Hey guys. I'm a relatively new and inactive member of SHH (school and all) but I'm a huge Spidey fan and after my second viewing of the film (usually need two viewings to take everything in and make an opinion) I've come to the conclusion that... well, I really like the movie. And I know that people either love it or hate it. I think I know why the film is so polarizing.
It's a much different super-hero movie. I don't think everybody "gets" that yet. In fact, with the recent onslaught of super-hero movies, I think that a lot of people have sort of got a subconscious mental check-list for what their prototypical super-hero movie SHOULD be because well, the genre has carved a niche for itself. I think this is especially seen in the marked differences between The Amazing Spider-Man and the just relatively recently released Avengers. People expect spectacle, and almost comic-balloon like wittiness in the dialogue, cameos, stylized set-pieces and well... explosions. And they have a right to, because all of that is awesome. But if that was the benchmark they were holding TAS up against when going to see the movie it's no wonder some people didn't like it. Simply because TAS had very little to none of that. It felt more like a really small character study than a big summer blockbuster in some aspects. Like it was about a kid who was trying to find himself, who's falling in love for the first time; that was the crux of the movie. It just so happened that the kid also became Spider-Man. The superhero theatrics sort of fell secondary to the humanity. There was really no snappy obviously scripted dialogue (i.e. The Avengers' "We need a plan of attack." "I have a plan: attack."). In fact, the dialogue felt natural, unscripted and very believably what people I know would say to each other in real life, which I found very captivating. I felt like I could have known these characters, or walked by them unknowingly on the street.
I get why audiences are split in the middle for this film. I think it's because it took a risk at doing something that didn't fit the preconditions people had for the genre. However, with time and subsequent viewings I believe people will see what the film tried to do and in my opinion succeeded at doing. I'm very much looking forward to TAS 2 and where this contemporary take on Spidey will go next.
But I digress. That's not what this thread is about. It's about what I think the movie's greatest blunder was. And this wasn't even anything in the film itself. I'm talking about the marketing. I admit the first time I saw the film I was a little underwhelmed. It wasn't until my second viewing roughly a week later did I realize why. The film was great. In fact I found the pacing to be good, the characters were all well acted and had their own motivations and character development (even Flash. Holy **** was Flash great in this), and the action was enjoyable (Spidey using his webs functionally and actually moving like... well, a spider). It was the marketing that ruined the initial experience for me, as I suspect it did countless others' experiences. It showed too much. Going in for the first time, all those movie magic moments (Spidey taunting the car-thief, Gwen's "I'm in trouble," the highschool ceiling fight, the climactic tower fall at the end, etc.) that would've been amazing upon first viewing became "oh it's that scene from the trailer." The first time I saw those scenes in the trailers/previews, I was floored by how good they looked and how well Spidey moved and how great the cinematography was. I can only imagine how awesome it would have been seeing those scenes for the first time in the theater. Instead it felt like a bunch of cool scenes that I'd already seen just pasted together in their proper order.
I tested my hypothesis by not watching anything TAS related (no footage, no stills, no trailers) for those few days before going to see it a second time. Seeing the movie as a whole relatively unspoiled was a much more satisfying viewing experience. I'm not saying don't release trailers, just cut it better as to not showcase all of the wow moments. For instance I don't remember the train fight scene being that prominent in the Spider-Man 2 trailers and previews.
What do you guys think?
It's a much different super-hero movie. I don't think everybody "gets" that yet. In fact, with the recent onslaught of super-hero movies, I think that a lot of people have sort of got a subconscious mental check-list for what their prototypical super-hero movie SHOULD be because well, the genre has carved a niche for itself. I think this is especially seen in the marked differences between The Amazing Spider-Man and the just relatively recently released Avengers. People expect spectacle, and almost comic-balloon like wittiness in the dialogue, cameos, stylized set-pieces and well... explosions. And they have a right to, because all of that is awesome. But if that was the benchmark they were holding TAS up against when going to see the movie it's no wonder some people didn't like it. Simply because TAS had very little to none of that. It felt more like a really small character study than a big summer blockbuster in some aspects. Like it was about a kid who was trying to find himself, who's falling in love for the first time; that was the crux of the movie. It just so happened that the kid also became Spider-Man. The superhero theatrics sort of fell secondary to the humanity. There was really no snappy obviously scripted dialogue (i.e. The Avengers' "We need a plan of attack." "I have a plan: attack."). In fact, the dialogue felt natural, unscripted and very believably what people I know would say to each other in real life, which I found very captivating. I felt like I could have known these characters, or walked by them unknowingly on the street.
I get why audiences are split in the middle for this film. I think it's because it took a risk at doing something that didn't fit the preconditions people had for the genre. However, with time and subsequent viewings I believe people will see what the film tried to do and in my opinion succeeded at doing. I'm very much looking forward to TAS 2 and where this contemporary take on Spidey will go next.
But I digress. That's not what this thread is about. It's about what I think the movie's greatest blunder was. And this wasn't even anything in the film itself. I'm talking about the marketing. I admit the first time I saw the film I was a little underwhelmed. It wasn't until my second viewing roughly a week later did I realize why. The film was great. In fact I found the pacing to be good, the characters were all well acted and had their own motivations and character development (even Flash. Holy **** was Flash great in this), and the action was enjoyable (Spidey using his webs functionally and actually moving like... well, a spider). It was the marketing that ruined the initial experience for me, as I suspect it did countless others' experiences. It showed too much. Going in for the first time, all those movie magic moments (Spidey taunting the car-thief, Gwen's "I'm in trouble," the highschool ceiling fight, the climactic tower fall at the end, etc.) that would've been amazing upon first viewing became "oh it's that scene from the trailer." The first time I saw those scenes in the trailers/previews, I was floored by how good they looked and how well Spidey moved and how great the cinematography was. I can only imagine how awesome it would have been seeing those scenes for the first time in the theater. Instead it felt like a bunch of cool scenes that I'd already seen just pasted together in their proper order.
I tested my hypothesis by not watching anything TAS related (no footage, no stills, no trailers) for those few days before going to see it a second time. Seeing the movie as a whole relatively unspoiled was a much more satisfying viewing experience. I'm not saying don't release trailers, just cut it better as to not showcase all of the wow moments. For instance I don't remember the train fight scene being that prominent in the Spider-Man 2 trailers and previews.
What do you guys think?
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. The car is unlocked while waiting for the valet to pick it up. As some point between the hand off, Spidey uses his speed and agility to quickly slip in unnoticed (city streets are loud, so a car door shutting quietly can go unnoticed). Spidey waits for the valet to park the car and leave before sitting up and waiting for the thief to get in.
I can't hear the word "blunder" without thinking of that scene. 
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