Amazing Spider Man Movie Trailer

7/21/2011

I have just seen a trailer for next year's Amazing Spider-Man movie, and while I'm unsure if I like the dark direction the movie is going, I will say it's an inventive plot twist.

A few spoilers are necessary, I'm afraid. This is not a sequel of the movies starring Tobey Maguire. This is a reboot of the series, with new actors and a new director Marc Webb. The three previous movies do not exist in this movie's timeline.

The biggest change is Peter Parker himself. He's always been a social outcast, but the movie takes it to a new extreme. Peter is haunted by the loss of his parents. His clothes and attitude gives him a damaged kid going through the motions. This Parker shuns other people to avoid the emotional risk of getting too close. Experience has taught him to fiercely guard his past so as to not let anyone in. This is a moody, isolated loner that actor Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin in the Social Network) portrays well in the trailer. I especially like the hoodie look, like he's ducking underneath the hood to hide himself from others.

Mary-Jane Watson is not in the Amazing Spider-Man. The script takes a page from the earlier comics by pairing Peter will his first love Gwen Stacy. There is less variety for Gwen (Emma Stone from East A) in the clips, and there was barely any heft in the Raimi/Maguire films to provide a complete comparison. Gwen seems to be the kind-hearted girl who sees past Peter's loner persona to the nice guy underneath. She tries to get him to open up, which is difficult at first. She has to volunteer information to her family because Peter is way outside his comfort zone. It's like he's hiding behind her skirts. It will be interesting to see how Gwen changes Peter, and the role she will play in Spider-Man's debut.

And yes, the suit is different this time. I don't know why there's more blue in the gloves or why there is significantly less red on the back or the thinner spider emblem. I suppose it's a "kitchen sink" scenario; the movie reboots everything else, so why not the suit? Another possibility is that the suit was made different to emphasize the separation between the film and the three Maguire films before it, and make it stand out. It could be a hundred other things, too. I just don't know.