The Amazing Spiderman - 2

Great actors, nice directing, amazing CGI, brilliant 3D effects , superb action sequences amazing, amazing, amazing……so why was I bored to death one hour into the movie?  I was upset with myself for dozing off four times during the screening.  What the heck, was I just tired? The words of teenage Spiderman fans I had asked a while back about the movie came back to haunt me as I sat in the theatre, twisted into that creepy voice they used in Michael Jackson’s Thriller, “ Its o.k, but not as good as Winter Soldier.” It dawned on me that moment that I hadn’t taken them seriously and I was now living a “movie nightmare”. Like a deer caught in a bush trap, I was confined in the movie theatre. Should I get up and leave, no -watch it until the end.

What went awry? Many people will enjoy this rendition of the Amazing Spider Man -2 because it’s big budget, flashy, has romance, it delivers a certain kind of cockiness and has loyal fans; it will do well at the box office, but be careful movie producers; you can only be forgiven for making this kind of mistake with the delivery of a story once or twice before you lose your audience. Imagine you are in love with this really beautiful chick, she tells you babe – I am free this evening. You get really excited, wow – she’s invited me over! You get to her place, are sitting on the couch and you’re on cloud nine. You start to make out, when suddenly the land-line rings – she tells you, hold on babe, let me take this call. It’s her aunt May asking about the recipe for cheese cake. For ten minutes you’re staring at her talking on the phone uneasily thinking damnit, she is so hot, am I really here? Finally she hangs up looks at you and says seductively – now, where were we? So you’re making out again then just as you’re about to caress her cheek  her mobile’s ringer starts playing Katy Perry’s dark horse, she peers at the screen and she pushes you away saying – its my friend Harry babe, I gotta take this, he’s going through a rough time right now. For ten minutes you listen like a parakeet to her giving Harry a pep talk. Finally she hangs up and looks back at you with her piercing eyes, and says – now, come here tiger. So you’re making out again. As she runs her fingers through your hair the door bell rings and she quickly pulls away. You stop motionless like an unplugged appliance. By now you’re thinking – what the frick? She says, babe, that must be the postman with my letter of admission to Oxford in England, I applied last year. She goes to the door and the radio starts playing elevator music. As she talks on and on to the postman in your head you see an image of a rigid flower stem slowly wilting and going limp. By now you’re looking at the curtains hanging over the window by the fire escape swaying in the breeze thinking uggh..what am I doing here? Maybe…maybe this is my chance to make a run for it…through that open window…
 

By now the gist of what’s being told must be setting in. The action sequences in the Amazing Spiderman are good, but they do not tie in well to the “intermissions” or “fillers” where Parker has to deal with personal issues going on in his life. These interruptions also last too long. There is nothing wrong with these scenes independently but sewn together they didn’t make cinematic sense because they dropped the rhythm and pace of action in the screenplay. It should never be forgotten that a comic book based movie is first and foremost an action movie, the romance and thriller aspects are there to tweak the action, not interrupt it. If the action stops then it has to be filled in with the intrigue of a thriller storyline. This is done brilliantly when Gwen does a search and finds Max has been removed from Oscorp’s list of employees, placing herself in mortal danger. That was a stroke of mastery. Now this is how a love interest adds to rather than subtracts from the quality of an action movie.  She can either get herself out of this self created problem or the hero can play a part in getting her to safety, which is what happened – good execution.

Now for the characters in a movie of this genre it is important to remember to create characters, not caricatures. For instance Spidy’s cockiness is nice, but do you know anyone who behaves like that all the time as Spidy does thoughout the flick? Max’s semi-retarded persona, know anyone like that? If not, it’s likely a shallow caricature rather than a character. In the early adaptation of comic books to the big screen the successful method was the use of caricature to portray the bad guys. However, the audience today is more sophisticated – a caricature has become too shallow to keep peddling as a nemesis. The audience wants a tougher, prettier, handsomer, smarter nemesis who will challenge the hero at every level. Max is the right guy, a triple threat, but why is he portrayed as a dorky halfwit with a creepy hair-piece…that Spidy has him lick to slick down… ? What happened guys? Really? 

The ugly in nemesis has to be refined or redefined so as not to be simplistically revolting or off-putting.  An example of this in Star Trek: into the Darkness is that guy, you know, the one who grittily says “You should have let me sleep!” – now that’s a bad ass, triple threat anti-hero. Also, when the Clingons agree to meet Uhura, their chief steps forward and begins to remove his helmet. Traditionally the audience is leaning back in their seats reaching for barf bags thinking o.k. bring out the gross Alien with mandibles dripping with saliva, but that didn’t happen – instead we see this bald, bright eyed, Clingon looking like a handsome crocodile. Wow, that was a stroke of genius, unexpected – awesome. He’s ugly, but he’s not ugly – you know what I mean? The same way a lion is a predator, but is beautiful in its own way or a crocodile is dangerous reptile but there is a kind of beauty in the way nature has designed this creature. Similarly, there is a need for the director of art to redefine the Goblin in Spiderman, and Spidy’s other future nemeses; the aesthetics of pure ugly and plain friggin dumb are changing. The genuinely ugly Goblin covered in warts, sores, thinning hair and decaying teeth is old school and outdated. It’s easy to make ugly, ugly, but how do you make ugly pretty or handsome? The audience should expect to look away, but find it wants to stare back. The mastery of how to make a creature that traditionally looked ugly look beautiful in a surreal sort of way on the big screen will test the skill of a movie’s art director and determine his or her level of ability. This means producers and directors have to spend as much time and effort on the nemesis as they do on developing the hero.  In Akira Toriyama's Dragonball-z, especially from the Freeza Saga onward, the cartoon (not that recent lame, low budget and disrespectful real life adaptation) San Goku and his team never face a weak anti-hero. DBZ in the right hands and taken seriously enough could create a Sci-fi franchise to rival Star Wars, in the same way that Naruto if made a live action movie and handled with depth and lore  has the ingredients to create a franchise that would rival and possibly outperform Harry Potter at the box office. The hero is only as great as the nemesis is bad ass;  a weak poorly developed nemesis can mean a weak uninspiring hero.

When it is said that movie audiences are becoming more sophisticated this is not a complex problem. Sophistication evolves from experience. The first time you watch Star Wars and see those ships in deep space gliding like eels through crude oil, the thrill is incredible and the audience’s jaw drops. In Empire Strike Back they’re still lapping this up, but by the time they get to Return of the Jedi its now matter of fact; then bang those floating bikes whipping through the forest make you grip your seat. The audience is now more sophisticated. So if you’re going to make a new Star Wars saga the producers have to go back to the drawing board because showing the same kind of flight and movement of ships in the new Saga that you were showing in the first Star Wars is not going to cut it. It’s the same with how Superman flies, light sabers, how Spiderman slings his web and so on. Re-invention, reinvention…reinvention is necessary because the thrill is gone; Elvis has left the building – there will be no encore, the customer in the candy store knows what raspberry ice-cream tastes like, he or she has had it three times and is now  looking for new flavor, like pineapple. If the director and his team dish out raspberry again they’ve lost the plot.

I stayed watching Spiderman-2 out of respect for the franchise. I wish I liked it more coz I’m a fan and I wanted it to fly, I was routing for it. My guess is that chicks liked it, coz chicks seem to be able to handle those romantic “interruptions”  better than guys, they have that incredible patience that can sometimes drive blokes up the wall.  That unexpected ending was a decent tear jerker. I liked Gwen in this installment, her role had more substance especially when it tied into the plot with an ample degree of independence on her part – for a brief moment she wasn’t just Spidy’s appendage; she was Gwen the bad ass investigator scrolling through Oscorp's data to find the dirt.  

Another stroke of genius was the kid in the movie. Isn’t that the age when our imaginations were  first captivated by the modern folklore we see in comics? Spidy taking a moment from saving the world to solve the kids bully problem and using his webs to fix the toy, that was good story telling. There should however have been an unobtrusive build up to that moment when Spidy stepped in. There could have been brief, successive,  believable heart-string pulling bullying scenes in the background, with Spidy in the distance being observed helplessly by the child, to the extent that the audience is thinking there’s Spidy saving the world, but look he can’t even see this kid’s problems. Then just when you think its happening to the kid all over again Spidy drops from his pursuit of the nemesis and helps out the boy. Isn’t that kid what it’s all about – where it all begins for fans? Good job factoring this in. This is a major improvement from just having the mindlessly adoring him from the sidewalk. Another stroke of genius is the kid putting on his Spidy outfit and walking out onto the street to meet that dumb Rhino guy, yeah we know who he is.  The cinematography was intuitive. Very nice y’all. Now that’s what movie makings about. In that brief moment of heorism the kid is Spiderman - in his own mind. He doesn’t know the grave danger he is in, but the audience does. When he stops and stares at dumb Rhino guy, then pulls the mask over his head - pure genius. It’s portrayed in a way that it doesn’t seem cheesy or contrived. It’s a real showdown, but only we, the audience are grinding our teeth coz we know this shouldn’t be happening . The audience is genuinely afraid for the youngster – pure genius. More of this out of control kind of feeling  in future please.  Since the kid’s suit has the exact same hues as Spidy, next time with another kid, let the confrontation actually take place where the audience sees the battle in such a way that it looks like the kid is battling the nemesis but the audience is thinking – but how? Nah this can’t be.  At times it cannot distinguish whether its Spidy or the kid brawling. Then show Spidy shadowing the youngster, when the boy flicks out his hands to shoot his web, Spidy is doing this in exactly the same pose behind him and its actually Spidy’s webs that stream out. When the kid blocks an attack, its actually Spidy’s arm that’s stopping the blow, when the kid jumps over the foe it looks incredulous, but as he lands we see Spidy’s arm holding and steadying him. Then the kid turns to Spidy and says, “You o.k?” like he’s the boss, “I handled things for you while you were gone.” and Spidy being the stand-up guy we all like says “Yeah, thanks little Spiderman.” The kid says something like, “I think you can take it from here.” And they give each other a high five or bump fists. The kid walks back to his Mom or whatever like a gladiator and Spidy turns dramatically to face the nemesis , with a fun and games are over intensity, to continue the battle – yeah!  Remember as a kid when your Dad put you on his lap in the car and you took the steering by the hands, he moved the car and all the while you thought it was you who was driving? That’s what this aspect of story telling is all about.

 On the romance front the movie did well, the problem as explained earlier was execution .i.e. how the romance was strung together with the action. Jamie as Max, the nemesis, was a good move to diversity that will support an international audience, Jamie is a triple threat but as explained earlier the nemesis ethos needs to be researched well to create and execute a nemesis that is a credible triple threat; a character not Max the caricature. Once again as expected there was no diversity on the romantic front.  American big screen actors, to the detriment of the acting craft, seem to portray themselves as averse to inter-racial romantic mash-ups on the big screen. A problem, bias or chip on the shoulder British or European actors don’t seem to have. It’s just as well Garfield is British then. The audience is international. This genre of movies will probably make more money internationally than they will in the United States, so good story telling and diversity are important for the ethos of these franchises. The audience wants to feel like it’s a participant rather than just a spectator of a novel kind of biased super hero elitism. Actors who can’t mash-up on the screen in this genre maybe don’t have what it takes to stay in such roles.

On the music front, this was also handled well. We see Parker put on headphones to listen to a track,  also the closing track was nice, killer. The trumpeting music when Electro fires up those pylons was cool, but where is the vocal track, hip-hop or R&B etc. .that this was or became the music to? More needs to be done in choreographing the musical score with the screenplay. The method that can be used to do this is to synthesize  tracks into an orchestral form so that they can play as an orchestra as well as a conventional rhythm and beats compilation with vocals.  That way they can be used as a score where appropriate. The musical score of the movie then plays an appropriate version of tracks but the beat and rhythm are recognizable regardless of the genre of music since its the same track. Later the sound track can be sold as music for the billboards or performed in orchestras to generate greater revenues.

For the future? More creativity needs to be developed in terms of how Spidy moves, what has the audience not seen before? Also how he uses his webs, don’t keep repeating the same old jumping, acrobatic and web slinging styles. This is the challenge that cannot be avoided. His repertoire in this area has to be developed. There is no such thing as running out of ideas here, lacking creativity  or being comfortable with what he’s already doing, or just tweaking what he can already do. He always needs to do something he’s never done before or in the previous installments, the Spidy in Spiderman 3 cannot be the Spidy in Spiderman 1– he needs to grow, evolve. Stagnation is probably why by the third installment the movie has burnt out; its exhausted its novelty. O.k. he uses soft web, what about a web that can transform from being soft to become as hard as steel  but rigid and transparent as glass, that will bend slightly like steel but shatter like glass when it breaks depending on how he means to use it. Spidy pulls his hands apart, web appears between them but instead of the soft elastic web the audience expects to see it instead hardens and becomes rigid, he breaks it off and it’s a spear which he hurls at an enemy that has gotten away beyond the range of his normal web.  A rigid super-strong  web with glasslike,  almost invisible meshing sounds simple, but it opens up a whole host of new action moves  Spidy can use that the audience will not have ever seen before.  For instance he could create a shield with it, if the nemesis was strong enough he or she could smash through, shattering it into  a thousand pieces, but he could just as easily and quickly sling it up again. This is a good visual. He could also use rigid web to break into or out of structures. If the ceiling of a building is collapsing on people he could sling rigid web to support the ceiling. He can use rigid web to sling a cage should he need to trap an animal or enemy instead of tying them up with webbing. If he slings rigid web between two buildings he can create a rigid glass like platform people he has rescued can walk on like a deck or run across to safety. With rigid web he can fashion make-shift tools or weapons on the fly or by the seat of his pants that will be new to the audience. He could sling icicles that make different sounds when struck.  His growth in skill could show him combining rigid web with soft web to execute a complex battle move showing he’s no ordinary Spidy anymore, he’s advanced a step. He could even fashion a make-shift bow when in a bind and shoot a rigid web arrow to devastating effect. In one movie he could only sling soft-web, but by the next he's in a situation where he realises its not enough so he develops rigid web, then later by the next movie finds he's in a situation where both soft and rigid webbing is not enough and is forced to develop the next level of webbing. If he develops a strange new ability or technique just before the credits role the audience will be dying to see him fulfil its use in the next movie keeping them hooked.

In terms of movement, it may seem more difficult to see how to make him bad-er. However, instead of just executing acrobatic moves as we have seen, his maturity in execution can grow. He can be shown to deliberately hold poses, slow down executions then speed them up just before impact, like a matador so to speak. He can watch a desperate event unfold but instead of acting immediately as he usually does observe until the scene is sizzling with anticipation and the audience is thinking what’s wrong with Spidy why doesn’t he get a move on. Then with shocking speed he intervenes and just as quickly leaves the scene not bothering to soak in the applause. This kind of movement indicates a growth in confidence and prowess. For example, the ability of his super senses to appear to freeze time in the movie in order to craft a strategic move is a sign of growth. In my assessment of the cinematography and fight choreography of the comic book to movie adaptations thus far, to be frank, the directors of the action sequences are under-performing, not just in Spiderman, but in nearly all the super hero movie releases observed in Marvel and DC Comics (don't get upset, I am trying to help you). They are not honing the required skills to enhance their craft. Very little effort is made to define the qualities of speed, power, control, unique talent, technique especially in movement and battle. You need to study your craft in order to bring audiences what they have not seen. I would urge you to study Masashi Kishimoto's work in Manga and  animation to begin to understand what I'm talking about; to comprehend the delivery of these qualities. His work hasn't even reached the big budget levels of Marvel and DC comics but his craft is superior to yours. To demonstrate just one cinematography and choreography "quality" that is superior to yours, for example - speed, I would urge you as producers and directors to study Naruto Shippuuden Episode 1, when Naruto, Sakura and Sai are running through hallways looking for Sasuske and eventually catch up with him after an explosion. Watch the delivery of this segment in order learn this craft. Observe how speed is expressed and delivered when Sasuke moves from the top of the ridge down to where Naruto is standing, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Note the timing of Sakura's gasp. Note that he is able to do this even before Sakura is able to turn her head to track his movement, yet it ends with that slomo settling of Sasuke's tunic. You who are producing comic book block busters are not yet at this level of mastery. There is a need for you to go back to your craft. Granted a lot of what is in Naruto is childish and many "fillers" are dreary, but in the core of his craft this man is way ahead of you. To Kishimoto in the Naruto franchise an ability that is unique to a hero is called a "Blood Limit". In other words Peter Parker's "Blood Limit" is what makes him Spiderman, with the slight difference being that a Blood Limit is hereditary. Note how both heroes and nemeses never stay at the same level, their abilities must always evolve to the extent that super hero and anti-hero talent or ability resembles an arms race where any hero who doesn't keep working to improve him or herself often by seeking out "masters" to teach them a new way will not survive. This evolution keeps the audience captivated. Don't be afraid to switch things up and end a movie with the utter and absolute defeat of the lead character super-hero by a better skilled relentless foe; despite all his or her best moves that the audience thought were all he or she needed that in the past made them applaud. Let the move they applauded before fail; its no longer enough, new skills and abilities need to be found, but from where, from whom? Hero's are at the top of their league especially in the hero and audience's mind until thoroughly beaten after underestimating a nemesis or over-estimating their own ability. It always seems there's no one better than they are, but this is why there are those illusive, strange, sometimes reclusive and obscure "masters" who have skills and abilities gained through insight. This in itself is another persuasive story line and journey in the growth of their hero the audience will appreciate. A thorough and convincing defeat of the hero by a triple threat builds the infamy of a nemesis but this inevitably builds the hero. Let the audience leave with angry tears that their hero, though putting up a fantastic moral fight was trashed by his or her anti-hero. This allows the next movie to demand that the hero train harder, look within, soul search, even fear his or her nemesis and work to find ways to improve skills and abilities so that in the next movie the audience watches him or her evolve and grow. This is great story telling. I would urge you once again to study Kishimoto this time in the first years of the younger Naruto where his team fights Gaara after a chase through the Hidden Leaf forest. Note how at one point in the fight his team of heroes, now thoroughly petrified, makes a panicked decision to flee just before Sakura is trapped while Sasuke is incapacitated. Observe how the fear is orchestrated and how Naruto's decision to remain in the fight is not made because he is suddenly courageous but due to a higher sense of need to protect his friends and the sheer distaste for the nemesis Gaara. Study the delivery, psychological and emotional build up to Naruto Season 2 episode 76. Remember Star Wars, the Empire Strikes back ends with the triumph of the Emperor and the scattered disgrace of the rebels. Yes its sad, the audience leaves hurting thinking they were going to see the glory they saw in Star Wars I, they leave shocked by defeat. But this is how a certain awe, fear and respect is gained for Vadar whose eventual take down will now later magnify the hero. When the audiences come back to Return of the Jedi they are treated to the evolution of Luke Skywalker and the ultimate nail biting showdown between him and that scary nemesis they now fear - Vadar. In Kishimoto's style notice how each hero is given an opportunity to attack; after which the the nemesis verbally or mentally assesses and grades the attack identifying its weakness or flaws before proceeding with a counter attack and sometimes even during the attack itself. This process of analysis changes the battle from a senseless brawl to an interesting chess game where each fighter must understand and unravel the powers and skills of his or her opponent on the fly as failing to properly analyze an a opponent can lead to injury or outright defeat. The heroes in the world of DC and Marvel that are now on the big screen have to evolve as they are presently are too stagnant, they are not under pressure to advance, their fights are too mundane with no obvious mental exertion exhibited in the very process of battle itself, they seldom express raw palatable fear they have to fight through and this can make them stale. Wouldn't it be interesting and character developing to see the Hulk afraid for instance? What could possibly make the Hulk doubt his own strength? A good principal super hero craft is that no matter how fast you are, there is somebody faster than you, no matter how strong - there's someone stronger, no matter how gifted and agile there is some who can do what you do better than you; no matter how beautiful there is someone more attractive. The inner core of a hero must periodically be shaken and challenged allowing him or her to work and come back bigger and badder. What is speed and how is it expressed, what is power, what is dexterity or agility, what is the role of emotion and intellect in the midst of battle and confrontation? You need to improve your craft, it has become too rudimentary and conventional.


What the audience may need to see is a Spidy who has honed is craft so well that when a nemesis appears he is not just plunging into a battle – he is instead stopped in his tracks; he turns around slowly thinking is this it, is this the challenge that’s gonna test me that I've been waiting for? It can start well, Peter’s Spidy pics are selling, money is coming in, all his problems are taken care of, he’s saving people in the city with uncanny prowess, he has a new love interest, Peter is genuinely happy but the audience see’s something is off. Gwen's incident has changed him, given him a harder edge, a darker side, a less forgiving persona and a more ruthless poise. Spidy has become more powerful, more skilled but he’s become more arrogant – leaving some save to the last minute, he’s itching for a real challenge. At the beginning when he takes on his nemesis in the next installment he is out to prove a point to himself…..and he does this by meting out a brutal take down of a powerful opponent. Just when his confidence has peaked by this self affirmation let the nemesis he thought he has destroyed and gotten rid off suddenly sit down at his table opposite him at a restaurant. Parker is surprised but masks it quickly. They stare at each other for a long while expressionlessly, then his triple threat nemesis says to him – is that all you’ve got Parker? I thought…you were the..amazing..Spiderman.”  Let it sizzle. Then the new love interest suddenly appears.

The opening sequence with Spidy doing his thing in the city is nice, but like, what is it for? What does it have to do with the plot? Nothing. Then it’s a waste of valuable time. When you begin with a big display of Spidy skill like that then the rest of the movie becomes anti-climactic. That’s what the audience is drooling for, so don’t serve it up first or too quickly, especially when there’s nothing new or novel about it, its better to build toward it. If you start a five course meal with the main course the diners may not want to eat the entree. Just when the audience is impatiently asking when are we gonna see Spiderman? That’s when he should appear - don't stretch the waiting too far.

Side track, Why can't I get Spidy leaving a mess of cobwebs around the city out of my head? Something producers can  explore is a black market for Spidy’s spent  webs which would otherwise be left dangling all over the city becoming a public nuisance and an eyesore. Hands can be shown collecting the webs without showing faces or identities until the audience is asking who is that collecting Spidy's spent web and why are they doing this? Scavengers going around the city collecting the left over webs he uses to get around are trading it like contraband or bounty . They are using them as a raw material, turning them into something valuable e.g. the soft web into bullet proof kevlar, fashion items and the rigid web into diamonds or some expensive sought after gems for jewelry. (Spiderman jewelery and clothing line spinoff from this for serious adults maybe? Ka-chiung$$$!). Spidy is shocked to discover big money is being made behind his back from his spent webbing while he scrimps and saves. While he is often broke these web "collectors" or scavengers are making s-e-r-i-o-u-s dough off him. He confronts one of these blokes who isn’t doing very well as a scavenger and befriends him. They become fast buddies. To raise money Peter has his new business buddy sidekick hatch a plan to collect his spent webs – after all their his, why should someone else make money off them. But it’s a highly competitive trade because its become lucrative so Spidy has to quickly inform his buddy about where he has been to get the left over soft and rigid web before other scavengers some of whom are cut-throat and gangster-like move in. Parker and his business friend start making a tidy sum and Peter is in the money, but it’s a constant game of cat and mouse as different ruthless scavengers sometimes clash over a find especially the aftermath of a battle scene where a lot of webbing gets spent. This would make for some nice comedy because Parker despite repeatedly being begged by his business partner on principal flatly refuses to produce soft and rigid webbing just to sell as he can only produce a limited amount and needs it for his battles, life saving activities in the city and general web slinging. With the recession fading away its worth beginning to give Peter a better financial profile or persona. This trade in spent web can become an ongoing part of Spiderman’s life that improves his finances and it creates an interesting and intriguing aspect to being Spiderman from which many side-stories can be spun into the franchise. How much money he has and how wealthy he is at any one point can be controlled by the on going conflicts between his business buddy and other web scavengers.  

Well, not much more to blah-blah-blah about.......

Peace.