Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Sony Pictures – 136 min – 2012 – Rated PG-13 -1080p – 2.40:1 widescreen – DTS-HD 5.1 Audio – UltraViolet Copy

Hollywood has found a new way to get an audience to cough up their hard earned cash without risking the studio’s bankroll on creating something new or original. It’s called the “reboot.” It’s a simple formula where if a movie was successful the first time, then all you need to do is wait roughly five years and then remake it again with different actors, writers and directors. It worked for Batman so of course it will work for another loved American hero…Spider-Man. Director Sam Raimi and actor Tobey Maguire did an incredible job with Spider-Man 1 and 2 (the second film being a classic)…but fell flat with the third film, leaving a bad memory for Spidey fans. Well now the Web-Head is back, and this time he’s The Amazing Spider-Man, which has arrived on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures. Was it too soon for Spidey to put his red and blue tights back on? Let’s see.

THE MOVIE

If you’re a fan of Spidey you already know how a high school nerd was bitten by a radioactive spider and became one of the greatest superheroes the world has ever known. The rules are the same in this remake, but now actor Andrew Garfield has stepped in to take on the role of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. We last saw Garfield as he went head-to-head with Mark Zuckerberg in the Facebook themed movie, The Social Network. It was a standout performance that put him on the top of the list for Spider-Man, and he does a decent job at making Peter Parker a sympathetic and likeable character.

Teenaged Parker is raised by his Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) after his parents mysteriously disappeared years ago when he was a child. He is socially awkward, but his love of science and photography get him through the pain. Then theirs his secret crush on his blonde classmate, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), who he’s to shy to approach. He’s destined just to be the geek in the background of life…then along comes a spider. Parker is bitten by a spider that ignites incredible abilities within him, turning him into a human arachnid. He can cling to walls, webs form organically from his wrist, and he has a heightened sense that allows him to know when danger is nearby. But he doesn’t really know what to do with his powers until his uncle is murdered by a criminal on the street and Parker makes a costume to shield is identity and takes the to crime filled streets as The Amazing Spider-Man to hunt his uncle’s killer. Things get more complicated when a brilliant scientist Parker admires named Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), attempts to re-grow his missing arm like a reptile with a serum he created, but instead transforms himself into a menacing half man-half lizard. The Lizard goes on the rampage in the city, making him Spider-Man’s first villain that must be defeated.

Director Marc Webb, who was an odd choice to re-ignite the Spider-Man franchise, especially since he only directed one other feature (500 Days of Summer), which was a low budget romantic comedy. Webb (perfect name for a guy doing a Spider-Man flick) does all he can to stay away from the world that Sam Raimi created in the original trilogy. He attempts to make a darker film with more complex characters instead of focusing on sensationalized epic action scenes. Yes, the film does have action, but it is toned down to be less of a comic book and instead more of a drama. Does this work? Well the film does have good points, mainly because of Garfield, who is likeable as Peter Parker, and you instantly separate him from Tobey Maguire. Instead of going for the traditional nerd, this Peter Parker is a lot more colorful and eager to use his newfound powers. Another shift from the original trilogy is that this Spider-Man is not rippling with muscles and Garfield didn’t hit the gym to bulk up like Maguire did. Instead they make Spidey skinny and lanky like he was drawn in the original comics. He’s more like a spider than a man, making him much more faster and stealth-like so he can hide in the shadows.

The movie has some issues, being the choice of the villain, because The Lizard is one of Spider-Man’s lamest foes. Yes, it’s obvious they were trying to do the template that was devised with Batman Begins, where you save the best villain for the sequel, but come on, Spidey has so many other baddies that could have been highlighted. Another problem is that the film’s pacing is not very strong, because there are parts of the film where you literally feel like nothing is moving and the story has come to a stand still. Certain supporting cast members also seem forced, such as Denis Leary as Captain Stacy, and C. Thomas Howell who’s character is just thrown in a prop for Spider-Man. And it would have been better if the so-called romance between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy was played out better than a Twilight flick.

Overall, this re-boot of Spider-Man will place people I two different camps. There are those who will think Sam Raimi did it better and there was no need for a new Spider-Man movie this soon. Then there are those who will think that after Spider-Man 3, this movie hits the target and launches Spidey in a new direction that is promising. This film made $750 million bucks worldwide this summer, so there is definitely an audience out there who loved it and want more. The Green Goblin and Venom are Spider-Man’s A-list foes, but if the rumors are true it appears that the sequel will even have an even lamer villan than the first film by introducing Electro, which is a bottom of the barrel as you can scrape. We’ll see how Spidey’s next adventure on the big screen goes.

VIDEO

This Blu-ray looks absolutely amazing, offering a full 1080p image in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. When I saw this film in the theater the look of it didn’t really jump out at me, but watching it on Blu-ray changed my opinion. Blacks are handled well with little to no grain and colors are superb without looking over saturated. The details of the webbing on Spider-Man’s costume and the reptile flesh that covers The Lizard are so sharp that at times it looks like you can reach into the screen to touch it. As far as transfers go, Sony has a winner here.

SOUND

As expected the sound compliments the image quality, boasted a room shattering 5.1 Dolby DTS-HD soundtrack. As expected with any super hero flick, a lot of things are going to explode and shatter, which is all handled very well on this Blu-ray, but there are also the subtle things that stand out, such as the background sounds of the city and the crystal clear dialogue. Hearing Spider-Man as he swing by will make you feel like he’s in the room if you have a home theater set-up. Credit should also be given to James Horner’s score, which immerses you into the world without overshadowing it. No complaints here.

EXTRAS

Thankfully Sony did not skim on the bonus material on this two-disc Blu-ray, offering a healthy selection of features that give you the full behind the scenes experience of the movie.

If you own a tablet, preferably an iPad, you can download the Second Screen App, which allows you to use your tablet as a second screen to access features as you watch the movie on your TV. Using this you can see storyboards or read the production notes, but if you don’t have a tablet, it’s not a deal breaker because the bulk of the features are on disc two.

Director Marc Webb and the films producers, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach provide an audio commentary track that provides enough information about the re-booting of Spider-Man and goes into details about casting and production. This is well worth a listen.

The best feature on the disc is the seven-part doc on the making of the movie titled Rite of Passage: The Amazing Spider-Man Reborn. It’s feature length, almost coming in at two hours and breaks down every element about the making of the film from concept to screen. If you liked this movie then this is the holy grail of the Blu-ray.

There are eleven deleted/extended scenes, totaling around sixteen minutes long. It is obvious why certain scenes were pulled because it would make certain slow parts of the film feel even more slower, but it is great that they you are given the option to see what work went into scenes that never even made it to the screen.

Sony also included the Pre-Visualization sequences, which are the animated storyboards that gave director Marc Webb an idea of how he wanted key scenes to look. Student filmmakers will appreciate this because it gives a full representation of how major scenes are orchestrated before any live action is shot.

The Oscorp Archives Production Art Gallery features HD concept art of Spider-Man and The Lizard.

The stunts of the film are highlighted in a rehearsal reel that shows on the set footage of certain scenes, such as the subway sequence where Peter Parker discovers some of his abilities and the finale Spidey vs. The Lizard battle.

There’s also a short behind the scenes look at the making of video game for The Amazing Spider-Man.

A standard DVD is included, as well as an Ultraviolet Copy for portable devices. And for those of you who have a 3D TV, there is a 4 disc Blu-ray set available so you can experience the movie in the third dimension.

BOTTOM LINE

This Blu-ray offers top-notch video quality and sound, as well as a heavy pile of bonus features, so you get a lot of bang for your buck. The movie itself may divide people into two camps: One for fans of the original trilogy and the other for those who prefer the re-boot, but that decision is up to you. As for the Blu-ray itself, it will make an excellent addition to your HD collection.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 5.0

Sound: 5.0

Extras: 5.0

Bottom Line: 4.5