The Amazing Spider-Man – Movie Review

Directed by Mark Webb; Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, and Sally Field; story by James Vanderbilt

I’d like to share a revelation I’ve had with you. It was when I was watching The Amazing Spider-Man at midnight with a scattering of people (sadly Spidey isn’t selling out midnight openers anymore) and it was the scene where Peter Parker awkwardly tries to ask out Gwen Stacey, who in equal awkwardness tries to say yes… The Sam Raimi Spider-Man films are not that great. It took Raimi 2 movies to get us to feel for Peter Parker; while Webb and Garfield do in about 40 minutes. In a brief breakdown, here are my thoughts for Marvel’s latest reboot…

The Hero: Spider-Man is entering Batman/James Bond territory, in the sense we can start comparing different Spider-Man renditions. Andrew Garfield is in every conceivable way better than Tobey Maguire. Did they change some things about the character? Yes. To the purist, giving Peter a skateboard is like saying Peter kissed Paul, but if you can let go of the continuity reigns, you’ll see that this is still Peter Parker—awkward high school kid, but also realistic. Garfield sells this partly by attending the Mark Ruffalo school of acting. He talks a little awkwardly, fidgets a bit, stumbles over his words. It works very well for Peter Parker. Now, I do have to admit that it was actually my good friend Vonia I Peng (VIP wherever she goes) who spotted that out—also remarking that Garfield is hot like Ruffalo, so for any female readers out there who thought the best scene in Avengers was Ruffalo naked on the floor of an abandoned warehouse, you should totally see The Amazing Spider-Man. Still, while Ruffalo-esque, Garfield isn’t simply trying to be like his peer—it’s what works for the character. He brings something to Spider-Man that Maguire didn’t; kind of like what Downey Jr. did for Iron Man when the mask is on– you’re still watching Peter Parker. With Maguire, when the mask was on, you were watching Spider-Man, the Peter Parker was gone. Not this time. Same persona in and out of the mask. This movie is about Peter Parker, and we have an actor who can give us that.

The Villain: The Lizard was a good choice for this film. One, it took a cue from Batman Begins and didn’t start with one of Spidey’s core villains. I don’t want to say that the Lizard is expendable, but trying to get into the BIG big bad when we still need to learn about Parker would have been unfair to both characters… Yes, I realize that is exactly what Spider-Man did, and yes, it was a mistake. This model sets up for sequel goodness. We went into The Dark Knight with a fully developed Bruce Wayne/Batman. It allowed for the Joker to be fleshed out in a way he couldn’t be if he had been in Begins. Now, with the excessive amount of hints in the movie that OSBORNE IS COMING, we should see what really happens to Peter when a villain like this is introduced.  That was reason one. Two, Dr. Connors is an easy character to develop in a short amount of time. Guy lost his arm and wants it back. You’d have to be a dick not to feel for him. Hell, the first time he “lizards out,” he’s going to stop one of Osborne’s minions from testing the serum on war vets. Of course, he kind of loses his mind after that. Turning into a giant lizard might do that to you, I suppose. Rhys Ifans plays Dr. Connors well. Another lesson from Batman Begins, even for a small part; get actors that know what they’re doing. What Ifans struggles with though, is playing the Lizard; which is of course all CGI, but when the Lizard spoke and it sounded like Ifans, the creature lost its menace. It kind of made you wonder why Spider-Man would struggle against this thing at all. Changing his voice might have been a good idea.

Batman and Robin #21 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (writer), Patrick Gleason (artist), Mick Gray (inks)

The Story: the Tree of Blood, Part 2 of 3: Batman and Robin leap to the rescue of the latest angel suicides only to be confronted by the White Knight, who, appropriate to Gotham City, is crazier that the last villain. Things go downhill for our heroes from there.

What’s Good: The White Knight is an interesting addition to Dick Grayson’s rogues gallery. He’s not your normal psycho skulking in the shadows; he seems to be following a logic that makes sense to him (I tend to look at most of Gotham’s other villains (except for R’as al-Ghul) as unstable and unpredictable). He wouldn’t be much good in a dark alley anyway. The first battle with the White Knight is interesting and I like how it gets shut down (although I have more to say on that below). On the writing, I also liked the small in-jokes and nods to Aparo (a classic Bat-artist) and Siglain (a Bat-editor). Artwise, I loved the burst water main that nearly drowned our heroes, and the Tree of Blood and its decorations were beautiful haunting.

Batman #678 (RIP) – Review

By Grant Morrison (writer), Tony Daniel (pencils), Sandu Florea (inks), Guy Major (colors)

In many ways, Batman RIP is very similar to Final Crisis. Both stories are confusing, abstract, and fragmented, but because Batman’s story is only nestled within the “Bat-Universe” there’s less tabs to put on characters making the story a bit easier to follow. I put a big emphasis on “a bit” easier, because after this issue I was more lost than ever. And you know, I don’t mind being lost as long as I know where the general direction of things are headed. In Final Crisis I can’t make heads or tails of the story without consulting appendices and cliffnotes from the DC elite (thanks guys), but in Batman, Grant Morrison manages to throw us a bone every once in a while, and that I can deal with.

This issue makes me wonder if Morrison is deliberately trying to invoke the same amnesiac feelings amongst his readers as Bruce Wayne stumbles around Gotham City with the ghost of a homeless man. Eventually Wayne wanders to Park Row (the area of Gotham where his parents were killed), and here his mind is ignited (by drugs no less). The end result is something that I can only describe as just plain Silver Age flamboyance at its worst (or best, if you’re into that kind of thing).

The Black Case Studies Wayne’s done on his rogues gallery is particularly fascinating and it makes me wonder what kind of damage had been done with Wayne’s “experimentations” into madness. Robin’s wondering this too. Speaking of which, Nightwing and Robin seem to be getting nowhere in their search, yet their less than covert actions has drawn the attention of the Club of Villains ever closer (and unknowingly). I won’t reveal anything here, but wow… poor Nightwing.

Perhaps my only beef with this issue is the lack of resolution with Alfred. Though we see him for just a brief moment latter half through the issue, nothing new is explained on his past dealings with The Black Glove nor of his fate. Anyway, this issue is weird, but perversely fun? (Grade: B-)

– J. Montes

New Dark Knight Trailer!

Quick! See it before it’s gone!

Batman #674 – Review

By Grant Morrison (writer), Tony Daniel (pencils), Sandu Florea (inks), Guy Major (colors)

Let’s face it; within these past few months almost every Batman story has been easily forgettable. Ra’s Al Ghul’s resurrection wasn’t monumental, Paul Dini’s lame one-shots still consist of unimportant villains, and Frank Miller and Jim Lee still continue to put out their All-Star garbage. And honestly, who the hell cares about what’s been going on in Batman Confidential? With nothing really big going on with Batman lately, it would be no surprise if many fans have ditched the Dark Knight titles. But before you cancel every Bat-title on your subscription list, let’s not forget about Batman – literally; the only Bat-title that matters.

In Batman #674, Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel leave us with an unforgettable issue. The book is filled with lots action and simply good storytelling. Daniel’s art captures the sheer intensity of the moment as the Dark Knight literally fights for his life, and Morrison’s inner dialogue allows readers to witness the riveting inner-workings of his mind. This issue is a sure pickup as it’s packed with lots critical moments and vivid images that will forever change the way you should look at the Dark Knight.

Most importantly, what makes Batman #674 an issue worth buying is that it serves as a milestone that reveals / adds on to Batman’s character. Just like the way Frank Miller and Dennis O’Neil have shaped Batman in the past, Morrison’s Batman in #674 adds new depth. We’ve seen the dark and violent Batman, and we’ve seen the sophisticated detective; but now, we see the cerebral Batman— a crime-fighting vigilante that is obsessed with preparing himself for all near-death and near-defeat situations. Morrison and Daniel set the bar high with this issue. They not only remind us just how badass Batman is, but they also prepare us for something big to come. (Grade: A+)

-R. Hilario

A Second Opinion

This issue is quite the stunner. Not only does the “bad guy” get away, but Batman’s now faced with a situation he’s never dealt with before. The themes Morrison brings to the table are ones that are quite obvious, yet never haven been addressed. If a superhero dies, and that superhero is an important fixture to his or her community, is the community (its citizens and law enforcement) ready to deal with such a scenario? How would they go about “replacing” the deceased superhero? These are the type of questions raised in Batman #674, and the lengths the community is willing to go through to find these answers is profound. This is shaping up to be one of the best Batman stories in years. Don’t miss it. (Grade: A)

– J. Montes