With The Amazing Spider-Man Sony made the controversial choice of rebooting Sam Raimi’s original trilogy, dropping the original cast and crew and taking Parker back to high-school to retell his origin. Rumours were rife as to what urged the move; there was talk of Raimi and the studio clashing over potential villains with Raimi reportedly wanting John Malkovich as the Vulture (No Thank You!) while others seen it as a way to capitalize on the twi-hard generation, recasting Toby Maguire for big haired heart-throb Andrew Garfield. Whatever the truth it means a new era for the web-slinger on the big screen; so as it kicks off let’s take a look back on the movies of old, from their highs to their lows and what the new saga can learn from its predecessors.
Where they went right
Before Spider-Man hit cinemas in 2002 audiences had a sour taste in their mouth from the superhero genre. While Bryan Singer’s X-Men had laid the groundwork audiences were still uneasy with the genre that produced the superdud that was Batman & Robin; a film so bad it damaged not only its own brand but the very film genre it was a part of, few films could make such a claim. So what went so right with Spider-Man? A big part of it was timing; the world was still reeling from the events of 9/11, a tragedy that’s repercussions could be felt throughout the world making it a much scarier place to live in. People wanted escapism, they wanted hope and most of all they wanted to believe in heroes. The tale of Spider-Man is one of over-coming great personal tragedy and of being launched into a strange new world it’s difficult to fully understand and while for Peter this meant the death of his Uncle and coming to terms with his new abilities to audiences around the world it struck a very real cord. Spider-Man became a modern superhero icon, not measured by his abilities but by his heart, surrounded by likeable and quirky supporting cast and grounded by real world issues; this was a hero that was truly relatable to the common man.
The films took their cue from the original 60’s stories by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, of a geeky outsider struggling with being a teenager as much as being a superhero. These early stories were unashamedly corny yet had moments of darkness throughout, for the most part balancing the two perfectly. Raimi recreated this tone perfectly, his earlier outings in The Evil Dead franchise were apparent throughout; the mix of darkness and comedy still present here, now diluted with plenty of corny superheroics. Raimi accomplished a tone here that was topical, relevant and fresh yet also timeless and nostalgic. While its themes spoke to viewers current emotional states its story of grief, teenage woes and first loves spoke to their pasts. This juxtaposition of these tones were effortlessly interwoven throughout the film resulting in what many regarded as a new bench mark for superhero films, it redefined and reinvigorated its genre and would be the film by which many superhero films to come would be compared.
As is the case with many superhero sequels; Spider-Man’s second outing easily surpassed the original, with the origin story out-of-the-way Raimi really got to cut loose with the story. The reluctant hero giving up the mask for a normal life only to be reminded that with great power comes great responsibility is a path well-travelled on-screen but Raimi managed to inject enough heart and creativity into proceedings that it never felt stale. All the elements that made the original great were present here, with all the dials turned up a notch. Parker now had even more turmoil in his personal life, and the balancing act between being a hero and trying to live and ordinary life truly becomes truly too much to handle. This is handled surprisingly well and you truly feel Peter’s yearning for a life he can never have. Raimi mines emotional depth from unlikely sources and a stand-out scene where Pater admits his guilt to Aunt May over the death of his Uncle delivers an emotional whallop from a character that thus far had done little other than grate. The crumbling of the relationships he holds so dear make for weighty drama for a summer blockbuster but Raimi handles this with such skill that it never becomes overbearingly grim.
Alfred Molina’s turn as Doc Ock steals the show here with an emotional depth and gravitas to a character that previously had none, giving Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin a run for his money and highlighting the wealth of Spider-Man’s rogue gallery. This was a sequel that more than delivered, it knew its strengths and stuck to them, delivering the rarest of blockbusters that managed to perfectly balance its superheroic action with charm and heart.
While the third outing was infamously when the ball was dropped in the saga there was still a lot to like in the saga’s closing chapter. New characters like Eddie Brock hold a twisted mirror to Peter,showing the lesser man he could have been while Harry Osborn finally fulfilled his family legacy to become the new Green Goblin. There’s also some (unintentional) comedy to be had in Peter’s descent into emo-ness. It’s got a lot of interesting ideas, but with so much going on none are ever are fully given the time to legitimise. It’s not a bad film, just a poor closing chapter to a saga that knew such dizzying highs, now ending in a blaze of mediocrity.
Where they went wrong
The main problem with the trilogy lies in its casting. Toby Maguire makes a weak leading man, his underwhelming screen presence often having him drowned under his far superior supporting cast. He particularly struggles to hold his own against some star turns from the saga’s villains. This extended to his chemistry with Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane; it’s a struggle at time to buy into a romance that can oft-times feel wooden. Dunst fairs better when separated from her leading man, mustering some great chemistry with the brilliant James Franco as Harry Osborn; it leaves you wondering why he wasn’t cast in the role of the web-slinger.
As stated before, another big problem with the franchise was its final chapter. Strangely for such a loud and busy film it leaves the viewer cold, Raimi bounced between each story thread so erratically that there’s never time to invest in any of them, and we find ourselves sitting back waiting for the next big action set piece. It’s sad that a saga that thus far had such emotional depth stooped to delivering little more than cheap thrills especially when there was such clear potential here and even its strongest supporters would be hard pressed to defend Toby Maguire’s anti-swagger.
The new film is obviously only the first in what is sure to be at least a new trilogy, and it already seems to have learned from the mistakes of the webhead’s previous incarnation; a much stronger central cast are present here with both Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone both earning high praise for their roles and even from trailers its clear to see they have smouldering chemistry. Yet for all the changes that will be focused on the one thing that mustn’t be forgotten is what made the original trilogy such a success in the first place; the heart. If these new films can hold fast to this rule then there is no reason that this new outing could be the beginning glorious new era for Spidey.
The Amazing Spider-Man is out now in cinemas.
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