Cast :- Andrew
Garfield – Spider-Man/Peter Parker, Emma Stone – Gwen Stacy, Jamie Foxx –
Electro/Max Dillon & Don DeHann – Green Goblin/Harry Osborn among many others
…….. .
& Crew: - Direction – Marc Webb,
Screenplay/Screen story - Alex Kurtzmann, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinker & James
Vanderbilt – Marvel comic book – Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
The story, backdrop
and setting (Screen play) Two important
“pleasure” factors to note as I would like to term it when you watch super hero
flicks especially the ones like Spider-Man 1.Watch it only to enjoy the action
scenes, the animation and C.G work and put performance etc in the backburner 2.
If you are an avid follower or reader of Spider-Man comics and are aware of the
settings and backdrop of the premise etc you will enjoy it even more. After my preliminary words of super wisdom we will move on to the actual action.
We've always known that Spider-Man's most important conflict has been within
himself: Here again this is highlighted - the promise he had given to Gwen's
dad simply pulls our next door neighbor super "Spidey" away from Gwen
(Emma Stone) every time she tries to get close to him and wants a firm
commitment from Peter aka Spidey! Then the conflict between saving his friend
Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) or to refrain from doing so! Then there is this
conflict between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary
responsibilities of Spider-Man. In this film The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter is
faced two villains Electro (Jamie Fox) a villain not out of choice and his
friend Harry a villain forced into battle to save himself. It’s great to be
Spider-Man rather than the mere human Peter Parker after all there's no feeling
quite like swinging between skyscrapers and spending time with Gwen. But being
Spider-Man does come at a price: Spider-Man alone can protect his fellow New
Yorkers from the two formidable villains who unleash their powers and threaten
to destroy the city. With the emergence of Electro, Peter must confront a foe
far more powerful than he has in the past. His boyhood friend Harry Osborn
returns to torment him too! Super Spidey finally comes to realize that all of
his enemies have one thing in common: “Oscorp” the company that wants to rule
the world. Beyond this I choose not to reveal anything more not because
they will act as spoilers or unless people reading my reviews are super dumb!
&
the Climax P.S.
Super Tip: - Don’t except a fairy tale ending! Ha! Ha! Did I spoil all the fun!
What do you except from yours truly – after watching Electro in action!
Acting: -
Andrew Garfield as Spider Man/Peter
Parker I recently watched him on an IPL cricket show and the guy has an
impish air about him. He looks like a fun loving guy but doubly serious on the
inside. He has once again performed his role well and his comic timing this
time around really worked. His swinging acrobatic moves in the action scenes
really a treat to watch. On the downside his performance in the climax was not
that good.
Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy has again essayed a decent
performance. Her exit in a hurry from the lab while searching for Max Dillon on
the web. Waiting with worry and anticipating for Peter at the restaurant.
Insisting she follow Spidey at the very end. These scenes stood out.
Jamie Foxx as Electro/Max Dillon the contrasting
characters effectively portrayed.
Don DeHann as Green Goblin/Harry Osborn played what was accepted of him. Never
for once exceeded the brief set by the director.
The
rest: - Also Ran!
Director: - Mark Webb
this
guy must be an ardent and fanatical fan of Spider Man comics. His first film
was (500) Days of Summer followed by The Amazing Spider – Man and now Part 2.
He knows exactly what the fans of super heroes want and presents it once again
in a platter. The swinging action scenes/the car crashes/the transformers &
the “power-full” action scenes laced with emotion and right doses of humour* to
keep you from dozing off!
*Peter Parker: I'm so sorry I'm late, I had a traffic
thing.
Gwen Stacy: Did your "traffic jam" have
anything to do with, I don't know, being shot at by machine guns?
Peter Parker: Yeah, I was implying that.
For the average
American audience a kid is thrown in as a bonus to kindle and tweak patriotism!
Wow! Way to go!
Camera: - Daniel
Mindel has really wielded the camera craftily. It shows that he is an
experienced D .O.P especially after working in films like Star Trek and
Mission: Impossible and Enemy of the state etc. Lighting was of a high standard
though expected of such films. Actions sequences that keep you engaged most of
the time.
Director Marc Webb chose to
shoot on 35mm film instead of the digital Red Epic cameras the original was
shot with. While it is relatively common for franchise films to shoot on film
and transition to digital for sequels as digital cinematography and 3D has
become more commonplace (e.g. Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Skyfall (2012), Iron Man 3(2013), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger
Tides (2011)) this is a rare example of a franchise switching
to film after being shot on digital.
Music:
-
Johnny Marr/Pharrell Williams/Hans Zimmer -Johnny Marr made a name for himself
as lead guitarist for the British rock band The Smiths. Pharrell Williams is
known for the films Despicable Me/Mean Girls etc & Hans Zimmer has done
exceptional work in films like Pirates of the Caribbean/Lion King/The Dark
Knight/Inception etc. Need I tell more! Once again the re-recording has to be
appreciated
Art:
-
Kim Jennings/Richard L.Johnson - Very good work indeed.
Makeup:
- Exceptional
work especially on *Green Goblin.
*The
final battle between the Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) and Spiderman (Andrew Garfield) was filmed in an actual clock tower where
temperatures would reach 115 degrees. DeHaan had to wear 3 1/2 hours worth of
prosthetics and make up, as well as his goblin costume, which weighed 50 lbs
and couldn't be opened without power tools. After DeHaan lost 7 lbs in a single
day, the film's medic was so concerned that DeHaan would get heat stroke that
crew members were told to pour buckets of ice on DeHaan's head and down his
suit between takes. Unfortunately, this didn't work because his body temperature
was so high that the ice would melt and turn into steam before he could feel
the effects of the ice. Eventually, a tubing system that would pump cold water
was installed in the goblin suit so that the cooler temperatures could reach
DeHaan's body
Edit:
-
Pietro Scalia – His record speaks for
itself- Gladiator/ Kick Ass/ Prometheus/ Good Will Hunting
& finally the Graphics and animation work excellent indeed. This is the
essential strength of the very premise of this film!
The
one’s that worked: - 1. The action sequences 2. The animation and C.G work 3.
B.G/rerecording score worked wonders for the film
The
one’s that bombed: - 1. Frequent appearances of Gwen’s dad sort of acted as a
spoiler to the climax. 2. I love you web
sign on the bridge rather clichéd
Finally
to sum it all up, a quote: “The primary effect
of this movie to keep conjuring up better movies.”
Left, Right & Centre:- My question:- Can our own much hyped film “KOCHADAIYAAN”
match up to the high animation/CG standards set by Hollywood movies?
My dear friend Senthil an animator and CG expert simply put
it in layman terminology “We simply cannot spend money on 500/1000 prints as
against probably ten and thousands of prints of Hollywood films. But as a rider
to this we can still do quality animation and CG work if our filmmakers adapt
the premise and screen play to suit the kind of budget we can afford. We should
necessarily cut costs on unnecessary production expenses mainly due to high
salaries etc and use the generated surplus to enhance the CG and animation
content in such films.” Wishful thinking! Let’s hope not!
Bottom
Line: - A film for all SUPER HERO fans & even for the not so fans of
SPIDEY’S!
Until
next time,
Director
Haricharan
Chennai
07/05/2014
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