Post by seahawksraawk00 on Jul 17, 2017 0:08:20 GMT
I don't usually do full on reviews like this, but I did one for Wonder Woman, so thought I'd do one for Spider-Man as well. I saw it twice in theaters and watched it a couple times online. It's a really good movie. It has a lot of heart to it, very character driven. Speaking of characters, Tom Holland nailed it as Peter Parker, I think everyone can agree with that. As much as I like the awkwardness Tobey Maguire brought to the character, I'm glad Holland did something different, yet he still feels like the "loser" in the high school, and still feels very relatable. I know it felt very relatable for me, especially with his best friend, Ned. I had a friend just like that thru high school and college. Though there was some parts I felt he was a little overbearing. As for the other kids in the school, generally speaking, I had no problem with the diversity. I quite liked it. It's 2017, so you can't really explain. I particularly liked Zendaya as Michelle (tho I'll get into the whole MJ thing and change) and how witty and sarcastic she is and would have really liked to see more of her, and hope to see more of her in future films. She was definitely my favorite. Liz Allen was fine, nothing special, but she wasn't horrible by any means, and they were patient in trying to develop a relationship between her and Peter. Tony Revolori was fine as Flash Thompson. He may not have been physically imposing as other portrayals, but he was still a douchebag to Peter, which is a quintessential part of the character, and they got that down.
As for the rest of the characters, is always a joy to see RDJ back. Some felt like this would Iron Man 4 and Spider-Man would be like a sidekick. That was not the case at all. It made sense to have Stark in the film because of the relationship established in Civil War, plus the Spidey suit and Peter wanting to be an Avenger. But at the same time, Tony never overshadowed Peter. It still felt like a Spider-Man film. He served his part of the story without taking over the film. Bokeem Woodbine was pretty cool too. He was fun as Shocker. Donald Glover as Aaron Davis was a nice subtle reference to Miles Morales. Admittingly, I don't know much about it, but they weren't in your face about it like, oh yeah, my nephew is Miles Morals by the way. They were subtle enough about it that hardcore Spider-Man fans would get it. Marisa Tomei is great as May. It's refreshing as a younger version and really, it makes sense. I'm 23 and one of my aunt is only 55. So it works. Would have liked to see more stuff with her and Peter tho. Those were always some of the best scenes in Raim I'm version.
Spider-Man definitely delivered the MCU's best villain since Loki, with Michael Keaton as Vulture. I know there are several different interpretations and portrayals of the character on the comics and other media. Pretty sure the most popular one most know is of him trying to de-age himself. Though I'm glad they didn't go with that. Would have been a little silly. I didn't get it at first, but I actually liked the idea of him being part of a salvage crew, because they operate similar to a vulture picking up scraps. But he also wasn't this end of the world kind of villain. It was a smaller and personal villain, and I like that. I likes his motives of pretty much standing up to the rich. Kinda a working class blue collar kind of hero in a way. And I think it works too, partly because of Keaton's performance. You can tell he's really committed to his work and wanting to provide for his family. He was threatening and Keaton provided a proper menance to the role, especially when he finds out Peter is Spider-Man. The lighting especially helped with the stop light, then it turning green, which is kinda Vulture's color really. It was definitely one of the best scenes in the films, which also brings up a good point about his character and how he discovered Peter is Spider-Man in the first place. He's intelligence and able to put pieces together essentially. Put him in a Superman film, and he'd easily be able to identify him as Clark Kent. It's just a generation kind of thing. The "Clark Kent"/secret identity doesn't work anymore really in this day and age. At the end of BvS when Perry looks at the newspaper and it says Clark went missing during the battle, he should have easily put two and two together.
Overall, the story was simple and easy to follow. You understand where Peter is at his life. It does a good job of portraying Peter's struggle with school and being a superhero. But it also does a good job of kinda showing the like bordom of just helping out in the neighborhood and you understand his struggle of wanting to do more. I can see how some think Peter just wants to be an Avenger, but there's really more to that, it just wasn't as clear cut. Tony kinda fills in the role of Uncle Ben. When Peter says he wants to be like him, part of it is living up to Tony's expectations, but also to make him proud. And I think Tony also fills in the "what if" scenario if Uncle Ben was still alive and what he would think about Peter being Spider-Man. That's why it works having Tony Stark in the film. As to the whole "origin" debacle and not exactly being explicitly mention besides like one or two lines between Peter and Need, it really was covered in Civil War. But also, like Batman, he's probably one of the most popular hero in pop culture. Almost everyone knows him and about Uncle Ben dying and inspiring Peter to be more responsible. We don't need to see him dying a third time, just like we didn't need to see Bruce's parents be killed a 4th or 5th time in BvS. The general audience pretty much know both the characters to a beat in some form.
Being the 6th Spider-Man film we've had, there are limits as to what else you really can see Spider-Man do, but they did a good job of getting around that. Something they finally showed is what happens when Peter has no buildings or high structures to swing from, and had to run across the field. That scene got a good laugh from the theater. I think my most favorite scene was when Vulture trapped Peter under the rubble. Even though he's technically has super strength, it was a very human moment for Peter struggling to get out, and Tom Holland's performance was amazing in that scene, and it's up there with the train when from Spider-Man 2. The Washington Monument was a cool scene too. I thought the humor really worked and it never felt forced anywhere. Everyone had proper chemistry with each other. Despite the whole "8 year later" debacle, (tho I actually question whether The Avengers actually took place in 2012 and how much time really there is between the subsequent films before it), there was still consistency with the films, especially with the Sokovia Accords. I didn't catch it at first, but you kinda wonder, why isn't Iron Man just stopping Adrian, and it's because of the Sokovia Accords, which is why he called the FBI instead. It's consistence.
This is by no means a perfect film either tho, and I think part of it has to do because we have had 5 other ones before, so as mentioned before, what else can we show him do?!?! And I just read that the MCU just had the second worst Friday-to-Friday drop. I can't say I'm really surprised because we've seen this character so many times on screen now. I think my biggest gripe with this film tho was that the stakes didn't feel really high. Not that I was expecting Peter to be killed or anything, but Vulture's big final scheme was just stealing a bunch of weapons and Chitauri stuff from Stark's plane, so there wasn't a huge amount of danger to the characters which I felt kinda bogged down the film. I think there was an interesting dynamic between Peter and Adrian since he was dating his daughter, and I had kinda hopes he made good on his threat of coming after his family and friends, like go after May or even any of his class mates. I just didn't feel any real sense of danger. I think of there was like an ulterior motive to Adrian selling the Chitauri tech, it would have helped. He says he's trying to protect his family. It could have been more interesting if maybe the one who he's selling the tech too maybe threatened his family (could have been another known Spider-Man villain that could have been set up for a second film) And the final confrontation was a bit of a downer and anticlimactic. I was kinda hoping for like a beat down/brawl similar to the Goblin fight in the first Spider-Man. And every superhero film, DC, Marvel, the X-Men, are all guilty of this, but I feel there are cases and scenarios when it comes to their powers and strength, the plot normally demands it, but then in other scenes, it doesn't allow it. Peter's strength are inconsistent. He couldn't break the window on the Washington Monument (tho I'd assume being a federal building they'd use really strong window pane) but can hold together two halves of the ferry. Tho, as said before, every superhero film does it, so it doesn't necessarily detract from the quality of the film.
Now I don't mind that Peter has Stark's Spider-Man suit, but when Stark takes it away, I thought it'd be a good lesson for Peter how the suit doesn't necessarily define him. And I liked how he confronted Vulture with his old suit, but then in the end, he gets the other suit back, which kinda contradicts what Stark was trying to teach him. I liked the accessories of Stark's suit and when Peter went through the tutorial, that scene was pretty cool and funny. But I just hope everything Peter has or will get in future films won't always be from Tony, because a big part of Peter's character is that he's intelligence and able to build these things on his own like the web shooters and doesn't need to rely on Stark all the time.
Technically speaking, it's a well-filmed movie. There was no blatant CGInor anything. They're still continuing the similar pallet of just normal natural lighting as the other films, which I have no real problem with, tho it's just nothing spectacular. The score was kinda bland tho, which is odd because I saw War for the Planet of the Apes, which Michael Giacchino did as well, and delivered an amazing score in that film. He has also done. Not sure what happened here in Spider-Man. I was expecting something grand for Spider-Man. I know most gripe on the whole villain thing with the MCU, but I think it's the music that's their biggest problem.
Now here's my take on the whole MJ thing. If she is the MJ or the series, but just a different name, I'm fine with that. After 5 Spider-Man films, it never hurts for change. I know the hardcore Spider-Man fans probably want the real "white" redhead MJ, but it doesn't really bother me. I really like Zendaya's portrayal of Michelle and really looking forward for more of her in future films. And like I said, it's 2017. I think it's more realistic to be as diversed as the film was than having a dozen white kids in the school and only one or two minorities. However, if they do decide to introduce the "real" MJ, then I'll be mad. And I was perfectly fine with Liz Alan being Vulture's daughter. It certainly caught me by surprise and my theater when I saw it. But it felt real between Adrian and the wife because it's not made a big deal out of. You don't dwell on it, so it works.
This film doesn't take a huge amount of risks and just feels more like an episode in the MCU line-out, that said, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. I'm really curious to see where they will go with May knowing Peter is Spider-Man now. I liked that they're making her find out earlier as in the other films, May never found out in the first place. Hopefully it'll pay off on the next film. Overall tho, I'd give this a 6.5, a solid 7 out of 10. It's a fun film with a lot of heart, but not a whole lot of risks. If given the choice between the two, I'd actually choose Wonder Woman over this as well. However, Vulture was definitely a better villain than Ares. I think Spider-Man and Wonder Woman are apple and oranges as they're two completely different heroes really and none is really better than the other. I just find Wonder Woman to be slightly more enjoyable.
As for the rest of the characters, is always a joy to see RDJ back. Some felt like this would Iron Man 4 and Spider-Man would be like a sidekick. That was not the case at all. It made sense to have Stark in the film because of the relationship established in Civil War, plus the Spidey suit and Peter wanting to be an Avenger. But at the same time, Tony never overshadowed Peter. It still felt like a Spider-Man film. He served his part of the story without taking over the film. Bokeem Woodbine was pretty cool too. He was fun as Shocker. Donald Glover as Aaron Davis was a nice subtle reference to Miles Morales. Admittingly, I don't know much about it, but they weren't in your face about it like, oh yeah, my nephew is Miles Morals by the way. They were subtle enough about it that hardcore Spider-Man fans would get it. Marisa Tomei is great as May. It's refreshing as a younger version and really, it makes sense. I'm 23 and one of my aunt is only 55. So it works. Would have liked to see more stuff with her and Peter tho. Those were always some of the best scenes in Raim I'm version.
Spider-Man definitely delivered the MCU's best villain since Loki, with Michael Keaton as Vulture. I know there are several different interpretations and portrayals of the character on the comics and other media. Pretty sure the most popular one most know is of him trying to de-age himself. Though I'm glad they didn't go with that. Would have been a little silly. I didn't get it at first, but I actually liked the idea of him being part of a salvage crew, because they operate similar to a vulture picking up scraps. But he also wasn't this end of the world kind of villain. It was a smaller and personal villain, and I like that. I likes his motives of pretty much standing up to the rich. Kinda a working class blue collar kind of hero in a way. And I think it works too, partly because of Keaton's performance. You can tell he's really committed to his work and wanting to provide for his family. He was threatening and Keaton provided a proper menance to the role, especially when he finds out Peter is Spider-Man. The lighting especially helped with the stop light, then it turning green, which is kinda Vulture's color really. It was definitely one of the best scenes in the films, which also brings up a good point about his character and how he discovered Peter is Spider-Man in the first place. He's intelligence and able to put pieces together essentially. Put him in a Superman film, and he'd easily be able to identify him as Clark Kent. It's just a generation kind of thing. The "Clark Kent"/secret identity doesn't work anymore really in this day and age. At the end of BvS when Perry looks at the newspaper and it says Clark went missing during the battle, he should have easily put two and two together.
Overall, the story was simple and easy to follow. You understand where Peter is at his life. It does a good job of portraying Peter's struggle with school and being a superhero. But it also does a good job of kinda showing the like bordom of just helping out in the neighborhood and you understand his struggle of wanting to do more. I can see how some think Peter just wants to be an Avenger, but there's really more to that, it just wasn't as clear cut. Tony kinda fills in the role of Uncle Ben. When Peter says he wants to be like him, part of it is living up to Tony's expectations, but also to make him proud. And I think Tony also fills in the "what if" scenario if Uncle Ben was still alive and what he would think about Peter being Spider-Man. That's why it works having Tony Stark in the film. As to the whole "origin" debacle and not exactly being explicitly mention besides like one or two lines between Peter and Need, it really was covered in Civil War. But also, like Batman, he's probably one of the most popular hero in pop culture. Almost everyone knows him and about Uncle Ben dying and inspiring Peter to be more responsible. We don't need to see him dying a third time, just like we didn't need to see Bruce's parents be killed a 4th or 5th time in BvS. The general audience pretty much know both the characters to a beat in some form.
Being the 6th Spider-Man film we've had, there are limits as to what else you really can see Spider-Man do, but they did a good job of getting around that. Something they finally showed is what happens when Peter has no buildings or high structures to swing from, and had to run across the field. That scene got a good laugh from the theater. I think my most favorite scene was when Vulture trapped Peter under the rubble. Even though he's technically has super strength, it was a very human moment for Peter struggling to get out, and Tom Holland's performance was amazing in that scene, and it's up there with the train when from Spider-Man 2. The Washington Monument was a cool scene too. I thought the humor really worked and it never felt forced anywhere. Everyone had proper chemistry with each other. Despite the whole "8 year later" debacle, (tho I actually question whether The Avengers actually took place in 2012 and how much time really there is between the subsequent films before it), there was still consistency with the films, especially with the Sokovia Accords. I didn't catch it at first, but you kinda wonder, why isn't Iron Man just stopping Adrian, and it's because of the Sokovia Accords, which is why he called the FBI instead. It's consistence.
This is by no means a perfect film either tho, and I think part of it has to do because we have had 5 other ones before, so as mentioned before, what else can we show him do?!?! And I just read that the MCU just had the second worst Friday-to-Friday drop. I can't say I'm really surprised because we've seen this character so many times on screen now. I think my biggest gripe with this film tho was that the stakes didn't feel really high. Not that I was expecting Peter to be killed or anything, but Vulture's big final scheme was just stealing a bunch of weapons and Chitauri stuff from Stark's plane, so there wasn't a huge amount of danger to the characters which I felt kinda bogged down the film. I think there was an interesting dynamic between Peter and Adrian since he was dating his daughter, and I had kinda hopes he made good on his threat of coming after his family and friends, like go after May or even any of his class mates. I just didn't feel any real sense of danger. I think of there was like an ulterior motive to Adrian selling the Chitauri tech, it would have helped. He says he's trying to protect his family. It could have been more interesting if maybe the one who he's selling the tech too maybe threatened his family (could have been another known Spider-Man villain that could have been set up for a second film) And the final confrontation was a bit of a downer and anticlimactic. I was kinda hoping for like a beat down/brawl similar to the Goblin fight in the first Spider-Man. And every superhero film, DC, Marvel, the X-Men, are all guilty of this, but I feel there are cases and scenarios when it comes to their powers and strength, the plot normally demands it, but then in other scenes, it doesn't allow it. Peter's strength are inconsistent. He couldn't break the window on the Washington Monument (tho I'd assume being a federal building they'd use really strong window pane) but can hold together two halves of the ferry. Tho, as said before, every superhero film does it, so it doesn't necessarily detract from the quality of the film.
Now I don't mind that Peter has Stark's Spider-Man suit, but when Stark takes it away, I thought it'd be a good lesson for Peter how the suit doesn't necessarily define him. And I liked how he confronted Vulture with his old suit, but then in the end, he gets the other suit back, which kinda contradicts what Stark was trying to teach him. I liked the accessories of Stark's suit and when Peter went through the tutorial, that scene was pretty cool and funny. But I just hope everything Peter has or will get in future films won't always be from Tony, because a big part of Peter's character is that he's intelligence and able to build these things on his own like the web shooters and doesn't need to rely on Stark all the time.
Technically speaking, it's a well-filmed movie. There was no blatant CGInor anything. They're still continuing the similar pallet of just normal natural lighting as the other films, which I have no real problem with, tho it's just nothing spectacular. The score was kinda bland tho, which is odd because I saw War for the Planet of the Apes, which Michael Giacchino did as well, and delivered an amazing score in that film. He has also done. Not sure what happened here in Spider-Man. I was expecting something grand for Spider-Man. I know most gripe on the whole villain thing with the MCU, but I think it's the music that's their biggest problem.
Now here's my take on the whole MJ thing. If she is the MJ or the series, but just a different name, I'm fine with that. After 5 Spider-Man films, it never hurts for change. I know the hardcore Spider-Man fans probably want the real "white" redhead MJ, but it doesn't really bother me. I really like Zendaya's portrayal of Michelle and really looking forward for more of her in future films. And like I said, it's 2017. I think it's more realistic to be as diversed as the film was than having a dozen white kids in the school and only one or two minorities. However, if they do decide to introduce the "real" MJ, then I'll be mad. And I was perfectly fine with Liz Alan being Vulture's daughter. It certainly caught me by surprise and my theater when I saw it. But it felt real between Adrian and the wife because it's not made a big deal out of. You don't dwell on it, so it works.
This film doesn't take a huge amount of risks and just feels more like an episode in the MCU line-out, that said, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. I'm really curious to see where they will go with May knowing Peter is Spider-Man now. I liked that they're making her find out earlier as in the other films, May never found out in the first place. Hopefully it'll pay off on the next film. Overall tho, I'd give this a 6.5, a solid 7 out of 10. It's a fun film with a lot of heart, but not a whole lot of risks. If given the choice between the two, I'd actually choose Wonder Woman over this as well. However, Vulture was definitely a better villain than Ares. I think Spider-Man and Wonder Woman are apple and oranges as they're two completely different heroes really and none is really better than the other. I just find Wonder Woman to be slightly more enjoyable.