The Amazing Spider-Man Blu-ray: Review By MovieFreak97

I'm sure you all are asking yourself: MovieFreak, why are you reviewing this AGAIN? Well, because I want to. For months now I've been replaying director Marc Webb's reboot of everyone's favorite web-slinging superhero franchise over and over again. In my initial review, I praised the film for it's superb acting, breathtaking visual effects and action sequences, and Webb's sure-handed direction, all they while taking loads of heat from Raimi apologists and skeptics of the superhero movie in general, all of which told me I was living in a fantasy world. Well, having seen The Amazing Spider-Man five times now, I can say with ease that my high praise isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Now rather than offering up a simple retread of my previous review, I'll be going even deeper into the film, an analysis if you will. And as a word of warning I will be going into SPOILER territory, so for those of you who haven't seen it, you might want to skip ahead to my picture/sound segments, now.

Now for the rest of you, lets get down to business. When I saw the film for the first time on opening day, I walked out knowing that I had liked it, loved it even, but I was unsure of exactly WHAT held my attention so tightly. So I went home and thought for a while and yet, I still couldn't figure it out. So, I moved on, devoting my attention to the rest of the summer. And it was doing just that that led me to my answer. In my preparation for another little, tiny summer movie I don't think many of you saw called The Dark Knight Rises, I went back and watched Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. And let me tell you, I never thought I would solve the mystery of Spider-Man with a rewatch of Batman Begins.

Let me explain: Batman Begins is my favorite superhero movie of all time (yes, I like it more than The Dark Knight. That's another discussion) and in my eyes, the quintessential superhero origin story. And the reason for that is, he doesn't become Batman until the climax. Now I know you all will ask, well what about that scene with Falcone? I'M BATMAN! Yes, that scene is the first time he IDENTIFIES himself as Batman, but he doesn't truly embrace his destiny until much later. Throughout much of Begin's second act, he is a vigilante. Unwanted and despised. But when the city comes under attack, Bruce Wayne puts aside his personal convictions and rushes into save the day.

There is a scene in the midst of the chaos that I hear put down all the time as one of the film's weakest moments. I respectfully disagree. It's the scene immediately following Bruce's rescue of Rachel and Joffrey from Game of Thrones. He turns to leave and Rachel, reminding him that he may not survive, asks his name. He responds with something she told him herself: "It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me". Cue Hans Zimmer's theme and Batman flies off into battle. THAT is when he truly becomes Batman as well as the reason the movie succeeds so triumphantly.

Now, where exactly am I going with all this. Well, The Amazing Spider-Man has the EXACT same scenario, just told a little differently. Yes, there is that scene on the bridge where he saves the kid and tells the father he's Spider-Man, but in the very next scene Peter Parker is shown sitting on his bedroom floor with his mask out in front of him, contemplating whether or not he's ready and for much of the film's second act, like Batman Begins, he is a vigilante, not a hero. But then trouble strikes.

The Lizard is wrecking havoc on the city, Spider-Man has been shot and despite his pain, is still making his way to Oscorp Tower. The little boy's father from the aforementioned bridge scene (played exceptionally well by the under appreciated C. Thomas Howell) sees Spider-Man struggling and has his construction buddies swing their cranes out over the street, giving Spidey a clear approach. But Spidey is on the verge of giving up, the pain is almost too great, and he is barely able to pull himself on top of the building. What does he see? Help. What follows is undeniably the strongest scene in the movie. He seals his wound, cue James Horner's score ripped directly out of Titanic (and the one aspect of the film that has grown on me considerably since my first viewing), and leaps out over the street, swinging as quickly as he can. We see the police moving on the ground, stopping traffic to give him more space, and just as the score hits the theme, Spider-Man explodes into the sky, hitting his stride and making a spectacular appearance for the final showdown, which in turn is that much more rewarding.

Now, I think I've rambled enough. I still stand by my original review completely. The Lizard is still underdeveloped (and honestly a couple of deleted scene re-insertions would help that) and I wish the montage of him making the suit was a bit longer, but overall, I can't possibly recommend The Amazing Spider-Man enough and to those of you who have yet to give it a chance, I make one last plea for you to do so.

(copied from Blu-ray.com)

Disc One:

Audio Commentary: Director Marc Webb and Producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach open with a discussion of defining the Peter Parker character and the central theme that both shapes the greater narrative and literally opens the film. They cover the themes and spell them out with some meaning. They discuss the nuance of the performances, how the actors helped define the drama and themes, and the detailed scripted shaping of all the characters. They also cover rebooting (revamping?) the series so quickly, the massive canonical material available, cut scenes, similarities to other classic works, crafting various action scenes, storytelling techniques and advancing the plot and drama, and plenty more. This is a fast, informative, and worthwhile commentary. With optional English, Chinese Traditional, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai subtitles.

Second Screen Experience / What is The Amazing Spider-Man Second Screen Experience? (1080p, 1:04): The former is an app designed for the iPad or Sony tablet devices that allow users to interact with a wide array of content on a second device while watching the movie on TV. The Blu-ray player must connect wirelessly with the device. Production notes, effects shots breakdowns, storyboards, digital models, and much more are available. The latter is merely an advertisement and crude tutorial for the "Second Screen Experience."

Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Disc Two:

Rite of Passage: The Amazing Spider-Man Reborn (1080p, 1:49:49): This seven-part doc*mentary chronicles the process of bringing a new version of Spider-Man to the screen. In The Drawing Board: Development and Direction (13:09), cast and crew discuss reinventing the filmed franchise. They speak on moving on from the Sam Raimi trilogy, incorporating elements of the ultra-modern world but remaining true to the source, hiring Marc Webb and the attributes he brought to the film, the Peter Parker character arc, the villain's similarities with and contrasts against Peter Parker, and more. Friends and Enemies: Casting (15:19) examines the intricate and demanding process of assembling the cast, including Andrew Garfield, Rhys Ifans, Emma Stone, Dennis Leary, Sally Field, and Martin Sheen. Included are screen test clips of the actors' rehearsals. Next is Second Skins: Spidey Suit and The Lizard (11:23), a look at the use of modern technology in the film and designing both Spider-Man's suit and the prosthetics that shape the villain's lizard form. Spidey Goes West: Production - Los Angeles (16:37) opens with a look at the first day of shooting -- the wrestling ring scene -- and moving on to examine stunt work and the film's reliance on real stunts and action in its effort to enhance authenticity. Also examined are inspirations for the film's style. The piece also showcases the process of making various scenes in different locales and the advantages of shooting at, in, and around each. Also examined is Andrew Garfield's stunt work. Next is Safe Haven: Production - Sony Studios (15:27), a segment that looks at the making of more scenes in the Sony studios, including parts of the Williamsburg Bridge action sequence, the underground locales, school interiors hosting a major action piece, the Oscorp labs, and the end battle made in front of a blue screen. Bright Tights, Big City: Production - New York (9:32) focuses on, obviously, the scenes filmed in the Big Apple and the importance of the city in the film, the franchise, and Marvel properties. Lastly, The Greatest Responsibility - Post Production and Release (28:50) looks back at how well the film works, the editing process, creating the film's many complex digital effects, the authenticity of the animation (bringing in the Iconic Poses and Digital Environments - 3D Image Progression Reel supplement from the 3D disc), James Horner's score, sound design, the lasting themes of Spider-Man, and more.

Deleted Scenes (1080p, 16:50): A Different Fate; Connors' Condolences; Tracking Connors; Hacking Connors; Going Away; Top To Bottom, Part 1; Top to Bottom, Part 2; Bad Lizard; Help Me; All The Power You Feel; and Lost Something.

Pre-Visualization (1080p, 39:08): Storyboards and animated visualization sequences for many of the film's pivotal scenes, all set to music. Included are Revised Opening Sequence, Spider Room, The Subway, Birth of Spider-Man, Handstand, Rooftop POV, Overpass, Bridge, Love Swing, Lizard Sewer, High School, Lizard Ambush, Standoff, Crane, Oscorp Lab, and Oscorp Finale.

The Oscorp Archives Production Art Gallery (1080p): An interactive collection of concept art broken down into three categories: Spider-Man, The Lizard, and Environments.

Image Progression Reels (1080p): Detailed examinations of how all-digital scenes progress towards the end products that appear in the film. Included are High School Fight Sequence (commentary by Sr. Visual Effects Supervisor Jerome Chen), Iconic Poses and Digital Environments (commentary by Additional Animation Supervisor David Schaub), The Lizard Emerges (commentary by Sr. Visual Effects Supervisor Jerome Chen and Digital Effects Supervisor David Smith) and Sewer Battle (commentary by Sr. Visual Effects Supervisor Jerome Chen and Digital Effects Supervisor David Smith). Note that this piece also recycles the Iconic Poses and Digital Environments - 3D Image Progression Reel supplement.

Stunt Rehearsals (1080p, 11:52): Raw on-set footage of stunt preparation work. Included are Subway, Testing Powers, Alley Fight, Escape Under Bridge, Sewer Fight, Spidey vs. Lizard, Lizard Attacks SWAT, and SWAT Attacks Spidey.

Developing The Amazing Spider-Man Video Game (1080p, 3:30): A brief look at the game with its developers.

Stunning. Absolutely stunning, and one should expect nothing less from a new title from Sony. The Amazing Spider-Man is already a beautiful looking movie, but this Blu-ray transfer is faultless. The digital photography has all the sparkle and polish of any new release and the film's impeccably detailed visual effects shine. You'll get your money's worth on this one.

I don't have a sound system, but the audio sounded pretty great out of my TV. So no complaints there.

Standard (slightly larger than normal) Sony packaging with shiny slipcover.

Call it an apology, call it fanboyism, I really don't care, The Amazing Spider-Man continues to lure me in with every viewing and has guaranteed itself a spot in my top five of 2012, beating out both The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Is it a perfect film? No, absolutely not. No film is. But that's not the point, the point is that what was once an unwanted and universally despised picture has earned itself a spot among the genre's best, in my book at least, and I will treasure it for as long as I can. I just hope the sequel can live up to it.