This summer, I watched 2 great movies already. Both are from superheroes genre, a seemingly risky approach, but if done brilliantly, it is captivating like these two movies I saw.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) by Marc Webb
Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Martin Sheen, and of course featuring Stan Lee in cameo appearance.
It is not the 4th installment of the Spider-man series that starred Tobey Maguire, rather a re-boot of the series. I have to say that I love the way they characterize Peter Parker. This movie is more like the original comic book and Sunday morning cartoon Spider-Man Peter Parker, the obnoxious, witty, and humorous from the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. But I'm not sure if he is also the nerdy and techie teenager that is shown in this movie.
He is no longer the emo, hopeless romantic Tobey Maguire, and the girl he is after is not the insecure red hair bitch Mary Jane by Kirsten Dunst. And it is not the movie that most hormone-ridden teenager of my era, back during Sam Raimi's reign over the franchise, loved and make them instant comic book superhero fans.
The overall story is loveable. They are trying a couple of make-believe plot devices, but just at the right amount. There is some high school drama here and there, some nerdy guy stuff, and sad moments. The "wise up" part is easily forgettable, but they are just good for not being too preachy. It is entertaining with a clear and coherent plot. You don't need any prior geek-club brainwashing or comic book knowledge to understand it, that makes it great.
I gave it a decent 7/10, it was such a hype here. My local in-mall theatre have to use 9 out of its 10 theatres showing the movie, and most seats are full. I had to watch it in the 3D theatre.
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The Dark Knight Rises (2012) by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, and Tom Hardy.
The Dark Knight series by Christopher Nolan however, takes it to the different level. It is still the comic book super hero, however, with much more intricate plot and make-believe storyline. If you think you are too much of a serious man, you can't just diss Dark Knight like all other comic book superhero movies. It is not campy, it is overly serious, too damn serious, even for real world that it has killed many people in the process for real, perhaps influenced by the heavy characterization in the movie.
And yeah, the movie is an action drama. You got sad story, romance, ordinary people, plot work, big dark super vilainny scheme, and badassery. So it is all-in-one package fitting together at just the right amount.
The movie is roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes long, despite many of its plot being obviously fast forwarded. You got to see many scenes of the character talking a few lines, before the screen quickly switching into a different setting or situation, where the other character have something to say, and then back again. It feels like a rushed job, but it is not that bad either. I see it as an honest progression, unlike many other modern Hollywood movies where they use intrigues to cover the lack of explanation or drag the plot in order for the audience to focus on the main character.
There are plot twists, although many, they don't seem to be out of place. It makes it worth 8.5/10. It is a great movie indeed and left you with mixed feelings. While it is slightly less than the rating I gave to "The Avengers" (2012) by Joss Whedon, it doesn't mean that the latter is better. It is just because I prefer movies to be more entertaining than stirring the audiences' emotions.
p.s.
I wasn't a big fan of DC comic series. For example, hardcore Marvel fans viewed their superheroes are mostly over-privileged elitists. But to me, that's the most logical position of being a superhero: save yourself before saving others. So I'm pretty much okay because I don't give too much rat ass about that anyway. So here we go with the most favourite DC super hero: Batman, because he is the most human-like superhero out there, and we losers, like to see everyday losers just like us becoming something great. And there is Marvel, presenting the Spider-Man, an average sixpack joe, or nerdy rupert becoming a mankind savior. Both of these superheroes are pretty much realistic in both movies' make-believe storyline, but I just can't be bought like that. The amount of realism is simply lacking here. But I enjoyed them nevertheless.
