One of the first positive reviews I read about this film was that its a Saturday-morning cartoon come to life. This review came back to me on my way home from viewing The Amazing Spider-man 2 in Imax 3D. Ive sat and thought about it, and I completely agree. Its a pure throwback, with more camp than youre probably expecting
but it works.
I want to talk about something I believe hasnt been stressed enough: weve all wanted to see a true representation of this guy on the screen for years. Weve had impressions of him, teasing us, making us want the real thing for once. We have him now, your friendly, adorable, chatty, Spider-Man. Andrew Garfield mentioned Bugs Bunny as a source of inspiration, and you cant ignore it. Hes all over the place, hyperactive, letting on to people on the street, high-fiving firemen, unbelievably animated in how he talks and his gestures. Some of that will be the suit. Its a beauty--blending with the cgi much better than previous suits. Its just Spider-Man from start to finish. From his first swing, to his knock on the trucks window, I knew it. Up there with the best iterations of comic book characters that has ever been brought to screen. This is a Spider-Man film, and he owns it in every way.
This Spider-Man is so good, in fact, that you would be excused for overlooking the films shortcomings. Lets get those out of the way. Ive got two things:
First, the villains, namely Jamie Fox. This guy, hes either a comedic genius, or hes brain-dead and trying for an Oscar. Ive mentioned that this is a cartoon come to life? Well, other than Spidey being bright and colourful, bouncing around, talking, just being f***ing awesome every single time hes on the screen, another reason youll feel like youve just had a facial from Scooby Doo is Jamie Fox/Max Dillon/Sparkles. Just what the actual f***? Mr Fox, could you have played this part a little more over the top? I literally laughed every single time he was on screen. All da cameras are pointing at me and I am SO not invisible. Pleez a just want to be special! Campest portrayal of a Spidey villain ever, in future or past. There is no beating this mofo. Some serious effort has been made to deliver something so extremely concentrated. O, and Harry turns into the Goblin and its
okay. Not bad, not great. You already know how you feel about Rhino because youve pretty much seen it all. Anyone complaining about there being too many villains is having a laugh. Theres barely one between the three of them.
Second, the middle bit. Its probably a good job the film slows down for ten or so minutes, because its ripping along, so the pacing isnt too much of an issue for me, but sorry, gotta say it: tonal shift. You see, other than this ten minute interval, the film is its own thing. The films 90% live action cartoon, and that other 10% happens halfway through the film and is a sequel to The Untold Story. So a little bit jarring, but the things we were expecting to happen, happens, and its resolved nicely and now we can get back to watching The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Needless to say then, that Im not saying this films strengths are in its villains. Theyre workable, though. Its very much a love story, and like many great Spidey stories the villains sometimes do have to take a backseat. Its not about the villain getting the thing thatll blow the thing up. Sure, that happens, but thats not the story. Thats an obstacle for the story. Its the thing thats getting in the way. I believe the focus was in the right place. Thank f*** for that, Mr Fox. Thank f*** you had the greatest love story in comic book movie history to help distract from your amazingly over-the-top, scenery-licking, mid-life-wtf performance of your career. I love it, its so bad.
Ill leave him alone now, poor bastard. Ill leave him alone because even THAT performance cant turn me off from this film. Like I said, one of the greatest iterations of a superhero on screen, ever. The greatest comic book romance/relationship to ever grace the screen. Emmas as great as you can imagine, but it was Andrew who really blew me away. I wasnt overjoyed with his PP last time, but this time hes pretty much perfect--very likeable, charming, and you can just see it in him: hes a good man. So apart from that 10% TASM sequel-vibe, this film is a pure mix of the 90s cartoon and Spectacular Spider-Man. And even the worst thing about the film, Jamie Fox, works for it and I dont know why.
A breath of fresh air. A pure comic book film--goofy, heart-warming, daring, vibrant, emotional. Today Im a happy Spidey fan. My favourite film of the five. They cant even compete, and its all down to the title character, The Amazing Spider-Man. Its not a perfect film, but within the film is perfection.
8.5/10