Spider-Man hardly wears his mask in Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man," a ploy that manufactures the most mundane drama. Remember when Michael Keaton rips off his mask in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns"? That scene offered a poignant character moment, a hero willing to give up his madness for love. In contrast, "The Amazing Spider-Man" makes one wonder, "So what is the fucking point of wearing a mask?" The funny thing is that Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy already made me ask that question.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" begins with Peter Parker's parents leaving him behind, but this opening only sets up a flimsy link between Peter's father and Dr. Connors, the villain of the film, and the suggestion that Peter and Dr. Connors can owe their transformations to Peter's father (Peter's mother is forgotten). Peter's love interest, Gwen Stacy, just so happens to work for Dr. Connors. In the middle of the film, Spider-Man saves a man's son, and this man later plays deus ex machina - in the right spot at the right time to save Spidey's ass. With great power comes great coincidence.
Like its hero, this film doesn't have a secret identity. It is clearly a
riff on Sam Raimi's trilogy and David Cronenberg's "The Fly,"
with the villain's master plan resembling what Magneto did way back in
Bryan Singer's "X-Men" - and this isn't the first time a superhero movie has copied that scheme. The only
interesting idea in "The Amazing Spider-Man" is the conflict between Spider-Man and Gwen Stacey's
cop father, played by Dennis Leary. But their relationship is deemed pointless by the end of the film, as Peter Parker vows to break a promise he made to the man, despite the fact that Spider-Man owed his life to him.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" is a dark and silly movie. The witty lines in the trailer are reserved for one scene, which suggests their placement in the trailer was used to attract people like me who thought the Sam Raimi films needed a more lighthearted Spider-Man. However, what we end up with is an inept and horny Spider-Man. Quite frankly, the guys in "American Pie" were more heroic.
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