imaginable.

I for one am excited just at the prospect that we're getting a new movie that doesn't involve the contribution of Raimi and his cast of penny-pinching loyalists.

That being said, I'm pleased with what I've seen and know of thus far, although the costume is a minor gripe but not enough to write this movie off.

For now, the observations I've made are essentially what every one here has largely noticed. I like that the characters appear to have a tangible fabric and depth that entices the viewer to observe and emote as opposed to just watching the pictures go by. What's interesting here is, back in 2002 on these very boards when I expressed my discontent with the dialogue and character exchanges at how unnatural the execution and delivery was, I was chastised and needless to say, it spurned countless arguments, flame wars, suspensions and bannings, simply because a minority opinion didn't gel with the rosey-eyed masses of the newly released spider-man movie How times have changed.

Anyway, I think this movie has a lot to draw from. It has the luxury of being the 4th cinematic spidey movie and can draw upon the previous movies' strengths and weaknesses and when compared to the various source material that they're looking at, it helps to give a clearer indication of what is likely to work and what isn't; namely the tone of the movie and the characters themselves.

I think it's important for Peter/Spidey to be realised accurately because it's those two persona's that are at the forefront of being instrumental to the character's popularity and if you remove that, we're left with something empty and almost unrecognisable. However, the balance is important and I think purely based on what I've read from various interviews is something that they've paid quite a bit of attention to in order to prevent the tone of the movie falling into either dark and grim territory and the flip side of runny cheese on toast.

I also think that this movie has a better caliber of actors leading and supporting this movie as a collective than the previous efforts. Someone mentioned the importance and significance of the supporting cast and I agree. I don't get the impression these actors are here to just appear as mere characters but as something more; characters conveying natural sensibilities worth the audience to be invested in and to be compelled by.

I think it's fair to say, although I could be wrong but this movie feels as though it's had the most attention being paid to it.

 

[Billy the Poet]

I like what Webb had to say in this interview:

[YT]sMaWnzT0HeA[/YT]

Basically, he didn't want to do a stylized version of Spider-Man, where he's recreating comic book panels with visual loyalty but he wanted the world that these characters live in, to resemble the world that we see, when we walk out of the theater.

That's perfect because unlike other iconic figures such as Batman or Superman, Spider-Man does live in a real city and Peter is just a regular kid from Queens. If Webb can get the tone and feel of New York City just right, that'll definitely go a long way in selling it.

Webb's got character, which I really respect.

I liked neither 300 nor Sin City. Never could stand direct comic books on big screen and always thought it was a cheap way of adapting the material, reducing the risk.