Continuing our list, here are Issues #1-5 that can be brought up with Marc Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’. Major spoilers ahead so please proceed with caution.

5. The pacing felt rather slow. The story is not stilted at all, but it took a while to get Peter into the suit and started on his crime fighting. The first act takes a lot of time establishing Peter’s lifestyle and relationships, which is good from a writing standpoint, but his life is not terribly interesting so I became impatient to see him web-slinging and making sarcastic comments at crooks.

Once the second act begins, things feel smoother, but then the third act hits and the story seems to hit a plateau. It does not build as well as other superhero films and even though the stakes are high, the Lizard’s ultimate plot to turn everyone into monstrous reptiles like him is a bit silly.

4. The mythos is too self-contained. To my knowledge, there are not any references to other heroes nor to comic books in general. Perhaps we were spoiled by the Marvel universe with ‘The Avengers’ (2012) and its awesome intertwined continuity, but the simple fact that Peter Parker does not pick up a single comic book while designing his suit nor does he read up on how fictional characters handle their responsibilities makes it feel as if the writers of this film did not bother to pick up a Spider-Man comic book themselves.

This is not to say that Spidey needed to borrow things from other heroes or have numerous shout outs to other films, but the only thing he references in his own mythos is the Daily Bugle and Norman Osborn. A re-watch may be needed to spot any other mythology gags related to other Spider-Man stories, but the initial viewing left us empty handed.

3. The plot is rather predictable. The numerous trailers to ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ clue you in to the general events, but seasoned moviegoers will be able to guess nearly all of the events without prior knowledge of the Spider-Man mythos. Connors’ evil plan is predictable, Connors figuring out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man is predictable, and even Captain Stacy’s death is predictable. This may be why the pacing felt slow, because the plotpoints were obvious several minutes before they happened. It is not a deal breaker, but it did dampen the tension and fun that the movie went for.

2. Changes to the origin story. One of the largest changes the film makes is how Uncle Ben dies. This is well done and realistic, however, I did not favor the exclusion of Harry Osborn and Peter’s relationship with Gwen Stacy. One of the best adaptations of Gwen Stacy is in ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’ (2008) where the two are best friends and a romance eventually blossoms between them.

This would have been a good angle to adopt for the film to deepen the relationship between them. For instance, Gwen would start noticing changes in Peter’s behavior and would feel frustrated that he would not let her in. In the film, she is just a crush and a classmate whom Peter does not interact with very often, so the romance does not have the same weight as it would if they were already friends.

In terms of Harry’s exclusion, this is at least understandable, as Marc Webb probably wanted to distance himself from the inevitable comparisons to the Raimi films, but it does leave a huge question of if Harry exists at all in this particular universe. The movie makes no reference to Harry and so we are left to assume he does not exist. It would have been a good idea to at least establish whether or not Harry is present in these stories.

1. No one says, “With great power comes great responsibility.” There are only two lines that are considered mandatory for Spider-Man stories, no matter what the medium: “Who are you?” “I’m Spider-Man,” and “With great power comes great responsibility.” Uncle Ben does not say this. Aunt May does not say this. No one in the entire movie utters these words. As a Spider-Man fan of the comics, cartoons, and movies, I consider this to be sacrilege. This line is what motivated Peter Parker to put aside his selfish desire for revenge and become a true hero.

The fact that it went unsaid irritated me beyond belief. Even if Marc Webb wants to distance himself from the Raimi films, it is still unacceptable to ditch such a powerful line that has layers of meaning for the character of Peter Parker. The film tries to replace the line with a voicemail of Uncle Ben expressing his love and faith in Peter, but his speech is riddled with clichés and does not carry the same weight as the classic line. It is a classic for a reason and should not have been excluded as it creates an air of familiarity with the audience and serves as one of the most recognizable aspects of the Spider-Man universe.

Once again, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is not a bad film, but this reviewer’s particular tastes left me less amused than expected. We still encourage moviegoers, young and old, nerdy and non-nerdy, to check it out and form their own thoughts on its quality.

Image Courtesy of   The Amazing Spider-Man

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Marc Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ hit theaters July 3, 2012, hoping to reboot the smart-mouthed web-slinger in more modern times. It features a shiny, slick new type of hero and takes a darker perspective on Peter Parker’s life. While the film certainly is not bad by any stretch, there are some issues with the directions it decided to take. Here are the most pressing issues we noted in no particular order. Massive spoilers ahead for the movie so please proceed with caution.

10. Spider-Man’s jokes were not very good. One of the biggest complaints about Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’, mostly from comic book nerds, is that he was not very funny. Spidey is known for cracking jokes and being really good at one liners. It is one of his most distinct character traits because, while Peter Parker is a mild-mannered guy, Spider-Man is sarcastic and mocks his adversaries.

Marc Webb’s Spider-Man attempted to replicate this behavior, but the humor did not live up to promise. Many of the jokes were ruined because they were shown in the trailers, and the others fell flat due to long, awkward pauses. He offers a few zingers to the Lizard throughout the course of their fights, but most are easily forgotten.

9. Difficulty connecting with the characters on a personal level. Parker’s origin story is a compelling one and it is also wrapped in mystery, which the movie emphasizes to a large degree. The mysterious disappearance of Peter’s parents torments him for much of his life and, while it is easy to sympathize with him, you never get a chance to root for him. This is due to Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of the character. He plays Parker as very awkward, which makes sense, but he tends to overdo it with that lopsided grin and stammering dialogue.

It got to the point where I mentally reenacting a running gag from the RiffTrax of the ‘Twilight’ films, where Kevin, Mike, and Bill would say, “Line?” whenever there was a huge awkward pause between Bella and Edward. Peter’s painful awkwardness and angst left me feeling distant rather than connected to him.

8. Illogical decisions from normally intelligent people. There are several moments where characters do something stupid to increase the drama. For instance, Peter notices that the Daily Bugle is offering a reward for photos of the Lizard, so he decides to patrol the sewers and straps his camera to a wall.

This is pretty smart. What is not smart is that Peter does not remove his name from the back of the camera while masquerading as a masked vigilante that the police want to apprehend. Why in blue blazes didn’t he scratch his name off of a camera he was using while fighting crime? That is inexcusably stupid and as predicted, the Lizard finds the camera and figures out his secret.

7. The end credits scene. The attentive eye will have recognized the bad guy teased at the end of ‘The Avengers’ (2012). But this end credits scene was infuriating because it was impossible to see Dr. Connors’ visitor. Nothing. No face, no distinctive clothing, no distinctive voice, and no lead up to help piece together who he was or who he was working for. We assume the intention was to get the audience frothing with theories about who he could be, but I felt ripped off because there was no buildup to this mystery man and there were no clues. The scene added nothing to set up a sequel and that is the most disappointing thing of all.

6. Peter Parker’s lack of concern for his mother. Unfortunately, this problem is not limited to ‘the Amazing Spider-Man’. There are a lot of male heroes who tend to focus on the loss of their fathers instead of both parents. This is understandable because boys tend to look up to their fathers, but it was still annoying that Peter did not mention anything about his mother. It felt like she did not matter, despite the fact that she was probably just as loving and nurturing as his father. It would have been nice to see him appreciate her even though she did not work with Dr. Connors.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Image Courtesy of   The Amazing Spider-Man

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Santa Monica, U.S.A. – True Believers, get ready for spectacular news – Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard and Spider-Man Merchandising L.P, a subsidiary of Marvel announced some amazing pre-order exclusives for fans that reserve an early copy of The Amazing Spider-Man video game in North America.  Fans Can Take on the Rhino Challenge and For the First Time Ever – Play Stan Lee as Himself!

Planned to launch June 26, 2012 the game brings Spidey back to the thrill of free-roaming through Manhattan in an original epilogue story to Sony Picture Entertainment’s upcoming feature film.  The pre-order exclusives for The Amazing Spider-Man video game are available and include the Rhino Challenge from GameStop and a special mission featuring a fully playable Stan Lee from Amazon.com.

The Rhino Challenge

Take control of the massive, genetically engineered villain Rhino and rampage around Manhattan in an exclusive game play challenge of pure destruction!  As Rhino, players will be able to unleash his formidable powers to destroy anything and everything that gets in his way in a timed event full of speed, combo streaks, and of course, a ton of things to break!  Unlock able for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation3 system only.

Play as Stan Lee for the First Time Ever

All the rumors can officially be put to rest – for the first time ever, fans will be able to play Stan…Lee as himself in The Amazing Spider-Man.  Players will take on the role of Stan “The Man” Lee in his own special mission across Manhattan, borrowing abilities from his old pal Spider-Man as they help Stan collect pages of his latest script in a spectacular race around Manhattan.

Stan’s mission is punctuated with his witty banter that fans have come to know and love, and a special surprise waits for them at the end of the mission – after all, it is Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary this year!

Go beyond the feature film and find out what happens next in The Amazing Spider-Man video game, which brings Spider-Man’s free-roaming, web-slinging action back to New York City.

Players take on the role of a young Peter Parker discovering his new Spider-Man powers and added Super Hero responsibilities, using the game’s innovative Web Rush mechanic to swing freely around Manhattan, combat a variety of criminal activities and take on classic Marvel Super Villains.

Set against an original story crafted by Hollywood writer Seamus Kevin Fahey (episodes of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and the re-imagined Battle star Galactica) that takes place entirely after the events of the upcoming feature film, The Amazing Spider-Man video game delivers a brand-new, immersive and cinematic adventure allowing players to truly harness the power of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

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This June, it’s time for Peter Parker, better known as the Amazing Spider-Man, to cross worlds and meet Miles Morales…the all-new Spider-Man?

Marvel has announced Spider-Men, an all-new five issue landmark story from award-winning author Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers VS. X-Men, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man), red-hot artist Sara Pichelli (Ultimate Comics Spider-Man) and acclaimed cover artist Jim Cheung (Avengers VS. X-Men), which brings Peter Parker and Miles Morales together for the first time. That’s right, the Spider-Man from two different realities—the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Comics Universe—bring their worlds together for a battle no one web-head could win.

When Spider-Man tracks down one of his deadliest villains, he suddenly finds himself thrust into another world where Peter Parker is dead…and there’s a new Spider-Man in town. As these two heroes learn the truth about their identities and their universes, they’ll embark on a journey that’ll leave them forever changed—and reveal a startling truth about a key player in the Spider-Man mythos.

“This year is the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man and we’re so happy that the stars aligned for us to tell a Spider-Man story that nobody has ever seen before,” said Bendis. “It’s an honor and a privilege to present both this story and these characters to fans on such an auspicious occasion.

The work Sara has done on Spider-Men is a step above the already high standard that she has set for herself on our Ultimate Comics Spider-Man series. For me, this is a celebration of the best character in mainstream comics and some of the best art mainstream comics has to offer.”

Each issue of Spider-Men features variants covers by some of the biggest names in comics including Humberto Ramos  (Amazing Spider-Man), Mike Deodato (New Avengers), Marcos Martin (Amazing Spider-Man), Terry Dodson (Avenging Spider-Man), Travis Charest (Captain America) and Sara Pichelli.

“Knowing how much Brian loves and respects Spider-Man, there’s no way I wouldn’t want to work on Spider-Men with him,” said Sara Pichelli. “It’s going to be an explosive celebration of Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary—are you ready?”

In 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15, the world first met Peter Parker and saw him become the hero Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe. Soon after, Spider-Man became a pop culture sensation, launching multiple television series, blockbuster films and some of the most popular comics of all time. Then in 2011, Marvel introduced Miles Morales, a new character of African American and Hispanic descent, who became Spider-Man in the Ultimate Comics Universe after that world’s Peter Parker perished.

“This is one of the biggest stories in Marvel history,” said Axel Alonso, Editor in Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “Peter Parker and Miles Morales are two of our most popular characters and fans have been clamoring for them to meet—we’ve got quite a few surprises in store for both characters. This is only the beginning of how we’re celebrating Spider-Man’s spectacular 50th Anniversary.”

This June, swing into action with world’s most amazing super heroes in Spider-Men #1.

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Marvel has proudly announced that, beginning June 2012, all Marvel super hero comics priced at $3.99 will include codes for free digital copies of those same issues on the Marvel Comics app for iOS and Android devices at no extra cost.

That’s right, the most-talked-about comics in the industry—including Avengers, Captain America, Invincible Iron Man, Mighty Thor, Amazing Spider-Man, Wolverine & The X-Men and more—will come packed with a code to ensure fans have the most critically acclaimed stories with them anytime, anywhere.

“We’re committed to bringing fans the best value in comics. By including codes for free digital copies in all our $3.99 super hero comics, we’re doing just that” said David Gabriel, SVP of Sales, Marvel Entertainment. “We’ve seen a tremendous response to the digital codes in Avenging Spider-Man, our Season One graphic novels and the Ultimate Comics line. The positive reactions from both retailers and fans make it clear that including these codes with our books drives customers into comic stores on a repeated basis.”

Marvel made comic book history in 2011 by announcing  all titles in the Ultimate Comics line would include codes for free digital copies on the Marvel Comics app, with unrivaled incentives for comic shop retailers. Then, in 2012, Marvel announced the acclaimed Season One graphic novels would also include similar codes making them the first graphic novels to ever include codes for free digital copies at no extra cost.

“At Marvel, we’re always looking for ways to bring the worlds of print and digital media together to deliver the best comics experience for our fans,” said Peter Phillips, SVP & GM, Marvel Digital Media. “With this next step, fans will soon be able to buy their comics from their favorite retailers but also enjoy them on their mobile devices and tablets, all at no extra charge. Welcome to the Revolution.”

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