My review of the Spider-Man films
Spider-Man: This movie is centered on a boy name Peter Parker/Spider-Man who gets spider-like abilities after getting bit by a spider. After experiencing a tragedy, he decides to use his abilities to help others. One day someone called the Green Goblin is wreaking havoc on New York, so Spider-Man has to stop him.
This movie didn't live up to the hype! It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. Besides the origin story, there isn't much going on in the movie beyond Spider-Man trying to stop the Green Goblin. The movie would have ended sooner or been better if the characters were proactive. Some of the dialogue in this movie makes some of the scenes awkward. The tragic thing I mentioned would have worked if it had emotional weight. The character stuff are underwhelming because the movie does the bare minimum with most of them.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man is smart and depressing. This interpretation of the character cramps the movie's tone and atmosphere. What bothers me about this character (Besides him having no reason to be into MJ.) is that the movie doesn't showcase how smart he is. For example, there is a scene where he did something stupid. I don't like how he got bit by the spider I'm going to leave it at that. Plus we don't get to know Peter before he gets his powers. Peter barely jokes when he's Spider-Man when he does it feels tacked on.
I don't have much to say about Uncle Ben and Aunt May because the movie hasn't done much with them.
The Mary Jane in this movie could have been like her comic book counterpart if she was confident. I mean she let her home life affect her moon. It's hard to appreciate her dynamic with Peter because she's the girl next door. Why didn't she talk to him sooner?
Harry Osborn is Peter's best friend who has daddy issues. The only complaint I have with him is that he violated the bro code.
Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin is a businessman who's too busy to be there for his son Harry. He gets overlooked for being sympathetic, but the movie doesn't focus on why we should feel his pain. When he becomes the Green Goblin, he's scary and demented.
With that said this doesn't change the fact that he's a terrible villain. He causes trouble with no rhyme or reason, he does have a goal, but the movie rushed it. I feel bad for saying that because the actor who plays him does an excellent job playing this role, but the character wasn't written well. What annoys me about him is how he become the green goblin was contrived. Also, when the villain is scarier without the costume a redesign is in order.
The movie can be enjoyable with its entertainment value. I like that it sets up conflicts for the next movie plus the opening credits. The City of New York feels like a character itself in this movie. The movie made references to the source marital and I enjoy certain scenes in the movie. J. Jonah Jameson is the best thing in this movie because he feels like a cartoon character. The actor playing him embodied this character.
Overall, this is a stander superhero film that could have been better than it was.
Rating = Rental
Spider-Man 2: This movie takes place two years after the first film and we see how much of a toll being Spider-Man has on Peter. Meanwhile, a scientist is working on an experiment that could endanger the city. So he has to decide if he's going to stay the course or quit being Spider-Man before that can happen.
This movie leaps and bounds over its predecessor! The movie is funnier no thanks to Spider-Man with its gags. I also like the opening credits because it shows us what happens in the previous film which makes this film standalone. The movie recreates some of the scenes in the last movie but they're done differently. What makes this movie stand out is the character stuff, the movie focus on that first and the story second. I'm impress with how this movie manages to balance all of the subplots in this movie, it's done in a way that the movie doesn't feel stuffed. Sacrifice is the theme of this movie, we see characters make sacrifices and deal with the consequences of those choices. This movie took inspiration from Spider-Man no more as you will see for those who read comic books. The train scene is the best scene in this movie! You'll understand why when you see it.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man goes through a trial by fire in this movie. Peter gets pounded in this movie by almost everyone and he's even taunted by the things he wants to the point where you feel like the universe is punishing him. (Peter being taunted by his desires would have been funny if someone was playing MC Hammer's can't touch this in the background.) I'm surprised that the subtitle for this movie wasn't everyone hates Peter if it had one.
To be fair Peter broth some of the misery on himself by making promises he can't keep. It's understandable why he would consider quitting being Spider-Man because his life is going down the toilet because of it. Also quitting is not always a bad thing. What bothers me about this character is that there is a plot point that creates a plot hole. I thought this would lead to something in the next movie but it ends up being a metaphor.
Aunt May is Peter's voice of reason in this movie.
I don't have much to say about Mary Jane in this movie besides her being in a good place in this movie as far as being famous. What annoys me about her is that she did something at the end of the movie that's messed up. Also, the movie doesn't justify why we should care about her and Peter wanting to get together.
Harry Osborn is unstable in this movie. I say that because he's become almost obsessed with Spider-Man and this causes a strain between him and Peter. That's what bugs me about him I understand why he blames Spider-Man for his father's death but that doesn't make him look less irrational about his hate for him.
Dr. Otto Octavius / Dr. Octopus (the main villain.) is a brilliant scientist who's also a tragic character. I say that because awful things happen to him in this movie that causes him to throw caught to the wind to make his experiment work. This is what makes him one of the best bad guys. He's doing this experiment because he believes it will help mankind not because he wants death and destruction. He fights Spider-Man because he's in his way not because he has a grudge against him.
One of the problems I have with this movie is that there is a scene in the movie that feels like it doesn't belong in the film. The conflict between Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus wouldn't exist if ( Censor) with Dr. Octopus. Also, the movie has editing problems.
All in all, this movie deserves to be considered one of the best superhero movies because it breaks away from what these films use to be. If you didn't like the first film I would recommend this.
Rating = Worth Seeing
Intro: This is going to be difficult I mean what can I say about this movie that's already been said?
Spider-Man 3: Peter Parker/Spider-Man is on top of the world in this movie I mean things are working out in his favor for the most part. That change when a symbiote gets on his Spider-Man suit, it enhances his abilities and affects his personality. So Peter have to get rid of the symbiote before it gets too attached to him, plus deal with Harry wanting retribution and a bank robber.
This movie is a prime example of what happens when you try to please everyone you end up pleasing no one. Not splitting this film into two movies was a mistake because the movie tried to do some much that it ends up accomplishing nothing. The movie feels like it's running around in circles, it establishes a plot point and then ignores it for another one. Things wouldn't have played out the way they did if it didn't have a lot of contrives. The movie features two other characters from the Spider-Man comics and they're pointless. I mean one feels like a cameo and the other is there to add drama between the characters.
How the symbiote is introduced in the movie was lazy, I thought it was going to be incorporated the way the animated series did it. The movie doesn't explain how the symbiote works? There is a scene in the movie that's suppose to be funny but it ends up being a distraction because it belongs in a parody. Speaking of parodies there's a fight scene in the movie that's treated as a joke why!?! The movie has another scene that should have been cut out of the movie because it doesn't add anything to the story. I find it hard to believe that Sam Raimi (The director of the last two films.) directed this one because he borrowed elements from the last film and made them worst. The way this movie resolved things was troubling I'll leave it at that.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man feels like the master of the universe in this movie to the point where he kind of lets it go to his head. That's understandable considering how he was treated beforehand. I'm surprised that he wants to take his relationship with MJ to the next level because his money situation hasn't seem to change. What bugs me about this character is when the symbiote attaches itself to Peter it suppose to make him do awful things but most of the things he did are not terrible. Heck, he did more messed up things before the symbiote like not telling "Censor" father and "Censor" MJ. Why is this movie's tagline the battle within if we don't see it?
Mary Jane is unlikeable in this movie, to be fair Peter has a role to play in that. I say that because she being pity, takes jabs about how much money Peter has and when Peter try's to boost her morale she blows him off. Yeah! I can see why Peter wants to put a ring on it Oops! Their relationship is unhealthy because one person is full of himself and the other doesn't talk about her shortcomings in life. MJ needs therapy because her daddy issues will ruin her life.
Harry Osborn got the short end of the stick in this movie and that's saying a lot. His only function in the movie is to seek revenge against Peter for killing his father. I wouldn't have mind that if he was crafty about it. The movie had a chance to do that but didn't take it. What annoys me about him is what happened to him in the climax because he didn't deserve that.
Aunt Mary is awesome as always, she continues to give Peter words of wisdom.
Flint Marko/Sandman (One of the villains.) is not a character in this movie he's an empty vessel. The movie tries to make him sympathetic instead we got a sob story, it's done in a way that's manipulative and offensive to anyone who's in the same situation as Flint. If the writers feel the need to have this guy say he's not a bad person that's not a good sign. How he becomes Sandman will leave you speechless, I hope NASA isn't this careless. What bothers me about this character is how he's connected to Peter's past. I understand why this was done however I would prefer to have Flint do something in the present to get peter's attention instead of shoehorning him in like this. Sandman shouldn't be in the film because he's too powerful for Spider-Man if you ask me.
I'm not happy with what this movie has done with Eddie Brock/Venom, he's a delusional slime ball in this movie. This is a far cry from his characterization from the comics. I know Mr. Raimi doesn't like this character but he could have shown the character enough respect to do him right. He's underdeveloped in this movie and his rivalry with peter is underwhelming.
What I like about this movie is that it can be funny at times. I appreciate this movie tried to deal with the theme of forgiveness despite dropping the ball on that subject. Peter gets to do science stuff in this movie. I feel bad for bashing this movie because it was a victim of studio interference and being overshadowed by its predecessor. However, that doesn't change how the finale produce turned out. If this was two movies instead of one it could have been a great film, but instead, we got this mess of a film. I would recommend this if you like soap operas because this movie reminds me of that.
Rating = Trash
The Amazing Spider-Man: This film is about a boy name Peter Parker/Spider-Man who's an outcast that wants to find out what happened to his parents? He gets sidetracked after getting bitten by a spider that gives him unnatural abilities so he has to deal with them. Meanwhile, a scientist from Oscorp name Dr. Connors is working on a treatment that will benefit humanity. Doing that turns into an issue that will affect the city so Peter have to fix it.
Amazing is the last word I would use to describe this movie! The way this movie was advertised affects my enjoyment of it. For example, this movie ruined the small knives gag it was handled better in the trailer. Also, some scenes were cut out of the film for studio reasons because of that the movie suffered from editing problems. Retelling Peter's origin was almost pointless because A there are parts of it that was handled worse and B the creators could have done a better job at making his origin connected to the overall plot.
Fans are not going to be happy with how the web shooters are incorporated in this movie. The movie makes it seem like Peter is destined to be Spider-Man, if this movie was about destiny, I wouldn't have minded it. This movie focusing on Peter's parents is not enough to call this the untold story. Speaking of that what was the point of having the untold story in the ads if we're not going to see it? The movie tries to separate itself from the first film, but it ends up repeating that film in some aspects. There were two plot points that when nowhere did the writers forget? The movie didn't incorporate the famous line, I understand why the director did it this way however it still could have been put in the movie.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man is a brilliant and troubled young man. I say that because despite having an Aunt and Uncle he feels lost without his parents. What bugs me about him is that once again the movie doesn't display how smart his, when it does it feels tacked on. The writers give this character a lot of traits without flushing them out. Also, he doesn't do a good job at keeping a low profile. Plus he did something to Gwen Stacy that's messed up. Another thing is it me or does his Spider-Man suit look like it was made out of the same material as a basketball?
Aunt May is stern and overprotective.
Uncle Ben is a good male figure in peter's life. You feel his pain I mean he tries his best to help Peter but he can't. He's (censor) may be considered worse depending on who you ask.
Gwen Stacy is a smart girl who's also a daddy's girl. Unlike MJ she isn't helpless. I don't like the romance between her and Peter, they didn't go on a date, they don't have much in common all they want to do is liplock. Heck, they don't talk about science, (That's the reason why they were drawn to each other in the comics.) when Peter says he loves science Gwen's shocked. I get why these two are into each other, but we don't understand why until after the fact.
I don't have much to say about Capt. Stacy, he's a standard by-the-book cop and protective father.
Dr. Connor's/The Lizard (the main villain.) is wasted in this movie. I say that because the writers could have done more with him but they didn't. Seriously what's the point of having him in the movie if he's just going to be a plot device? When he's the Lizard he's forgettable. His plan towers the end of the movie was lame, I know it's in the comics but it doesn't make it better.
I like that Spider-Man is sarcastic in this movie. It sets up a conflict for the next movie. Overall, I don't think this movie was bad I was just let down by it. It looks like it took inspiration from the Ultimate Spider-Man comics but it's not as good as those comics. I would recommend this if you want to see if this is different from the first film.
Rating = Rental
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