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John Ary On THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!!
John Ary here with a look at Spidey's latest swing through your friendly neighborhood mutliplex.
The Amazing Spider-Man is a mixed bag with the perfect lead in Andrew Garfield, great emotional hero sequences, way too much exposition to setup future sequels and a bad guy that doesn't really connect.
Here's my review...
It opens Tuesday in wide release. Special thanks to the Alamo Drafthouse for letting me shoot this at one of their Austin locations. For more video reviews, features, and exclusive content, subscribe to our Youtube channel and follow me on Twitter.
Readers Talkback
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I blame the Nolanverse. <p> Hate the spinners, dont get me wrong I like that Peter makes the web-shooters but the LEDs and the way they dont blend into the outfit sucks. Oh well , mattel (or whoever) gotta eat! stooopid kids and toys.
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From the previews ( and from reading these reviews), it sounds like Andrew Garfield is a lot of fun, but damn, I just don't want to sit through another first or second act that rehashes this character's origin yet again. It's also what has me worried ( well one of the several things) about the Man of Steel movie. These are well known pop culture icons at this point. WE don't need to be reintroduced to their fucking origins yet again. Why not just an exended opening credit that gives us the readers digest version then just go into the story?
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Don't mind recasting but would have preferred they continued the series instead of a reboot, totally unnecessary.
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I'm not going to waste my time watching some half-assed video review.
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...we have to hurt the boxoffice..otherwise we will never see spidey in the marvel studioverse. nobody is exited about this anyway. be strong ,wait for the DVD. (or torrent, like i will)
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We've only been saying this since we found out it's another origin story. Then all the trailers confirmed as much.
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I'll let that determine whether on not I see this.
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Please stop doing them. Everyone. Except maybe RLM.
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June 29, 2012, 8:26 a.m. CST
These video reviews are better than the crap they write here.
by knowthyself
Admit it.
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www.youtube/vulturess/canttypehersmycomment
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June 29, 2012, 8:38 a.m. CST
FUCK THESE VIDEO REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Simpsonian
so is it thumbs up or down? no way in fuck i'm watching this review.
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transcript
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June 29, 2012, 8:42 a.m. CST
Pornhub changed their rules today and now we can only watch 5 pornos a day on mobile devices
by ajit maholtra
:(((((
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June 29, 2012, 8:45 a.m. CST
What - you need more "The World Needs A Hero" set-piece speeches?
by venvariants
Give me a break. This is going to be so much better than Raimi's films, it's ridiculous.
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John, I've been wading through so many positive reviews praising the script and villain and after seeing a preview screening in the UK a week or so ago, I was starting to think I'd been in such a bad mood when I saw the movie that I'd been unfairly critical of it. You review chimes precisely with how I felt about it. The lack of sense/clarity of the Lizard's motivation. The front heavy exposition with the presumption that audiences are happy to wait three years for the next movies pay off. The great casting and the perfected Spidey web-slinging scenes which were the too infrequesnt highlight of the movie. Thank you for making me feel like I'm not the only party pooper on 'The Amazing Spideman' parade.
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Anytime I see a video review on here I simply just shut down the tab. I'm yet to watch a single video review on AICN, I just can't be fucked watching them, especially if I'm in a hurry and want to be able to just skim-read something.
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June 29, 2012, 8:52 a.m. CST
'too much exposition to setup future sequels and a bad guy that doesn't really connect' Thats Hollywood 2012 all over.
by harryknowlesnothingaboutfilm
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So far, this is shaping up exactly as I thought...
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June 29, 2012, 8:54 a.m. CST
Haters deman more from the products they`re offered. `Lovers`? accept the drivel that`s fed to them.
by higgledyhiggles
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but video is the medium that I have chosen to use. I'm trying to fill a niche on the site as most of the other contributors are strictly writers. It is not my intention to alienate AICN readers. My video reviews are meant to document my immediate reaction after seeing the movie and I feel that impact would be somewhat negated by a direct transcription. Also, it would be pretty painful to read. If I were to sit down and write out a review to accompany the video, there wouldn't be much reason to make the video. Again, I'm not meaning to annoy anyone. That's just how I've chosen to communicate my thoughts.
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I agree with John. Here is my detailed review http://thecrat.com/movie-reviews/the-amazing-spider-man-review-by-adam/
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Some of the very same people who championed Marc Webb's 'Amazing Spider-Man' back in 2012 (by attacking Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' films rather than actually championing the things that looked good about Marc Webb's 'Amazing Spider-Man') are currently engaged in battle with nay-sayers of the upcoming reboot, 'Spectacular Spider-Man'. Looking forward to the soon-to-be-released movie, these once-proud Webb-heads defend the "awesome" trailers of 'Spectacular Spider-Man' by attacking the older, "shitty" Marc Webb 'Amazing Spider-Man' they once favoured, the one that got so many things wrong compared with this super, new vision of Spider-Man...
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High-five!
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June 29, 2012, 8:59 a.m. CST
I noticed the Lizard is also appearing on Teen Wolf for some bizarre cross-promotion.
by MST3KPIMP
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June 29, 2012, 9:03 a.m. CST
I`m waiting for the anti-gritty rebooting revolution where everything becomes a zany cartoon. Joel Schumacher is waiting behind the scenes.
by higgledyhiggles
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if you're not excited for it then why the fuck are you giving money to the machine cranking this bullshit out?
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like a real man?
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...that on Rotten Tomatoes there was an early batch of positive reviews (mostly from the UK) that had this in the 90% range, but then several days later the rest poured in and now it's in the 70% range? Did Sony pad the early reviews? The % average is decent enough, but not really when you compare the scores to the first two Spidey films and The Avengers. I like Marc Webb, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, but my main grip with ASM (beyond the WTF bizarre changes to the costume) is that Peter Parker isn't a brooding skateboarder who obsesses over his parents' deaths.
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June 29, 2012, 9:30 a.m. CST
can we have another image of energy clouds emenating from a skyscraper...again?
by zom-bot.com
hollywood: been flogging that dead horse since after ghostbusters. also the whole 'i'm going to transform/destroy all of new york! muhahahahaha! schtick.
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I'll see it as a rental, but would have much rather seen Macguire's Spidey continue, especially if there was a possibility of him joining the rest of the cinematic Marvel-verse. That would have been huge.
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says it's the second best of the spider-man movies.
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The physics don't seem right for the Lizard. He is supposed to weigh a ton. Sometimes he looks heavy and lumbering. Other times he's jumping around the screen, moving 80 mph, looking light as a feather. Also there is a disconnect whenever he appears on screen with Spider-Man. Spidey looks real. Lizard looks CG'ed. It took me out of the moment. Finally, his voice is practically the same whether in Lizard form or human form. Wouldn't the extra body mass while in Lizard form make Dr. Connors voice considerably deeper? I'm no herpetologist, but the Lizard doesn't work very well.
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June 29, 2012, 9:43 a.m. CST
harryknowlesnothingaboutfilm - how incisive I can tell you were a writer with that pithy comment - got any thing else to read that you wrote for AICN- other than your posts? that would be cool to read...
by Michael Lunney
harryknowlesnothingaboutfilm - how incisive- I can tell you were a writer with that pithy comment - got anything else to read that you wrote for AICN- other than your posts? that would be cool to read...
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June 29, 2012, 9:48 a.m. CST
so, you guys think you can make it a bomb by not seeing it and the rights will revert to Marvel? - pretty funny stuff - And all the people crying plant whenever anyone likes a movie? You children need to stop playing with dead things, and grow up....
by Michael Lunney
You children need to stop playing with dead things, and grow up....
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We should be thankful that we get paint by number, character defiling dreck? I guess this would be considered an era of wonder to someone who's never seen a movie before or heard about what a movie is. I'm not wasting time with it even when it hits cable.
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Typically the internet has a general love/hate consensus for something like this. Doesn't bode well for a monster opening.
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...it will get rebooted YET AGAIN
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June 29, 2012, 10 a.m. CST
i'm not going to see it, but I'm not recommending a boycott or anything.
by zom-bot.com
nothing about anything I've seen does anything for me...and it's as simple as that. Nothing about the trailers or promo for it got me interested in it. I'll see it when it's a rental or on netflix on some bored sick day out of morbid curiosity maybe..and maybe by then the next one will be coming out and looks better to me. but i'm not going to say i think it sucks or i hope it bombs or that your opinion is worthless because you liked what you saw. Sony just won't get my $10 (or whatever) is all, and I'm fine with making that statement of inactivity. In the long run it probably won't matter because they'll get repeat viewings from some of you, so....
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June 29, 2012, 10:07 a.m. CST
Not seeing it on principle. I still can't believe this is happening. It's like a nightmare I can't wake up from.
by bat725
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Are there any iconic shots/scenes in the film on par with upside Spidey kissing Mary Jane? To me, those iconic moments are incredibly important to a superhero film. Superman, for example, has several. So anything like that in the new Spiderman film?
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June 29, 2012, 10:13 a.m. CST
John- do they explain the shoes? are they engineered to wall climb?
by zom-bot.com
or are they just bad design?
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June 29, 2012, 10:16 a.m. CST
"WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER ORIGIN TALE" geeks amuse me.
by Half-Baked-Goggle-Box-Do-Gooder
Like most religious fanatics, they don't like to be reminded that not everybody knows and accepts the sacred texts the same way as they do, because it reminds them that they'll have a harder time convincing the unbelievers that theirs is the CORRECT faith.
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It makes me laugh that some talkbackers really think that they have any influence on whether this movie bombs or not. You are a fucking tiny tiny insignificant percentage, compared to the general movie going public. Just keep dreaming that you have any sort of power, while i will carry on laughing when Spiderman easily makes over 100m opening weekend.
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There are two scenes that feel classic. Spider-man saves a young boy from a car dangling off a bridge and a bunch of average joes help Spidey towards the end. Both of these were phenomenal and rivaled any of the emotional high's set by Raimi's films. Also, nothing felt closer to the tone and character from the comics than the car burglar scene. Spidey taunting petty criminals makes for entertaining cinema.
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No shoe explanation here.
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June 29, 2012, 10:30 a.m. CST
I'm listening to the opinion of a grown man whose favorite adjective is "awesome."
by Gabe Athouse
I need to rethink my life.
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June 29, 2012, 10:31 a.m. CST
Mcgootoo - I can tell your not a writer. Obviously.
by harryknowlesnothingaboutfilm
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June 29, 2012, 10:32 a.m. CST
thanks for participating in the blogs, john - demand that you get a black box when you do
by zom-bot.com
your vids have become the stronger elements of the site, even though I may have given you stink about toy reviews in the past. you're well spoken and concise. you actually explain why something works and why it doesn't, and you don't drag your childhood or health problems into the forefront of the review. ;)
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June 29, 2012, 11:13 a.m. CST
So pretty much this is only worthy of a Netflix rental then?
by DanielnocharismaCraig
That's the vibe I'm getting from this movie. I just can't see plunking down thirteen dollars for a mediocre reboot with yet another origin story. This is a big reason why Hollywood is tanking my friends. High ticket and concession stand prices combined with the studio's greenlighting mediocre products at best for mass marketing.
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June 29, 2012, 11:15 a.m. CST
So it's pretty much one step removed from Movie Of The Week on Siffy
by cozy
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...even if they're horrible, you'll still enjoying it no matter what. jk
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June 29, 2012, 11:53 a.m. CST
"Please nobody say they're not going to see this. It's a Spider-Man movie!!!"
by buggerbugger
I'm not going to see this. I never saw 'Spider-Man 3' at the cinema, either. Having 'Spider-Man' in the title doesn't guarantee my money being thrown at it. No, I'll eventually see it on TV for free.
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June 29, 2012, 11:55 a.m. CST
can we have another image of energy clouds emenating from a skyscraper...again?
by zom-bot.com
hollywood: been flogging that dead horse since after ghostbusters. also the whole 'i'm going to transform/destroy all of new york! muhahahahaha! schtick.
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June 29, 2012, 11:57 a.m. CST
Did you assholes ever consider that there are kids who weren't even born when the first one came out who might get a kick out of seeing the origin on the big screen?
by seymour_scagnetti
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is those kids would be too young to appreciate the dark gritty tone of this remake. A somber tone does not a good Spidey movie make.
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June 29, 2012, 12:19 p.m. CST
sergeantstedenko, do we know for sure that the film is as somber as the trailers indicate?
by P
I mean, it certainly looks Fincher-lite, but I'm wondering if it has it's more colorful, goofy moments too. Hard to get a read on that even from the reviews.
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June 29, 2012, 12:25 p.m. CST
Oh Mr Ary, you really are spoiling us this week with your silky smooth tones
by Talkbacker with no name
which I've made my ring tone
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June 29, 2012, 12:28 p.m. CST
Oh please, I think their little eyes will be fine.
by seymour_scagnetti
Because no kids liked the first Turtles movie, right?
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So, I should expect to see this story told, what, 15, 20 more times before I die? Can't wait for the musical version (of the origin story) when Spider-Man is swingin' and SINGIN' from the rooftops!!
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June 29, 2012, 12:46 p.m. CST
I saw it! its a hell of alot better than the tobey maguire ones
by Kal-EL84
Andrew Garfield is awesome as spiderman, has alot of emotion and character, they have really dialed in on the spiderman special effects, they look amazing! This film had to have been cut because of time, it gets you asking questions, and then never answers them. you will know the questions when you see it. STAY TO THE END OF THE CREDITS!. PS. All i see is The Lizard standing outside Notting Hill Flexing
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Anne Curry can do a better job, let's hire her. She's not doing anything now.
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June 29, 2012, 1:31 p.m. CST
seymour_scagnetti lots of kids werent around for lots of things
by walt
should we reboot the entire universe?
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they dont own the rights and you arent the target audience...girls are thats why webb was hired...he is good at chick flick shit
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It seems people who have been bitching about the Rami movies and saying that "finally we'll have a version of Spidey that's true to the comics (organic web shooters, more wisecracks!) are going to be disappointed. Yes, we have Casio webshooters and more snide remarks, but even the positive reviews are saying most of the "humor" falls flat. Also, while they've added those two elements, they've changed around the origin, tied it to Pete's dad, got rid of the wrestling thing in favor of a store robbery, completely ignored JJ Jameson's existence and made Pete to be the hippest skateboarding nerd this side of Glee. I may see this. After Avengers, I just don't thing it's going to be anything but a letdown. I'm really just killing time until The Dark Knight Rises.
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if you're the kind of idiot who labels themselves a "geek" then yes you are the target audience.. and also the reason this film, aimed at people like you, will suck balls. waltkovacs - pretty sure wookie is a girl actually, not that it matters.
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June 29, 2012, 3 p.m. CST
I'll rent the Blu-ray in December. I predict an 80 million weekend.
by Quake II
And the movie will drop to 30 million next weekend. This will do "ok" box office but will not come close to making Spider-Man 2 money. I wouldn't be suprised if it only makes 60 million. I don't know anyone who is really excited about this film. All my friends are waiting for Dark Knight Rises. Teen angst superhero stories really only appeal to children and teens. I'll take Tony Stark, Steve Rogers or Bruce Wayne any day of the week.
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The Avengers pretty much cleaned up, redefined the superhero genre and broke records. A rehashed Spider-Man movie released THIS summer jammed in between Avengers and Dark Knight Rises is a terrible move. Whether it's great or not I think most people just don't care about a Spider-Man origin story movie version 2.0. Oddly enough I would pay 30 bucks to see Dredd right now but I wouldn't even sneak into a Spidey screening.
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June 29, 2012, 9:15 p.m. CST
Whoever thought making the Lizard look like Barry Bonds with a tail...
by Boober
is dumb as sh!t. The Lizard is not an effing 8 ft tall He-Man/Masters of the Universe action toy.
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June 29, 2012, 9:18 p.m. CST
And Peter Parker is not a mousse-douche from an Axe Commercial...
by Boober
who looks like he is 30 years old as a junior in High School...But keep on looking the other way "True Believers"! With great ignorance comes greater crap from Hollywood! Marvel would hit this out of the park because, low and behold, they can actually stick to what made Spiderman successful in the first place.
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June 30, 2012, 5:52 a.m. CST
re: kids "who might get a kick out of seeing the origin on the big screen"
by buggerbugger
That's just it, though. They're **not** getting to see the origin on the big screen. They're getting some pointless bastardization of the origin on the big screen. Sure, the majority of adaptations are bastardizations to some degree or another, but this one sounds like more of a bastard than most. Peter becomes Spidey after looking into his Dad's Secret Origin and accidentally triggering something in his own DNA that his Dad's Secret Origin is responsible for. So Spidey's origin, his powers: All to do with Dad's Secret Origin. He gains the ability to shoot his trademarked webbing because he illicitly procures it from the company that owns the patent for it thanks to its link with Dad's Secret Origin. So Spidey's web-slinging ability: All to do with Dad's Secret Origin. Peter blames himself for Uncle Ben's murder because, um, Uncle Ben gets involved in a grocery store hold-up and tries to wrestle the gun from the criminal's possession. Peter is elsewhere, probably skateboarding or something. He thinks the new Green Day album rocks. Damn you, Uncle Ben, for interrupting my Green Day experience! I... don't remember any of that shit happening in Spider-Man's origin. No, 'Ultimate Spider-Man' doesn't count. That comic amounted to guys being given the keys to the toy chest and being allowed to rearrange the toys in ever-more ludicrous poses. "Wouldn't it be awesome if Gwen Stacy and Venom and the Spider-Clones--" No. No, it wouldn't, actually. It would be the 'Star Wars' prequels, where every single character turned out to be neighbours of one another on Tatooine.
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June 30, 2012, 2:15 p.m. CST
Kids don't really give a shit about origins, re-boots or most of the shit we bitch about.
by adeceasedfan
They just care about Spider-Man fighting bad guys and winning. Btw Sony. My 7 yr old and his buddies have been calling this Spider-Man 4. You should have too.
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it wasn't really good. It wasn't bad either. Very mediocre. I really liked the new cast and thought the Gwen/Peter relationship was done great. The same I would say for every aspect of the film that hasn't anything to do with superheroics or action. That was all fine. I liked Peter, I really liked the way he discovers his powers, I liked Gwens Dad and his story arc, I liked the new genius Peter who build his own web shooters, I liked the brigde scene where he saves that id from the car. But everything else was... just... meh. The action scenes (apart from the bridge scene and the first experiments with his new spidey powers) were all crappy. I mean, like Van Hugh Jackman Helsing crappy. Two CGI creatures pounding on each other and generally behaving like rubber balls, bouncing around the screen... really disappointing. Pure CGI fight scenes are just too hard to pull off, even today. Most films that try it fail terribly and so did the new Spidey flick. Still... in the overall Marvel movie pantheon, I would rate it as better than Iron Man 2, both Hulks and a bit worse than Captain America. Next to the other Spidey films, I don't know. In the reboot I like the overall look better and the complete cast (even if I miss Franco) and their relationships. The action however was better 10 years ago, as stupid as the Green Goblin might've looked. At least he wasn't all the time CGI.
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Nice to have you review movies as well now on the site. I would like a written review better, to be hoenst. And if you do the videos... change the music in the background. Its horrible. Like straight out of a biology VHS tape from school that explains evolution or something.
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