The Amazing Spider-Man The Lizard - How does he compare with Spidey's other onscreen adversaries?

[Picard Sisko]

I disagree, but to each his own.

 

[Oscorp]

If they saved Lizard for a sequel, they could have really made him a deep character, introduce his family, and make longer action scenes. Didn't Connors have a wedding ring on his finger?

They could have at least showed his wife answering the door and saying "Curt, there is a boy named Peter here to see you" and just have her walk away, and show him interacting with his son Billy, maybe helping with his homework. So perhaps later in the film the Lizard would be going after his own family and Spider-Man would have to stop him.

That would have been a really smart way to short but effectively show his family!

The problem would be though that if that's the only scene with them, you'd later think "hey what the hell happened to them?" and be another unresolved subplot.

 

[Picard Sisko]

That would have been a really smart way to short but effectively show his family!

The problem would be though that if that's the only scene with them, you'd later think "hey what the hell happened to them?" and be another unresolved subplot.

Well that's why I had mentioned that Lizard would be going after his family later in the film. I understand what you are saying though, because it could have felt like Sandman's daughter in Spider-Man 3. You see her once and that's it. Here, they could have easily involved his wife and son throughout the film.

 

[Moony_Girl13]

If they saved Lizard for a sequel, they could have really made him a deep character, introduce his family, and make longer action scenes. Didn't Connors have a wedding ring on his finger?

They could have at least showed his wife answering the door and saying "Curt, there is a boy named Peter here to see you" and just have her walk away, and show him interacting with his son Billy, maybe helping with his homework. So perhaps later in the film the Lizard would be going after his own family and Spider-Man would have to stop him.

He did very obviously have a wedding ring on in the scene where he's pretending he has two arms using his reflection in the glass. And I had definitely been expecting to see Billy at least show up some time during the scene where Peter visits Connors at home, but once he didn't, I think I figured he must have been written out despite being cast :|

The problem would be though that if that's the only scene with them, you'd later think "hey what the hell happened to them?" and be another unresolved subplot.

According to an interview with the kid who had been cast as Billy -- I don't have the link on-hand now, but it's in the deleted scenes thread somewhere -- it sounds like they did film a scene with him and Martha visiting Curt at the mental institution, presumably in the aftermath of the finale, obviously. Along with several other scenes with Billy, but it's not clear what exactly.

 

[Spidey_62]

According to an interview with the kid who had been cast as Billy -- I don't have the link on-hand now, but it's in the deleted scenes thread somewhere -- it sounds like they did film a scene with him and Martha visiting Curt at the mental institution, presumably in the aftermath of the finale, obviously. Along with several other scenes with Billy, but it's not clear what exactly.

Argh, that really sucks. I don't get why they'd cut out some of these character developing moments that would have fleshed Connors out some more.

 

[cobrastatus]

As far as visually on-screen and in motion I'd rank the enemies as follows:

The Lizard
Sandman
Ock
Harry/New Goblin
Venom
GG

 

[Picard Sisko]

Now this reminds me of Spider-Man 3 (though I don't think the deleted scenes hurt this film nearly as much as SM3). However, Spider-Man 3 is part of a dead franchise, so I guess they felt no reason to release a director's cut. With TASM being the start of a fresh new franchise, it is even more possible that we will get a director's cut Blu ray.

 

[Oscorp]

Well that's why I had mentioned that Lizard would be going after his family later in the film. I understand what you are saying though, because it could have felt like Sandman's daughter in Spider-Man 3. You see her once and that's it. Here, they could have easily involved his wife and son throughout the film.

Gah, I didn't read carefully, my bad! Yeah, Lizard going after his family would be awesome and better than trying to turn everyone into lizards if you ask me.

What if his goal would be to turn his family only into lizards? Could be quite interesting.

 

[The Joker]

Having just seen the movie, I enjoyed The Lizard but I wish he had been given a more interesting plan than just turning everyone into lizard people. Ifans was good but he wasn't on the level of Alfred Molina, who is still the best actor to do a villain in a Spidey movie, IMO.

It was a pretty intricate, well designed suit. The mask was good, ditto the glider and his weaponry.

Glider and weaponry yes, but not the suit. It still looked like a cheap halloween costume. Not military high tech armor.

Ock's arms was a visual treat. His trenchcoat was pretty boring. I don't think one really has the edge over the other designwise.

The trenchcoat was brilliant in it's simplicity. It made him look bad ass, combined with the shades and the arms.

"Butterfingers" is a great quote?

Are you serious?

Deadly serious. Especially in the context it was used in; dropping Aunt May off a building like a dead weight.

It's incrediby cheesy, average dialogue, as are lines like "She'll be just fine", "let's talk" and "You have a train to catch". The last one is a pun.

You're entitled to your opinion, The Guard. After all the itsy bitsy spider lines and we'll meet again enthrall you and creep you out

Your standards of good villain dialogue are clearly on a different wavelength to mine.

I prefer my villains to not sound like Saturday morning cartoon villains. "No one says no to me!!!!".

*Cringe*

And these are hardly all their lines of dialogue. The Goblin in general has more interesting exchanges, dialogue that explores the nature of heroism/villainy better, and is just generally a more sadistic and interesting villain characterization, thanks in part to the multiple personalities and those exchanges.

His exchanges all hinged on speeches about being a hero. They were repetitive and unworthy of the Goblin, who was never interested in making Spider-Man join him.

Octavius's best dialogue and character moments come in his talk with Peter Parker, and his call and response line, "The power of the sun in the palm of my hand". For the entire rest of the film, his dialogue is basically just exposition, as he's talking about his plan, or he's talking to his limbs, or the dialogue itself is just very, very average point A to point B stuff.

Every moment with Ock is a joy. The only two lines that made me cringe from his mouth was the "Noooooooooo" after he awakes in the hospital, and the "Nothing will stand in our way. NOTHING!!!" line.

Apart from that his lines were Shakespeare compared to Gobby's cheesy rants.

Oh, and let's not forget the untentionally silliest line ever.

"I will not die a monster!"

(He said, dying a monster)

I get what they're going for, but it always makes me giggle.

That makes you giggle, but Goblin singing itsy bitsy spider, or the we'll meet again line sounding like some Saturday morning cartoon villain creeps you out.

That notion makes me giggle

 

[roach]

yeah Lizard's intentions were all over the place. First he didn't want them to test the serum on vets and then he's trying to cover the city in it.

I think GG had the best motivation of the movie villains. He was bat@#$% crazy. He unlocked a dark side in himself and we saw how that effected him. Sure he drew the short end of the stick in terms of costume but he was a truly terrifying villain. He discovered Peter was Spider-man and used that info to attack Peter's loved ones.
Lizard discovered Peter was Spider-man and attacked the school and then that was it.

 

[FrostBite]

I have no idea what species Connors used for his experiment, but many lizards do love water: iguanas, basilisks, some monitors... not to mention the water dragons.

True dat, but again, shiny moist skin doesn't relate to any lizard (that I know, feel free to correct me). In fact, the special effects team has actually commented on whether or not they should give him any attributes of frogs or not.

"The process began with taking a look at what kind of lizard we wanted him to be," Chen told MTV News. "What kind of reptile is he? Is he a komodo dragon, which has a dryer look with different types of scales? Is he an iguana? Is he a chameleon? Is he some type of frog? We looked at all types of creatures."

Even further they said they deliberately made his skin amphibious saying "who knows what he mixed in?" But if I am not mistaken (and I may be) he specifically talks about using lizard DNA and no other creatures. I think I remember a mention of a pet iguana (as you mentioned), but I cannot be sure. I know this shouldn't bug me considering we're talking about a movie where a kid can jump off of a skyscraper unscathed due to a radioactive spider-bite. ...But it's really irking me that everything about Conners from a character standpoint was just kind of thrown in there.

This villain deserved more.

 

[Picard Sisko]

Green Goblin was just awesome. I loved his offer to Spider-Man in the first movie. I don't care how cheesy it is.

 

[Doctor Jones]

His offer makes sense. His plan to get Spider-Man to join him. It again, reflects the philosophy Uncle Ben had but Peter won't join because of what he learned from him. Norman/Goblin wanted to be this father figure but Uncle Ben was already his father figure. His speech about him and Spider-Man being exceptionable was excellent.

"Here's the real truth. There are eight million people in this city. And each one of them are here for the sole purpose of lifting the exceptional few onto their shoulders. You and me? We're exceptional."

Did Lizard have any dialogue like that? I mean can anyone really say any memorable lines of dialogue from the Lizard? All he said was "Peter Parker" in some variation or just cliched villain dialogue. It just made him feel like a two dimensional villain to me.

 

[Doctor Jones]

But Lizard is such a cool villain and he got shafted for the origin.

I think the best way still would have been to have the Lizard be a monster with half-intelligence/memories trying to cure himself while being hunted by Kraven. Thus Spidey has to save Lizard as they're friends (and for Curt's family) from himself and Kraven while also becoming a target of Kraven's to bury alive.

Oh well. I doubt Lizard will be used again in a movie, so I have to settle with what I got in this one.

That sentence was better than what we got in this movie from the Lizard. He's already more interesting.

It's so unbelievably, ridiculously forced. It's the perfect example of "tell, don't show" film-making.

It really showed off the NYC locale, which I really loved. Just people all different with their opinions on this new occurance. I mean weird **** goes on in NY all the time, so it was kind of cool to show the New Yorkers reaction to him. Just to see how people thought of him. Plus it was a cool build up to Jameson's slam on him.

 

[bullets]

Doc Ock
Green Goblin
Harry/New Goblin
Lizard
Sandman
Venom

 

[DACrowe]

It's so unbelievably, ridiculously forced. It's the perfect example of "tell, don't show" film-making.

Didn't TASM have a montage? I've only seen it once but I thought the whole sequence between his first night out after Ben's killer to Stacy chasing him swinging through the city to his buying the costume was one long montage. There was no "interviews" with everyday New Yorkers, but they both used the montage in that sense.

Not criticizing TASM, just thought they both had similar sequences.

 

[Eddie Brock]

Didn't TASM have a montage? I've only seen it once but I thought the whole sequence between his first night out after Ben's killer to Stacy chasing him swinging through the city to his buying the costume was one long montage. There was no "interviews" with everyday New Yorkers, but they both used the montage in that sense.

Not criticizing TASM, just thought they both had similar sequences.

TASM definitely had a montage, but it wasn't the montage aspect in SM1 that bothered me. It was the random, documentary-style interviews with New Yorkers of all shapes and colors. At the time, I thought it was funny, but when I watch it again I'm just... ugh.

"Guy with eight hands? Sounds hot."

 

[AnneFan]

Having just seen the movie, I enjoyed The Lizard but I wish he had been given a more interesting plan than just turning everyone into lizard people. Ifans was good but he wasn't on the level of Alfred Molina, who is still the best actor to do a villain in a Spidey movie, IMO.

Full agreement with all of that.

 

[Leenie]

Worst villain in a Spider-Man movie, in my opinion ... And I'm only saying this because if the movie had given Dr. Connors any depth, then The Lizard could have EASILY become one of the best villains on screen. This movie completely and utterly dropped the ball on this one, and I'm so ticked off about it because Lizard is one of my all-time favorite comic book villains. What wasted potential ...

I don't think that Rhys Ifans had much to work with at all, so I'm not holding anything against him.

 

[Picard Sisko]

Worst villain in a Spider-Man movie, in my opinion ... And I'm only saying this because if the movie had given Dr. Connors any depth, then The Lizard could have EASILY become one of the best villains on screen. This movie completely and utterly dropped the ball on this one, and I'm so ticked off about it because Lizard is one of my all-time favorite comic book villains. What wasted potential ...

I don't think that Rhys Ifans had much to work with at all, so I'm not holding anything against him.

Rhys Ifans did the best with what he was given, and I applaud him for his performance. However, I don't feel that the Lizard was the worst villain despite having the most wasted potential. I'd choose him over Sandman or Venom any day.

 

[Project862006]

TASM definitely had a montage, but it wasn't the montage aspect in SM1 that bothered me. It was the random, documentary-style interviews with New Yorkers of all shapes and colors. At the time, I thought it was funny, but when I watch it again I'm just... ugh.

"Guy with eight hands? Sounds hot."

did'nt avengers do same thing?

 

[Gianakin_]

Not even the same thing. You can compare the SM1 thing to Pirates Dead Man's Chest, where Bloom is looking for Depp.

 

[psylockolussus]

I don't get why people think ASM is the best Spider-Man movie while it has the weakest villain in a Spider-Man movie ever! At least we got to know Sandman's backstory but Lizard? Okay we know he worked with Spidy's father, Spidy helped him because of it and he got fired because he wasn't finished with the cure yet. But there was no depth whatsoever and I don't get why he suddenly saved Peter's life when Peter just beat him.

 

[El Payaso]

I don't get why people think ASM is the best Spider-Man movie while it has the weakest villain in a Spider-Man movie ever! At least we got to know Sandman's backstory but Lizard? Okay we know he worked with Spidy's father, Spidy helped him because of it and he got fired because he wasn't finished with the cure yet. But there was no depth whatsoever and I don't get why he suddenly saved Peter's life when Peter just beat him.

I'm sorry but all we know about Sandman is that he has an ill daughter. And we're reminded of that dozens of time by: 1) opening that little picture box and 2) having the very same sad music.

If for knowing about the character we know much more about Connors.

 

[Picard Sisko]

I don't think Lizard is the weakest of all villains *cough* Venom *cough Sandman *cough

But the reason why people like the movie is not for the villain, but the way Peter Parker is portrayed, and the chemistry between him and his family, Gwen Stacy, and Dr. Connors. Everything else worked. Batman Begins didn't have a strong villain, but it was considered the best Batman movie in 2005 before TDK.