The Amazing Spider-Man - July 3rd, 2012

Why do I feel that this reboot of the Spider-Man franchise was just made so that mechanical web shooters could replace the organic ones from the Sam Raimi trilogy? I also am annoyed by the costume. This is what a teenage boy would come up with?

I know for someone who enjoyed 'Fantastic Four 2' I have zero credibility to complain about what is or is not right for a superhero film. I just have such great memories of the FIRST Spider-Man movie in 2002.


As you all know it took decades for the film technology and the rights to even make the project to come together. We were all expecting so much. There was relatively little footage that had gotten out by the time the movie premiered so I was very excited to see what they had accomplished.

I tried for weeks to gather a group to see this film with me but all of them were content to wait for the opening weekend crowds (which were huge) to die down. I was indignant and determined to go opening night, even if that meant going by myself.

I waiting in the long line-up with other excited geeks. What we were about to experience instantly bonded us in our joy. Spider-Man was one of the crown jewels of cinema that we had been waiting for for so long.


I was FIVE people from the box office when the first showing was sold out. I was choked. As they closed the door to the theatre behind us (to make the people wait a half hour before selling tickets to the next showing) the manager came up to the group still inside and passed us all free tickets to the next show and had us line up in the lobby. Since I was close to the ticket window I was able to actually find a seat to wait out the first showing.


We were spared the horror of having to listen to the movie and the reaction through the theatre doors where it was playing because the part of the multiplex where we were gathered was far away from the showing. I was always thankful for that.

As we waiting the anticipation only grew - fueled by popcorn, pop and chocolate we were on a giddy sugar rush.


When we were finally let in I got a great seat on the aisle and found myself next to a really cute teen girl and her date who I think was more terrified and excited to be with her than he was to see the film. By chance the three of us started talking about superheroes and the like.

I decided early in that conversation to be a wingman to this poor kid who was totally out of his league with this girl. I made him look good. She laughed and held his hand and flirted with him relentlessly. I could feel his quickened heartbeat through the floor of the theatre. We joked with the people in front and behind us. It was a lot of fun.


Suddenly someone yelled from the back of the theatre, "I AM SPIDER-MAN'. Then another and another. This would have went on until the movie began if one kid hadn't gotten out of his aisle seat near the back of the room and declared in a loud booming voice, "YOU ARE ALL LYING FOR I AM SPIDER-MAN!" We all snapped our heads around to watch a kid, who was roughly 350 lbs, lumber down the aisle at full speed (for him). He was in control but not in control if that makes any sense. There was a point when I realized that even if he had WANTED to stop, there was no way that he was going to avoid smashing body first into the wall and the end of the aisle.

I always say that if you commit to something, it's always best to go full retard on that idea. This kid was the poster boy for that adage. About 2 feet from the end of the aisle he LAUNCHED himself into the air with his arms and legs at full extension and did a face plant on the wall and stuck there for the briefest of seconds - long enough to give the illusion that he was, indeed, Spider-Man.


The theatre roared in approval. It was one of the most magnificent things I had ever seen.

The the movie started.

It was amazing. The special effect that showed off Spidey's powers were terrific. You really got a sense of how it felt to swing around the city - what is was like to BE Spider-Man. I thought that they got everything about the character just right. Of course the Green Goblin costume was stupid but I went with it.


I laughed, I cried and at the end, when Toby gave that classic line about power and responsibility, I stood up and cheered with everyone else. I have rarely been in a theatre where that happened so joyfully.

And that is why I don't need a reboot.