When Sony first mentioned that they were going to reboot Spider-Man
two camps formed; the “this is completely unnecessary” camp and the “sounds
cool” camp. I found myself in the “this
is completely unnecessary” camp. I mean
Sam Rami got it right in two out of three films. Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 were great ‘comic book’
movies; even Spider-Man 3 had its plus side (i.e. everything not Venom
related). He had captured the essence
of who Peter Parker was and why he did what he did. Yes, Uncle Ben was right, “With great power comes great
responsibility”.
Than I saw the design of the costume – the piping and the
boots and I began to get worried. I
felt that an unneeded re-launch for the series was nothing more than a blatant
money grab. I understand that that’s
show business and that Sony is in this game to make money. As a fan, however, I am very concerned with
story and characterization and how these iconic figures are used. Dare I say, the saga of Peter Parker
has always been near and dear to my heart and to a young, not yet jaded, Evil
Chicken. It was from this perspective
that I firmly planted myself in the “this is completely unnecessary” camp.
All that changed when I saw this video from Hall H at the
2011 San Diego Comic Con.
This was my first glimpse of Andrew Garfield and his passion
for the role right there in the legendary Hall H at Comic Con that started to
change my view. I started to hope that
maybe – just maybe, Andrew Garfield and this new director, Marc Webb might be
onto something.
Ok we have come this far without any spoilers. All that is about to change. If you wish to remain pure; leave now. I’ll see you next time. Thanks for stopping by! That being said…
S P O I L E R S
Perhaps the best way to describe Marc Webb’s, The Amazing
Spider-Man is to describe what it has and what it does not have when
compared to Sam Rami’s, Spider-Man.
The sands of comic book history shift from writing team to writing
team. One could argue and say that Rami
is more classic while Webb’s is more Ultimate Universe. You could make the case but the fact of the
matter is that both of them borrow heavily from both of those universes and
synthesize a LOT of comic book history into their respective films. That being said, who serves the Stan Lee
& Steve Ditko origin story best?
Both have a teenager nerd / outcast being bitten by an enhanced spider
giving him the power of great strength, agility, and the ability to stick to
walls. Therefore, I will list some
iconic factors and give the advantage to either Webb or Rami. Why do this? I’m a fan. I’m a geek who
cares. That’s why. So without further ado…
Both versions of Peter Parker are pictures of a nerd /
outcast; however, the motivations are different between Rami’s and Webb’s Peter
Parker. Justice motivates Rami’s Parker
while Webb’s is motivated by vengeance.
Rami’s Parker gets the man who kills Uncle Ben and it changes his
life. Webb’s Parker is still looking
for the man with the tattoo on his wrist.
That is his motivation. True he
comes to realize that his powers need to be used to make a difference and that
there is a burden of responsibility to do something with the gifts he has been
given but without that resolution concerning Uncle Ben’s killer his motivation
becomes vengeance. Webb’s Parker
accepts the stolen milk, lies, & steals the formula from Oscorp concerning
his own web fluid. Sure we’ll find out
in the next movie that the web fluid just may have something to do with Peter’s
own DNA but for now – he stole it.
Advantage: Rami!
“With great power there must also come great
responsibility.” – Ben Parker (retroactively attributed to). It’s one of the greatest lines in all of
comic book history. Rami’s version has
it. Webb’s does not. Yes, Webb’s Parker demonstrates this
principal in what his life becomes but Uncle Ben’ words are not uttered. Advantage should go to Rami here. However, I ask you, could you find a better Uncle
Ben and Aunt May than Martin Sheen and Sally Field?
Advantage: TIE!
In Rami’s version Peter’s web shooters were organic and grew
out of his wrists as a result of that spider bite. In Webb’s version Peter constructs web shooters just like Lee
& Ditko wrote back in 1962.
Advantage: Webb!
Rami jumped into the Mary Jane Watson romance while
Webb went directly to Gwen Stacy.
In the books Peter meets Gwen in issue #31 while Mary Jane’s first full
appearance is in issue #42. Further,
Emma Stone is pretty much perfect in the role; Gwen’s father, Captain George
Stacy from the NYPD, is portrayed by Denis Leary and does an amazing job with
the role. The problem is the same that
I have with the Star Wars prequels; you know how this is gonna end. Still…
Advantage: Webb!
In Webb’s version Peter has clear recollections of his
parents and the night that he is left at Uncle Ben & Aunt May’s house. There is much more to Peter’s parents than
meets the eye. This device is utilized
in the Ultimates Universe. In Rami’s
version Peter was raised by his Aunt & Uncle with little or no mention
about his parents at all. Rami’s Parker
is closer to the classic Lee & Ditko Peter Parker. This is not to discount the Ultimates or
Webb version of the story. No. Fact of the matter is I like their
connection to Oscorp and what that will mean to Peter in the
future. Still, if we are going by
classic characterization then…
Advantage: Rami!
So who wins the battle of the storytellers? The fans do. The fact of the matter is I love Spider-Man. I always have and I always will. I discovered Spidey as a wee little lad and
have enjoyed his adventures ever since.
Rami’s films (at least the first, second, and about half of the third)
capture who Peter Parker is in the classic sense of the character while Webb’s
version appears that it is going to swing into Ultimates territory. And you know what? That’s ok.
The Amazing Spider-Man lends itself to being seen on
the big screen in 3D. If ever there was
a character that deserved to be seen in such a fashion is it Spider-Man. If you’re a fan, you’ll dig it. While Sam Rami’s version is near and dear to
my beating geek heart I can’t throw too many stones at Marc Webb’s
version. The cast is excellent and the
storytelling has me looking forward to the next one. That’s something I couldn’t say when I first heard of this most
recent reboot of ole Web Head. Go see it for yourself and let me know what YOU think.
Excelsior, True Believers!
2 comments:
Well said, Evil Chicken, especially about Peter Parker. I think that Webb did a better job of developing the character. Shocker, I think Andrew Garfield was a more charming, vulnerable Pete, but I dislike that his motivation is vengeance,ala Punisher, instead of Justice
Paul - That being said, I really can't wait to see how the next one pans out.
I loved Andrew Garfield in the role. My daughter liked him too but she still carries a torch for Toby Maguire's, Parker. She says that, "Toby is my Spider-Man". Of course she also says that she likes the way Garfield fills out a Spidey-Suit. : )
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