4. Where Did The Infected SWAT Team Go?
As the film progresses, we learn a little more about Connors' little science experiment, a chemical that's used to heal people by mixing their DNA with that of an animal. Of course, he eventually goes on a rampage around New York City, spraying this lizard-DNA chemical onto a SWAT team (truly, a cry for help) sent out to kill him. This, in turn, transforms them into "reptile minions", who also are up and about causing wanton destruction, or so we're led...forced to believe. In reality, our hopes of lizard-people running around with guns like something out of a TMNT cartoon are quickly dashed by some rough editing that completely cuts the characters out of the picture until that whole "chemical ordeal" is sorted out by Spider-Man, but by the time they show up, they've been cured, and the possible damage that's been done to the city is totally ignored. In fact, aside from a few minutes of that corny-but-awesome construction crew that helps out Spidey, we're never shown the consequences of Connors' actions, instead choosing to focus solely on the titular character or the antagonist. This is a waste for a film that's trying really, REALLY hard to involve you in this seemingly realistic world, and yet, for something that's supposed to have such a strong impact on said world, the events feel kind of isolated. I know this is a Spider-Man movie that should, technically, follow Spider-Man, I'm sure there was room for at least 5 minutes of extra footage featuring the SWAT team going on a rampage around the city. Think of the Incredible Hulk film starring Edward Norton. While, much like this film, it kept the focus on the main characters, we were able to see that the antagonists' actions had consequences (death and destruction), and it added weight to the Hulk's success, and really helped him grow into a heroic figure, WHICH WAS THE WHOLE POINT OF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!