Just watched it last night and thought it was ok. I did enjoy it better than Raimi's part 1, but still way below Raimi's part 2 which I consider to be a superior comic book movie.
I agree with much of Kamandi's post, but I'll do my own set of goods and bads:
The good:
The more grounded realistic tone worked. I was a little skeptical of them going all Dark Knight, but they really they just tried to go for a little more realism is the characters. Where as Raimi's were slightly more caricaturized, these characters felt more dimensional and real--like Flash, Uncle Ben and even Aunt May.
Loved Gwen! It was refreshing that they decided to make Gwen intelligent and capable. But yeah, I realize the whole personal assistant/intern thing was a stretch.
I liked how he became a vigilante for Uncle Ben's killer, and especially liked how he wasn't able to find him right away and had to keep trying.
I liked how he created his costume by shopping online.
I liked the web shooters overall but I have a question/problem about it (see below).
I liked how he threaded the web through the sewer tunnels to find the lizard through the vibrations.
I liked Dennis Leary as Gwen's father. I personally love Leary. I think he's highly underrated and is brilliant when he's given a great role. One of my favorite performances of his is in the Thomas Crown Affair. Too bad they didn't keep him around longer.
I liked how Oscorp was the larger looming presence in the story.
The eh:
Garfield. He was okay, but sometimes he acted literally like a retarded person, or at the very least like someone with autism or Asperger's. It just made me feel uncomfortable for everyone around him!
I get that he was inspired to create the webbing from what he saw at Oscorp. I also know he saw the little capsules for his web shooters. Did he steal them or did he somehow manufactured his own stainless steel capsules too, based on the design he saw?
The Lizard. I thought Dr. Connors was okay, but I didn't like the mutation of the lizard. I think they could have designed it better. And what was with all the lizards in Manhattan? I lived in Manhattan for 10 years and now Jersey for the last 12, and I've never seen a lizard out and about. Now Miami (where I grew up) on the other hand…
The whole parents thing. I don't buy that they're dead. Are they setting this up so he finds them later in a future movie? Or even setting it up that the father will become one of his super villains?
His dad left because he was working on the same cross-genetics project as Dr. Connors and didn't want to give up the formula he came up with. And Dr. Connors was getting pressure in present day because it's implied that Norman Osborn is dying and needs this cure to survive. So what was the hurry and pressure 15 years before? Has Osborn been sick for 15 years? If so, I don't see the hurry if he managed to make it all this time with this "disease".
Peter's joking seemed a little forced.
I wasn't crazy about the first-person POV shots.
The music was a little annoying sometimes.
Overall it was okay. I think it's a better alternative or companion to Raimi's origin story. But I still think Spiderman 2 is the best one. No contest.
. All she needs is chapped skin and she's good to go.
