SPIDER-MAN, VENOM, NON MARVEL SPIDEY DOES WHAT A SPIDER CAN IF SONY LETS HIM

[BMichaelKrol]

Exactly. They could do a live action Lego Marvel movie. Which would be fucking awesome.

[Bobby Bear]

The trailer does nothing for me. Nothing but swirling pixels.

With the exception of that tiny, tiny bit with Pete and Gwen's romance, I had a similar reaction, mate.

I've been criticized for defending Raimi's films in the past, but his first two Spidey flicks triumphed chiefly because they're fine examples of character-driven storytelling. Not a cavalcade of sneering goons. Not elaborate but ultimately monotonous action sequences. They're about people undertaking fantastic but involving journeys. They had nuances largely absent from The Amazing Spider-Man, and their sensitive portrayal of Peter the boy becoming a man is why they continue to outclass their higher-grossing PUNCH PUNCH SMASH rivals.

They also allowed the director to excel by utilizing his unique skills, rather than pandering to committee-approved "safe creative choices" like exhausting third act brawls. In the same way that Tim Burton's heart was obviously with the Joker rather than Batman (and the resulting film benefited greatly from his Gothic sensibilities), Raimi cares more about the boy behind the mask than the punch-ups. The angst. The pathos. The acne. The audience never forgets what it is that makes Peter such a fascinating and - yes - fun character. He's someone with whom many of us can probably identify. I miss that affinity. The outsider spirit.

What makes this series so unique and powerful is its title character, not the guys who decide to compete for the silliest costume/alias award. To me, prioritizing them - as this trailer seems to - creates skepticism rather than excitement.

Or, to put it more succinctly, I'd happily lose all these fanboy favourite villains in favour of a more detailed look at Peter Parker: Spider-Man... even if it means Chris Martin or Nickelback on the soundtrack.

[Martin]

Good lord does it look like PURE SHIT.

[Abraham Smashington]

so many wet blankets

[Captain Russ]

That song is dope.

[Timothy225]

Marvel getting the FF would be pretty great, cause then we could see the Kirby Galactus fucking up NYC.

FUCK. YES. YES!!!! Fuck a big old alien fart cloud attacking Earth. I DEMAND a skyscraper sized dude with a big purple helmet!!! It's how Kirby did it, it's how 'Merica does it, and I think it works pretty well so far.

With the exception of that tiny, tiny bit with Pete and Gwen's romance, I had a similar reaction, mate.

I've been criticized for defending Raimi's films in the past, but his first two Spidey flicks triumphed chiefly because they're fine examples of character-driven storytelling. Not a cavalcade of sneering goons. Not elaborate but ultimately monotonous action sequences. They're about people undertaking fantastic but involving journeys. They had nuances largely absent from The Amazing Spider-Man, and their sensitive portrayal of Peter the boy becoming a man is why they continue to outclass their higher-grossing PUNCH PUNCH SMASH rivals.

They also allowed the director to excel by utilizing his unique skills, rather than pandering to committee-approved "safe creative choices" like exhausting third act brawls. In the same way that Tim Burton's heart was obviously with the Joker rather than Batman (and the resulting film benefited greatly from his Gothic sensibilities), Raimi cares more about the boy behind the mask than the punch-ups. The angst. The pathos. The acne. The audience never forgets what it is that makes Peter such a fascinating and - yes - fun character. He's someone with whom many of us can probably identify. I miss that affinity. The outsider spirit.

What makes this series so unique and powerful is its title character, not the guys who decide to compete for the silliest costume/alias award. To me, prioritizing them - as this trailer seems to - creates skepticism rather than excitement.

Or, to put it more succinctly, I'd happily lose all these fanboy favourite villains in favour of a more detailed look at Peter Parker: Spider-Man... even if it means Chris Martin or Nickelback on the soundtrack.

[Abraham Smashington]

we don't need more PETER PARKER: SAD BASTARD

Everyone know that Parker is a nerd and an outsider, why do we need multiple movies following that arc?

We got that in Raimi's movies which is why I dig Garfield. He may not be the "classic" nerd in the sense that Tobey was but he's just as awkward. Plus Tobey suckkksss.

[Timothy225]

That's why I was all for recasting and keeping the story moving forward from Spider-Man 3 as opposed to rebooting and starting from scratch. Shit, keep Garfield and Stone (make Stone MJ instead of Gwen), keep Dylan Baker as Connors/The Lizard, keep JK Simmons as Jameson, go to town. Fuck, bring back DeFoe as the Goblin (they did it in the comics - damn healing factor!) but use something besides the Power Rangers suit and this green Don King crap. They switch out James Bonds every few films and few blink an eye (Yes, I do remember the shitstorm when Craig took over from Brosnan, but fuck 'em. Daniel Craig all the way for me, brah).

As for the mopey, moody stuff, well, that's part of Parker/Spider-Man. They won't jettison that completely, but I do admit the new trailer is far more colorful and upbeat in tone than ASM was. There were scenes that were so damn dour in lighting and atmosphere they sucked all the fun out of whatever was going on at the time.

[Captain Russ]

There was a Craig shitstorm?

[gravedigger]

I think it was mostly because he was blond but, yeah, people were pissed about Craig being cast. Those people have since been proven to be dum-dum poopheads because Craig is awesome.

[BMichaelKrol]

I think it was mostly because he was blond but, yeah, people were pissed about Craig being cast. Those people have since been proven to be dum-dum poopheads because Craig is awesome.

I wish you'd quit using technical legal jargon in your posts.

[Timothy225]

Evidently, Mr. Digger is an educated man. Now I really hate him.



Only kidding, Grave! You know you're a daisy and my huckleberry, brah.

[Bobby Bear]

Thanks for that, Tim! I'm glad you appreciated it.

Rob, I'm not suggesting endless replays of fringe-swooshing mopey Peter. This character has been around for decades and the comics have certainly explored new angles in that time. I see no reason why the movies shouldn't do the same.

I was talking about the central character, what makes him special and interesting (or at least did in the earlier films). Had Raimi continued with the series, it would have been interesting to continue exploring the themes of responsibility and self-acceptance in an aging Peter's life. Essentially, being an outsider isn't just about being a teenage nerd.

The main focus of the film should be its central character, and it bothers me how little that seems to figure here. Much of the trailer, especially the narration, is so generic it could apply to almost any other comic hero. To me, that's a problem. When a character this cool moves from "unmissable" to "maybe a rental," somebody's doing a bad job.

[Captain Russ]

Word.

[Bobby Bear]

Thanks, pal!

And because I didn't say it yesterday, Maguire was - and continues to be - unfairly maligned for his performances in those movies. His quiet intelligence and vulnerability gave us quality dramatic moments far beyond those in most superhero flicks.

I'd rather watch just his scenes with Cliff Robertson from the original on a loop than anything in Amazing. Or the tender moments with M.J. The sequence with him exploring his new-found powers...

"'Nuff said," anyone?