4. The Amazing Spider-Man
When the reboot of Spider-Man was announced, the one thing that stopped all the fans of Sam Ramis trilogy (well, at least the first two) from running to the hills was the promise of delving into the mystery of Peter Parkers parents; why they werent there and the tantalising thought of it tying into their sons arachnid abilities. The advertising campaign cemented this notion in peoples mind, promising to tell The Untold Story. Along with the enticing subtitle, the trailers contained scenes of Curt Connors tempting Parker to come and get the truth and marginalised character Dr Ratha hinting at something different about the web-slinger. With smart thrillers making a resurgence in blockbuster cinema, it looked like Spider-Man was ready to take a fresh direction. Then the film arrived. And almost any reference to the mystery was dropped.
Ive complained before about The Amazing Spider-Mans lack of resolution, leaving at least four key plot points unresolved (Norman Osbornes illness, Dr Rathas disappearance, Uncle Bens killer, the deal with Peters parents) purely to bait a sequel, but the trailer made this problem worse. The hype it managed to instill was the main reason for the ultimate disappointment; a reboot wasnt a terrible way for the franchise to go, it just needed to be done with some sensibility. It would have been a lot easier to forgive the numerous open threads had we not been essentially promised by Sony to get a sense of resolution. Although from another point of view, this cheeky advertising flip almost guarantees people will flock to see the sequel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpKPiHYJc54