by Cory Woodroof | Jul 3, 2012 | Uncategorized
If when watching The Amazing Spider-Man a feeling of sincere déjà vu looms over your collective memory, then don’t worry. You’re not alone. The newest incarnation of everyone’s friendly neighborhood hero might seem a bit too familiar to some since this origin story has already been told to greater success. I’m talking, of course, about 2002’s Spider-Man. The original take on Peter Parker’s rise to hero status featured Tobey Maguire’s nerdy Parker, Willem Dafoe’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-esque Norman Osborne/Green Goblin, Kirsten Dunst’s dreamy love interest Mary Jane Watson, James Franco’s cool-but-jaded best friend Harry Osborne, the infamous upside-down rain kiss, pumpkin bombs, a jerky Flash Thompson and, of course, Uncle Ben’s legendary call for great responsibility to follow great power. Two sequels soon followed. Five years removed from Spider-Man 3 (the final film in the original trilogy), the new Spider-Man flick feels a little too close for comfort. This time, Andrew Garfield plays a hipper version of Peter (skateboard and angst included), Rhys Ifans plays the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-esque Dr. Curt Connors/Lizard, Emma Stone plays the dreamy love interest Gwen Stacy. There’s no best friend for Parker this time (he’s a loner, naturally), but we’ve got another jerky Flash Thompson, more kissing, another scientific weapon and, of course, a call for responsibility from Uncle Ben. See what I’m coming from? I don’t want to make this review seem more negative than it is (I actually liked elements of the film quite a bit), but as origin stories go, you’re going to have to shake off the inert feeling déjà vu if you have any desire to truly enjoy this reboot....
by Cory Woodroof | May 9, 2012 | Uncategorized
Ever since the post-credit sequence in 2008’s Iron Man, fanboy audiences world-wide have eagerly awaited the assembling of The Avengers, Marvel’s answer to DC’s Justice League. The Avengers, made up of such heroes as Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America and Thor, has always been a beloved comic book property for diehard Marvel fans. Under the watchful eye of S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury, The Avengers would team up to take on the villains in the Marvel canon while saving room for constant bickering among themselves. Ever since the moment Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury told Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark of the planned initiative to bring earth’s mightiest heroes together, Marvel Studios has introduced audiences to not just the carefree, narcissistic Iron Man. Edward Norton brought the Hulk to the screen (again) in ’08, but due to some contractual/creative differences, Norton’s satisfying take on the big green man marked his only outing as the beast. Stark returned to the screen in 2010’s love it-or-hate it Iron Man 2. Aussie Chris Hemsworth (best known at the time for a flash-shot performance in 09’s Star Trek) brought the proud, Shakespearean Thor to the big screen in 2011. In the same year, Chris Evans completed the pre-Avengers rally with Captain America’s origin. Through the thick and thin, these set-up movies have had their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone loves Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, but many complain the Iron Man movies lacked the scale necessary for superhero glory. Most have already forgotten about The Incredible Hulk (a shame, really. I find the film highly underrated.), and Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger were enjoyable...
by Hunter Patterson | Jul 23, 2011 | News Slider
How about this? Take a World War II movie, crank up the action with effects and CGI and then give the focal point of the movie some steroids. If you do all those things, you’ll end up with Captain America: The First Avenger. While it is a fun movie, it lacks depth and that sense of deep, sophisticated storytelling that most of the Marvel movies have. That is not to say that it is too fast for one to understand what is going on, but in certain scenes that would require some emotion to grasp, the film sidesteps it. However, the movie is still about one of America’s first superheroes. During the World War II era there were less shades of grey. America was at war, and the enemy was truly evil. To battle that, America needed ideals and heroes that were truly good. It is against that backdrop that the film is built around. There are good superheroes, and there are bad villains. And because of that setting, we can put our modern cynicism aside and appreciate goodness and heroism for what it really is. Captain America’s (Steve Rogers) nemesis in the film is a Johann Schmidt, a Nazi better known as Red Skull. Contrasting the very good looking Captain Rogers, the ugly as sin Red Skull is a near perfect villain on the screen. Of course with any other Marvel film there is plenty of humor to go around. The bulk of the jokes come from Tommy Lee Jones. Jones’ character, Colonel Chester Phillips makes most of the jokes in rapid-fire mode while pre-transformation Rogers is still...
