3. Lame Action Pieces
I saw the picture three times in theaters. Once with my girlfriend, once on my own, and once with friends. I wasn't impressed anytime I saw it, but kept trying to convince myself that it was a picture that needed multiple views to work. Even after seeing it three times, I can barely remember any action sequence in the film aside from the one that happens in the school. And even that one is only in pieces that highlight the library sequence with the Stan Lee cameo. As far as the rest of the film, the climax at Oscorp, the sewer tango...the action is horrifically forgettable. It's not that it wasn't well-choreographed or anything, and even Garfield and the stuntmen in the suit did a spectacular job at developing how Spidey would move...it's just that there was no emotional relevance or spectacle to any of the fighting. The locations were second-nature and cliched. I often look to
X2 as a picture with a phenomenal opening spectacle with Nightcrawler. It isn't just that Nightcrawler turns a relatively lame power into a showstopping action-extravaganza, it's that location was key. Not only was he in the White House, something instantly recognizable to US audiences, but he was restrained in a very claustrophobic setting in the hallways. They're tight, tense, and beautifully framed sequences. It's not
just that it was cool to watch; the audience was able to make a plethora of subconscious connections to the scene to make it all the more impactful. Spider-Man is more than just a cool superhero to watch fight; his powers allow for him to go to places other heroes can not. Think of
Spider-Man 2's phenomenal scene in which he battles Doc Ock outside the bank. Both characters scaling up the side of the building and constantly getting the better of one another was exhilarating and refreshing. The sequel to
The Amazing Spider-Man needs to take note. But does Webb have the visual eye for this?