Spider-Man Licorice and Other Weird Marketing Gimmicks
Posted on July 11, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Thanks to my friend and fellow critic Cynthia Fuchs for leading me to this list of marketing tie-ins for “The Amazing Spider-Man.” It’s funny that the Pez dispenser was the first reveal of the movie’s villain. I am not surprised by the fast-food and junk-food tie-ins. That ring toss is just weird. But, once again, I object to the toys that are designed for children much too young to see this PG-13 movie.
This month’s MVP is Denis Leary, a stand-up comedian turned actor who appears in two of the biggest movies of the summer. Last week he starred in “The Amazing Spider-Man” as police Commissioner Stacy, the protective father of Emma Stone’s Gwen. And this week he returns for the fourth in the “Ice Age” series, “Continental Drift,” providing the voice for Diego, the saber-tooth tiger. Leary has become a fine actor and he gets a chance to create a full and complex character in “Spider-Man.” And in “Ice Age 4” he gets a romantic interest in Jennifer Lopez. I’ve been a fan of Leary’s since “The Ref,” and it is great to see him in these two roles.
Movieline Asks Both “Spider-Man” Filmmakers the Same Questions
Posted on July 8, 2012 at 8:00 am
If they’re going to make the same movie, why not ask the same questions? Movieline went for it — with a side-by-side comparison showing the responses by the directors and stars of “Spider-Man” and “The Amazing Spider-Man” to the same questions. From asking directors Sam Raimi and Marc Webb how they balance the action and comedy to asking stars Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield how they got into shape and what if feels like to wear the Spidey suit, you can see if the people behind the film are as different, or as alike, as their performances.
Extended superhero fantasy peril and violence, some teen bullying, sad loss of four parents/parent figures, some disturbing mutation images
Diversity Issues:
None
Date Released to Theaters:
July 3, 2012
Date Released to DVD:
November 5, 2012
Amazon.com ASIN:
B008QZ5PY2
One thing I love about comics is that they are the only form of story-telling, with the possible exception of soap operas, where so many different people tell open-ended stories about the adventures of the same characters through a period that stretches over decades. The Wikipedia entry on Spider-Man’s “multiverse” includes more than 30 different versions, from the comic strip, cartoon, mutant, and zombie to the spectacular, amazing, noir, hulk, and kid-friendly “Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.” So, much as I enjoyed the Tobey Maguire trilogy (well, the first two) directed by Sam Raimi, I was looking forward to this reboot.
It does not bother me that 28-year-old Andrew Garfield, who has already played a college student (“The Social Network”) and an adult (“Red Riding”) is playing a high school student. It does not bother me that we have to go through the whole origin story all over again — spider bite, having fun trying out the new powers, death of kindly Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen taking over from Cliff Robertson), though it really should not take up nearly an hour, and much as I love her, Sally Field can’t match Rosemary Harris’ iconic Aunt May. The efforts to tie Peter Parker’s parents (briefly glimpsed Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz) in with the shenanigans going on at Oscorp feel cluttered, and Rhys Ifans as the scientist who lost an arm in his experiments and wants to find a way for humans to regrow limbs the way some animals do does not make a strong impression either as human or as the Godzilla-like creature he becomes. The problem may be that if Sony does not keep up its schedule of Spider-Man movies, the rights revert to Disney, which bought Marvel. So at times it feels like a place-holder for the franchise.
But there are a couple of things that work very well and make this an entertaining entry in the superhero canon. First, and let’s face it, this is what we want from Spider-Man movies, it is a blast to see your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swing his webby way through the city. In crystal clear IMAX 3D and with true mechanical effects — that is Garfield’s real weight swinging on real strings, not CGI — it is exhilaratingly vertiginous.
Garfield is less soulful and broody than Maguire, more athletic and witty. Peter Parker’s hipster signifiers include a skateboard, a hoodie, and a Mark Gonzales poster. And the heavenly Emma Stone plays beautiful science nerd Gwen Stacey, a more interesting character than would-be actress Mary Jane. There is genuine electricity between Peter and Gwen and director Marc Webb brings the same feel for young love he displayed in “(500) Days of Summer.” This unexpected tenderness gives heft to the story that in its own way is exhilaratingly vertiginous, too, and gave my Spidey sense a bit of a tingle.
Parents should know that this film has extended super-hero action-style violence, not very graphic but with some disturbing images of mutation and peril, and four sad deaths of parents or parent figures.
Family discussion: How does this compare to the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man series? Why didn’t Peter try to stop the robbery when he first got his spider-powers? What made Connors and Chief Stacy change their minds about Spider-Man?
If you like this, try: the first and second of the Tobey Maguire “Spider-Man” films and the Essential Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby
The summer movie season kicks off this week with the year’s most eagerly anticipated superhero movie, “The Avengers,” with an all-star cast of Marvel characters including returning stars Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and newcomers Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. Some of the other highlights of the next four months include:
Big and Loud — Chases, Explosions, Superheroes, and Aliens:
“Battleship” Yes, it’s based on the classic guessing game. But we never played it with aliens. With Peter Berg (“Friday Night Lights”) directing and a cast that includes Liam Neeson and Rhianna, it looks very promising.
“Snow White and the Huntsman” The year’s second Snow White movie is the dark and scary one with “Twilight’s” Kristen Stewart as the princess and Charlize Theron as the evil stepmother.
“Prometheus” Probably tops on the fanboy excitement list, this “Aliens” spin-off directed by Ridley Scott stars Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, and, from the original “Dragon Tattoo” trilogy, Noomi Rapace.
“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” Steven Spielberg directed the prestige Lincoln movie coming out late this year. This is the summer Lincoln movie, based on the best-selling book that has our 16h president splitting fewer rails and staking more hearts. The wonderful Mary Elizabeth Winstead appears as Mary Lincoln.
“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” The sequel looks like a big improvement over the original, with Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, and The Rock. From the trailer, it looks like “Step Up 3D” director Jon M. Chu may bring some dazzling kinetic energy to the stunts.
“The Amazing Spider-Man” Andrew Garfield takes over the role of Spidey as a teenager and Emma Stone plays high school love interest Gwen Stacy in this reboot.
“The Dark Knight Rises” Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan have completed their third and last Batman movie. Tom Hardy plays supervillan Bane.
“The Bourne Legacy” Jeremy Renner takes over from Matt Damon in this story of another agent who was part of the notorious Treadstone project. Tony Gilroy, who wrote the three Bourne movies takes over as director.
“Total Recall” The classic, if campy, Arnold Schwarzenegger movie about a man trying to recover the erased memories of his work as a spy has been remade with Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston, Jessica Biel, Bill Nighy, and Ethan Hawke.
“The Expendables 2” Sylvester Stallone’s AARP action hero movie was such a hit we get a sequel. Expect to see a lot of stuff blow up.
Quirky, Offbeat, and Independent:
“Ted” Mark Wahlberg has a talking teddy bear, voiced by Seth MacFarlane. Definitely not for kids.
“Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” Steve Carell and Kiera Knightly try to figure out how to make the best of the three weeks before the planet blows up.
“To Rome With Love” Woody Allen. Another European city. Another powerhouse cast, including Jesse Eisenberg, Alison Pill, Greta Gerwig, Judy Davis, Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Page, and Allen himself.
“Hope Springs” Middle-aged couple Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep go for marital counseling with therapist Steve Carell.
Comedies and Kids’ Movies:
“Dark Shadows” Tim Burton and Johnny Depp bring the classic — if low-budget — vampire soap opera to the big screen as Barnabas Collins has to cope with the lava lamp era of the 1970’s.
“Neighborhood Watch” Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Rosemarie DeWitt star in a story of a group of suburban dads who take on alien invaders. Sort of “Attack the Cul-de-Sac.”
“Men in Black 3” I don’t ask it to be as good as the first one. I just ask that it be better than the second one. J (Will Smith) goes back in time to meet K (Tommy Lee Jones) as a young man (Josh Brolin, eerily channeling Jones). Alice Eve and Emma Thompson join the cast as the young and older versions of “Agent O.”
“Madagascar 3” The animals are still trying to get back home, this time hiding out in a European circus.
“Ice Age: Continental Drift” The sabertooth tiger, the mammoth, and the sloth are back, and so is Scrat. Additions to the cast include Jennifer Lopez and Nicki Minaj.
“ParaNorman” The “Coraline” folks are back with another spooky story, this time an “animated zombie comedy” about a boy who can see dead people
“Brave” Pixar’s first movie with a girl as the lead character is the story of a feisty Scottish princess who has to save the day — and does not have to marry a prince.
And Big Hair Musicals:
“Rock of Ages” Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta Zones, and Alec Baldwin star in this tribute to stadium rock and the 80’s.
“Sparkle” “American Idol’s” Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston in her last role appear with Ceelo Green, Mike Epps, and Derek Luke in this remake of the musical about a “Supremes”-style girl group.
Thanks to my friend and fellow critic Cynthia Fuchs for leading me to this list of marketing tie-ins for “The Amazing Spider-Man.” It’s funny that the Pez dispenser was the first reveal of the movie’s villain. I am not surprised by the fast-food and junk-food tie-ins. That ring toss is just weird. But, once again, I object to the toys that are designed for children much too young to see this PG-13 movie.
