Tingling

Last weekend, I was finally able to catch "The Amazing Spiderman." I've heard a lot of positive reviews about this film, both from my friends, students and on-line critics. They all seem to be in agreement, and that's always a good thing.

I must say that they were spot on. This version - technically a prequel - has all the elements of a great superhero film. 

First, there's action. What I like about this film is that the action scenes weren't too exaggerated and didn't look too "green screen." The scene where he first learns about his strength and power was hilarious. There was a certain naivete and non-chalance in that scene that made Peter Parker very human. The wall climbing scenes, the swinging on the web scenes, even the fight scenes, they were all realistically done. Even thought I'm aware that this is a fantasy film, there's a suspension of disbelief and it made me feel that this could possibly be real. (Which is what I felt while watching Jurassic Park years ago.)

Second, there's the origin. I've always been fascinated by superhero origin stories. When I was a boy, I even had a couple of comic books on the origins of both DC and Marvel superheroes. If memory serves me right, one book was entitled "Marvel: Origins," and I couldn't get enough of that book. It's the same fascination that I felt as the story of Peter Parker unfolded. From the time he was bitten, to this early acts of heroism, until he went full blast with it - the way it was told is very human. Another part that I liked was the fact that the web he was shooting out of this wrists were man-made and not some mythical string that's produced by his body. (Which was what happened in the Tobey Maguire versions.)

Third, there's drama. Honestly, whenever dramatic scenes find themselves into superhero films, I immediately think: Nachos!!! But the way the dramatic back story was weaved into this film was so tight and integral into the story that it didn't feel cheesy in any way. In fact, the narrative was richer because of those angles of Peter seeing his parents leave him and his eventual longing for them. There was the dramatic tension caused by his rebellion which led to Uncle Ben's death. His injury and struggle in the final few sequences of the film - they all added dimension to the story. Heck, I found myself holding back tears in some parts. (Teary eyed in a superhero film. Really?)

Fourth, there's the feel-good factor. The past superhero films that I saw (The Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, Green Lantern) were all entertaining, but it didn't have that emotional connection. (Emotional connection in a superhero film. Really?) But this film did. As it unfolded, I couldn't help but empathize with Peter Parker, Captain Stacy, Gwen Stacy, Uncle Ben, Dr. Curt Connors - the whole lot. It felt like every character was relatable to the point that I almost wanted to stand up and cheer every time their characters would triumph. Also, there were points that I'd bury my face in my palms in shame whenever the character does something embarrassing. And as the movie finished, I tried so hard to keep myself from standing up and shouting "Woot! Woot!" Yes, that's how good I felt after watching it.

Aside from these four, there were a lot of ther reasons why I thoroughly enjoyed watching "The Amazing Spiderman." There was the subtle comedy, the surprisingly horrifying scenes (especially that part when Peter saw the mouse turn into a lizard,) and of course, Stan Lee's brilliant cameo as a librarian. (The. Best. Stan Lee cameo. Ever!)


And of course, there's the fact that several people have told me that Andrew Garfield - the actor playing Peter Parker - reminds them of me. As Rona mentioned to me: Ang galing ng movie mo!


I'm glad I was able to catch this film on the big screen before it wraps up. It was such an enjoyable film overall, and I left the movie house with a tingling feeling all over my body.

And no, it wasn't my spider sense.