I'd like to start off by talking about The Amazing Spider-Man, simply because there is so much to be excited for about it. For starters, when I first viewed the trailer for the upcoming flick, I felt like a kid in a candy shop. This is due to the fact that this reboot of the franchise looks to be far more comic-faithful than the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man franchise. While those were enjoyable films, I ultimately felt they were lacking because they moved away for the sake of simplifying the story, which I thought was a mistake. I believe this time around they have a chance to do it right. And in my opinion, so far, the choices made so far set up The Amazing Spider-Man to be an absolutely incredible film.
For one, the director Marc Webb, was hired for more than his ironically appropriate name. While he only truly had a chance to showcase his talents in (500) Days of Summer, he exhibited an extraordinary understanding of people and how we communicate and interact. I think this will give the story a more personal touch, and focus on Spidey's struggle to stay in touch with the outside world, and the strain his new found identity takes on those he cares most about.
Even in viewing the trailer, multiple more comic-faithful choices revealed themselves. The main plot point has been altered from the other franchise, the fact that Spider-Man is unsure of his parent's fate, and the film focuses on Peter's struggle to understand their motives as well as his search for them, all of which is extremely integral to his mission. The film also highlights Parker's qualities exhibited in the comics, he is a genius, and we actually see proof of this in his inventing his own web-shooters, another aspect in which the movie has decided to thankfully follow the comic's successful formula. That Spidey-sarcasm that also makes the comics so enjoyable is ever-present as well, and I'm glad this has been integrated as well.
I think Andrew Garfield is a perfect choice for the part, seeing as he himself is a huge Spidey-fan (even evidenced by photos of young Garfield dressed up as the web-slinger). And hey, if ultra-fanboy Joss Whedon can direct a killer Avengers, who is to say that Garfield can't be the perfect Spider-Man? And although seeing her blonde may take a bit of getting used to, I have no doubts that Emma Stone will prove to be a more than apt Gwen Stacy. In the end, I couldn't be more psyched for The Amazing Spider-Man.
Now, onto another upcoming picture, which, being the big Steve Carell fan that I am I was shocked to have only stumbled upon it recently, although it has been in the works for a while. I'm talking of course about his new project, Seeking a Friend for the End of the End of the World.
Now we've certainly had our fair share of apocalyptic films recently considering all the rumors surrounding the end of the Mayan calendar and such, but this film looks to have a few more laughs than 2012, and focus on the more entertaining side of such an occurrence. The film follows the story of Dodge (Steve Carell), who is facing a rather troubling mid-life crisis, or end-of-life crisis I suppose, and how he deals with this situation in the rather troubling and odd circumstances. Keira Knightley plays a rather estranged woman, and Carell's high school sweetheart, and they decide to team up and face the impending doom of the Earth together, which I think will prove to be a rather entertaining notion. An appearance from Patton Oswalt is also present, and being the King of Queens fan that I am, I think he should be able to provide a few laughs.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World reminds me a lot of Carell's role in recent projects like Dan In Real Life as well as Crazy, Stupid, Love, which both showcased Carell's more serious and less-ridiculous, less Michael-Scotty acting chops, which these films proved to be quite fantastic. I think the formula will work again in the film, so the thought of this one leaves me excited as well.
Does the spider-man story really have the weight to carry a franchise like the Batman and Avenger box office busters? While the formula may be perfect to maximize what spider-man has to offer - it could be too little, too late...
ReplyDeleteWhile there certainly has been an influx of superhero films as of late, I think this is one of the films that won't suffer for being late to the party. Following the steady decline of the earlier Spiderman franchise, fans were left with something to be desired, and I think this film will be the answer. Presence of quite a few stars in the film should be a bit of a help on top of everything else as well.
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