The Good but not Amazing Spider-Man

Usually I can review a film right after seeing it. This was not the case with The Amazing Spider-Man. I needed to take a couple of days and reflect upon it before writing. The reason for this is because this film is not bad but it's not great either. It's somewhere in between and those films are the toughest to review. I think the best approach is for me to discuss what I liked and what I didn't.

I'll admit that I went into this film with no expectations except for the hope that it'd be better than the Sam Raimi films. It's not that I hated them, at the time they were quirky and were the rebirth of the marvel hero film so to speak. But boy have we come a long way. We as viewers are no longer satisfied with a simple hero story anymore, we aren't as easy to please as we once were. With films like Thor, Iron Man and The Avengers the bar has been raised. We know what great cinema is and we won't settle for less. The Amazing Spider-Man is much better than the Raimi films for reasons I'll discuss further. However plot wise it is lacking and doesn't come close to the brilliant superhero films of late. 

Let's get the bad over with shall we. The number one problem with this film is the script. The first third of the film takes its time setting up the plot, Peter Parker's (Andrew Garfield) abandonment issues and teen angst, his inevitable transformation into Spider-Man, and Uncle Ben's (Martin Sheen) untimely demise. In the first act we see Parker go from nerd to vengeful super human. The problem however is that a whole third of the film is dedicated to what we already saw in Raimi's 2002 Spider-Man. So much time is dedicated to what we already know is going to happen that the second and third acts feel rushed, leaving many plot holes and unanswered questions. I have a feeling that director Marc Webb (yep, that's his name!) wanted to allude to plot points, leave some ambiguity, however you have to be a very talented director, aka Chris Nolan, to pull this off, and unfortunately Webb does not possess skills like Nolan.

The main plot points of this film are a: Parker's transformation into Spider-Man, b: Parker's desire to know why his parents left him, c: Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) transformation into The Lizard, and d. Parker's choice to go from vengeful vigilante to super hero. Plot point a is rushed to the point that you ask yourself how he learnt so quickly to control impulses that in the last scene destroyed his bathroom. Plot point b goes completely off screen after the first act. I imagine Webb has decided to leave this for the sequel but still, some indication of that would be nice. Plot point c in my opinion could have completely disappeared from the film. I know we need a villain but I think it would have been more interesting to focus on Parker's transformation and the city's response to this rather than play it out against a giant lizard. Plot point d is done relatively well but I found myself wondering if he would ever catch his Uncle's murderer, rather than just give up the search all together.

So as you can see the script definitely had glitches, and there are many other unanswered questions. What happened to Rajit Ratha after the bridge? And what happened to all those released scenes leading up to the film? None of them were actually in the film. The reason Parker climbs the fire escape to Gwen Stacy's (Emma Stone) apartment is because in a removed scene the doorman wouldn't let him in. This scene is available on YouTube here: Doorman Scene. Supposedly Ratha had a scene that showed his death but that was left on the cutting room floor too. I understand the need to cut scenes for timing but to cut plot points seems a little risky.

Technically speaking I saw a few odd edits that made me lose immersion briefly, it's not often there are editing problems in a big budget film like this but I noticed at least two. I also wasn't a fan of the music choices. I love Coldplay, don't get me wrong, but was "Till Kingdom Come" the best song to play as Parker discovers his new skills? Maybe a more upbeat up tempo song might have worked better. And while we're on it I don't think 3-D lent anything extra to the film. A few of the POV shots were great but apart from that it wasn't necesary. But now I'm just getting picky so let's move on shall we?

You must be wondering after all that what I can say that is good about this film. Well there is one thing that saved it from its limited script - the acting. I was really impressed by Garfield as Parker/Spider-Man. He bought a raw emotion to the role that Toby Maquire was unable to do. I found myself connecting to this lost and fragile yet indestructible hero. He also bought an endearing awkwardness to the role. Add to that Emma Stone as Parker's love interest and you have a winning combination. Their chemistry on screen was off the charts, it's not surprising they've been dating since the shoot. Webb obviously noticed their ability to light up the screen together and used it to his advantage. Martin Sheen played a loveable Uncle Ben and the wonderful Sally Field was charming yet underused as Aunt May. Denis Leary was great as Captain Stacy, Gwen's father. He had a great character arc throughout the film and bought that Leary charm we all know and love.

So as you can see I'm a little torn in regards to this film. I didn't like the script but loved the acting. The plot lacked completion but the performances were great. Technically I think the film was out of it's depth but once again you can lose yourself in the characters and not get too caught up on it. It's almost unfortunate that a film like The Avengers came along because so few films are going to be able to do what it did - combine wonderful SFX with an intriguing and complete story, spectacular characters and a talented cast. If I'd seen this film first perhaps I would have been less critical but alas, I am a spoiled viewer and have had a taste of greatness and now it's all I want. So my advice is that you should see this film, let yourself be entertained and try not to ask too many questions afterwards. Perhaps if we're lucky Joss Whedon will take on the sequel.

The Men in Black are back...again

2012 is a great year for film. In the upcoming months we get Snow White and the Huntsman, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spiderman and The Bourne Legacy. And of course we are all still riding the wave that is The Avengers. The film has done spectacularly at the box office and has had the number one spot since opening...until now. Last week Men in Black III came out and has surprisingly managed to push The Avengers from it's perch.

To be honest I wasn't particularly excited about the release of MIB3. I'd seen the other two films when they came out years ago and neither left an impression. However the rating on IMDb was decent so I thought why the hell not? Yesterday my husband and I went to check it out. We went in with very little expectations, no memory of what had happened in the previous films and no idea what the plot would be. We just wanted to be entertained.

So here's the thing. I didn't hate the film, but I can't say I really liked it either. The plot is interesting enough. Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement), a disgusting alien who a younger Agent K (Josh Brolin) put away fourty years earlier on a luna prison has escaped. Boris decides to go back in time to kill the young Agent K before said agent chops off Boris' arm. In the present Agent J (Will Smith) and the older Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) continue on MIB business until one day Agent K disappears, from the earth, from time and from everyone but Agent J's memory. Agent J then has to go back in time and save Agent K, and also catch Boris who is determined to destroy Earth.

Josh Brolin did a wonderful job at stepping into Agent K's shoes. He mimicked Tommy Lee Jones' K to perfection. He showed a new side to K, a more humorous, approachable side. This is slightly confusing for Agent J who doesn't understand how K could be so cold and detached in the future when he was so different in the past. You really don't need to have seen the other films in order to follow this story. Both Agent J and K have a bizarre relationship. They seem to care a lot about each other yet in some ways they barely know each other. J would love to know more but K is hesitant. Just before K disappears in the future he seems to want to tell J something but never gets the chance. We find out what this something is later in the film, which adds a nice twist to the story and to their relationship.

Unfortunately the other characters don't really get a chance to be explored. Smith's J is meant to be the driving force of the plot but appears to be more of a passenger. I had expected more humor in the story. Smith had some quirky moments but I noticed that the audience laughed more in The Avengers than in this film. I think this is partly because the script wasn't very entertaining and also because we didn't get a chance to get to know the characters. Clement's Boris was deliciously grotesque but lacked depth. I like when we get to know a villain, their goals, and the extent they will go to in order to reach those goals. In other words I like to know the stakes. We didn't get that in this film. Boris' reasons for going to the past to kill K were a little weak. He shows up throughout the film at random points but he almost feels like an after thought. This pains me to say because I really love Clement, he's a fellow kiwi and I daily sing songs from Flight of the Conchords. Unfortunately his character was written without depth, and although he gave all he could to it Boris somehow fell through the cracks.

Obviously this is not a film we are meant to take too seriously. It's a fluff film, there to distract, make you forget about work, the kids, that crack in the bathroom sink that needs fixing. This is not a painful film to watch by any means. It flows well, has a beginning, middle and a somewhat satisfying end. However I had expected it to pack a bit more of a punch considering the last in the series was ten years ago.

Perhaps if this film came out a couple of years after the last I would have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately for them, but luckily for us, directors like Chris Nolan and Joss Whedon have raised the bar. We don't just want to be distracted from the bathroom sink anymore. We want to be entertained.

An Ode to the Fallen

Finding a show you love is like finding the perfect pair of pants. Once you have them you never want to let go. You get to know the characters, get attached to the storyline and can't wait to see how it's all going to end. Then some exec sitting in an office decides it's not as lucrative as they had thought. And with one decision your show is no more. They don't provide you with any closure, no happy ending for your characters. You're lucky if they wait to finish off the season.

So this is my ode to the fallen, to the TV shows that never got the chance they deserved.

1. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009) 2 Seasons.

I loved this show. It had everything, plot, intrigue, interesting characters, special effects. I mean how can you go wrong? The plot followed Sarah Connor as she tried to protect her son, John, from the terminators that are sent to kill him, while working to destroy Skynet in order to prevent Armageddon. It was really interesting to see the character of John Connor try to deal with being a teenager while also dealing with the knowledge that he will one day lead the resistance against the terminators. Then there's the terminator Cameron who has been sent to protect John, and John's uncle Derek from the future. By the time we reached the end of Season 2 we were left with the promise of an amazing Season 3. But then all of a sudden it was cancelled. I actually shed a tear when I heard this. There was speculation for a while that it would be cut but I'd refused to believe it. This is my number one cancelled show that I wish would return.

2. Jericho (2006-2008) 1.5 Seasons.

This is a case of a mid season cancellation. There's nothing worse than when they leave you in the middle of a season, not only do you not have any answers, they've just asked a whole bunch more questions. This show followed Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) who has returned to his hometown of Jericho, Kansas to get some money that's been left to him. When he gets there however the United States is attacked and major cities are destroyed. Jericho, however, remains. Jake quickly becomes the town hero, constantly putting himself in precarious situations to save his townsfolk. Jake himself has an interesting history having been away for years after leaving the town under bad circumstances. It was a great show that focussed on a small town as they dealt with the aftermath of the attack and the company that rose to power as the dust still settled. They left us mid second season after we were just starting to learn more about the corrupt company that appeared to be behind the attacks.

3. Kings (2009) 1 Season.

This show really surprised me. I honestly wasn't expecting much when I saw it on my netflix menu. I gave it a chance though and am glad I did. The show is a modern day alternate-reality drama loosely based on the story of King David from the bible. We follow Capt. David Shepherd who saves the King's son during battle and stands up to the enemy's tank, aptly named Goliath. The King then invites David to a banquet and he quickly catches the eye of the nation, and the King's daughter. The King becomes concerned when God starts telling him that David will be King. He attempts to get rid of him but our hero is made of tougher stuff. I really enjoyed Christopher Egan's performance as David and Ian McShane's brilliant but slightly untrustworthy King Silas Benjamin. I think this show had a lot of potential and it's a shame we only got one season.

4. Firefly (2002-2003) 1 Season.

This show was a fan favourite and when it was cancelled there was an uproar. Created by Joss Whedon, the brilliant mind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this show followed a renegade crew aboard a spacecraft called Serenity, 500 years in the future, who had fought on the losing side in a civil war. Nathan Fillion stars as the charismatic Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, leading the renegade crew including his first mate Zoe Washburne, a child prodigy with telepathic abilities named River, and her brother Simon.

Although the show was cancelled, Whedon bought out a film named Serenity in 2005 which tells the story of the crew as they meet River and Simon and try to evade an assassin. This is a really entertaining movie whether you've seen the TV series or not. I think it was great that Whedon did this for his fans.

So that is my short list of four TV shows that were cancelled too soon. I would love to hear what your favourite cancelled TV shows are. Sadly there are too many of them out there.