Along Came a Spider: A Movie Review of Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man"

"This is going to be a major disappointment!" That's what I thought as my dad popped in the DVD of The Amazing Spider-Man. I had read some disappointing Christian reviews for it (not necessarily that it was immoral, but that it just was not as good as the previous Spiderman trilogy). After watching the film, I was a little disappointed, but I must admit it was a lot better than I was expecting. Marvel's newest "Spidey" film: The Amazing Spider-Man is, according to Wikipedia, the 48th highest-grossing film worldwide (and the seventh highest of 2012). On its own, it is a pretty good film, but when compared to the Spider-Man trilogy of the early 2000's, I think it paled. The film stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spiderman, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard.

SUMMARY

   Peter Parker is a science-obsessed high schooler. Only fellow student Gwen Stacy rivals him in knowledge of that area. But he is haunted by the absence of his parents, who dropped him off at his uncle and aunt's house one night...and never were seen again.

   He begins to learn more and more about his parents. Soon, he discovers that his father's colleague, Dr. Curt Connors, is a leading scientist in cross-breed genetics. Peter sneaks into a tour, but unfortunately it is led by Gwen and she quickly catches on. She instructs him to stay out of her way and not to cause any trouble.

   What would he do but the exact opposite of that? Peter sneaks into a restricted area and finds millions of spiders climbing around. He is bitten by one and quickly leaves the building. Later, though, he begins to realize the new powers he has gained. He does not use them wisely, though.

   It is only after the death of a loved one (because of his negligence) that he starts to protect the innocent and stop the wrongdoers. Spider-Man is born and must soon go after a vicious monster known as The Lizard.

CONTENT

   The violence is about what you would expect from your typical Marvel superhero movie. It is no more violent than past films such as Thor or The Avengers. Not only is there the use of guns and knifes but also the use of chemicals. The Lizard uses a toxic gas to turn people into giant lizard-human creatures. On that note, the transformation of one of the characters into The Lizard will be frightening to younger viewers especially, though it is a good scene.

   Peter begins a romantic relationship with Gwen Stacy, and there are at least two kissing scenes (perhaps three). You will find this in any superhero movie. There is also a brief scene of immodesty where Peter accidently gets his hand stuck on a woman's shirt with his new powers (which was completely unnecessary, in my opinion).

   I cannot recall the specific inappropriate language, but I remember it being in there. I don't think it was as strong as many PG-13 movies, though it is definitely a part of the film.

   As in the original Spider-Man movie, Peter Parker learns his lesson and turns from a prideful bully to a responsible superhero. Responsibility is a key theme in The Amazing Spider-Man. I also liked how Peter must learn to cope with the absence of his parents.

   The acting was pretty good (I especially enjoyed Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors and Dennis Leary as Police Captain Stacy), but I found I preferred Toby Maguire's Spider-Man over Andrew Garfield's.

   Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man is a good Marvel film, but with previous spectacular films to live up to (such as The Avengers), it could never make an "amazing" movie.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 136 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence)

Director: Marc Webb

Producers: Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach

Music: James Horner

Year of release: 2012

General audience: Teens, adults

Update to Blog: Weekly Box Office Results

   Once a week, we will be changing to Box Office Results for those interested. Please note that I have not necessarily seen a certain film. If I have seen it, I may not even agree with it. The list is strictly informational and is not to be used as a guide or a "top 10 favorite" list.

~nbr1776

Twisting a Tale: A Movie Review on Tarsem Singh's "Mirror Mirror"

We all know the story of Snow White. The gentle princess has an evil stepmother who sneakily feeds her a poison apple and only the prince can wake her. Actually, just so you know, that story is incorrect!  2012's  Mirror Mirror changed the tale of Snow White and turned it upside down. Unlike ABC's Once Upon a Time show, Mirror Mirror does not really follow the same storyline of the original fairy tale. Sure, they have the same characters, but the events are turned around.

This film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design, but I would have nominated it for Best Actress with Julia Roberts. The film starred Lily Collins as Snow White, Julia Roberts as the evil Queen/Stepmother, and Armie Hammer as Prince Alcott.

SUMMARY

   After the queen's death in childbirth to Snow White, her husband later realized his daughter needed a mother to raise her. So, he remarried. Sadly, he had to leave the palace to go fight a dark danger...and was never heard from again.

   Years went by and Snow White grew up in the shadow of the vain and wicked Queen, her stepmother. On her eighteenth birthday, she is convinced to go and visit the once-joyous village. She witnesses the Queen stealing from the people under the guise of guarding them from the "Beast." She is saddened by this and decides that the Queen is not fit to rule.

   A young prince comes to visit the Queen, and Snow White decides she must get him to help the trapped nation. Later, though, after escaping from the Queen, Snow meets seven dwarves who she convinces to help her fighting against the evil Queen.

   The movie ends with a happily ever after, as good triumphs over evil.

CONTENT

   There is little violence in Mirror Mirror. You never see any blood or gore, since the most violence is people being knocked down. There is one minor scene, though, where the Queen's servant uses meat as Snow's organs.

   The movie is not as inappropriate as some films, but there are a few scenes to mention. There are at least two or three kisses between Snow and the Prince. There is another scene when the Queen is getting a "makeover" for her extravagant ball and her stomach is shown. Also, there is a part where the Prince has been given a magic potion and he jumps on top of the Queen. One last thing to mention is that the Prince is referred to as "semi-nude" (meaning "shirtless").

   I recall nothing in the area of language. I believe there might have been one use of God's name, but I don't remember anything else. There is a part, though, when the King officiates a wedding and says, "By the power vested in me...by me..." This statement takes the place of God. Another thing that bothered me is that Snow White saves the Prince, not the other way around. There's nothing like a storyline where the handsome prince comes riding in to save the damsel in distress. Instead, the strong princess saves the weak prince.

   The film is a comedy and will make you laugh. I think, though, without Julia Roberts, the movie might not have done nearly as well. Most of the characters have something funny to say at one point or more in the movie.

   Mirror Mirror is a decent movie, and it delivers some laughs. It is not mind-blowing, and most people probably won't treat it as such. I enjoyed it the first couple of times, but after that, I can't watch it more than once in a while.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 106 minutes

Rating: PG (for some fantasy action and mild rude humor) 

Director: Tarsem Singh

Producers: Ryan Kavanaugh, Bernie Goldmann, Brett Ratner, Kevin Misher

Music: Alan Menken

Year of release: 2012

Primary audience: Children, Family



Rescuing the Dinosaurs: A Movie Review of Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park: The Lost World"

Four years after the release of Jurassic Park into theaters in 1993, it's sequel (The Lost World) appeared. Based on the book of the same name by Michael Crichton, "Jurassic Park II"  was a pretty good addition to the dinosaur adventure. 

For those who have seen the original Jurassic Park, who would think that the characters in the Jurassic Park story would ever dream of returning there? Actually, that is almost exactly what happens. John Hammond, ex-owner of Jurassic Park, sends a team of four to do scientific research on a dinosaur-inhabited island. Then the "hunters" come to bring the dinosaurs to San Diego. Already, the makings of an interesting action/adventure film is underway.

Jurassic Park: The Lost World was a big box office success, getting $618 million worldwide. It starred Jeff Goldblum (reprising the role of Dr. Ian Malcolm), Julianne Moore (as paleontologist Sarah Harding), and Arliss Howard (as Peter Ludlow).

SUMMARY

   Ex-owner of Jurassic Park, John Hammond, meets with Dr. Ian Malcolm. He explains to him that there was a second island with dinosaurs, where the babies were nurtured before being taken to the original island. He tells Ian that he has three experts signed-up to do a research expedition of the dinosaurs, in order to sway public opinion against Hammond's over-ambitious nephew Peter Ludlow. Malcolm discovers that the leader of the team is Sarah Harding, his c
urrent girlfriend. He tells Hammond he is going to the island not for research, but on a rescue mission.

   Upon arriving there with Eddie Carr and Nick van Owen, Ian meets up with Sarah and tries his best to convince the other three to leave before it's too late. They all refuse, but when they reach their base camp, they find out that Malcolm's daughter Kelly stowed away.

   Ian wants to get his daughter off of the island and offers for anyone to "escape" with them, but he cannot make contact with anyone. Soon after, Peter Ludlow's InGen company comes to the island. 

   Later, Nick and Sarah sneak into their camp during the night and free caged dinosaurs. The dinosaurs (specifically the triceratops) destroy the camp, including their only way to communicate with the outside world. The two teams
are forced to work together in order to reach the communications center, but that means braving tyrannosaurus rexes...and worse.

   The film continues with this story and then ends with a final, exciting climax in San Diego.

CONTENT

   There is a lot of violence in this film. Multiple people are eaten by dinosaurs and in one scene we see blood in a river. Even when people are not being eaten, they are put in perilous situations (such as when some people are trapped in a giant trailer that is hanging off a cliff). The InGen team has lots of guns, but I don't think they use them often (if ever).
   There is not too much inappropriate content, but there are a few references. Early on in the film, it is understood that Ian's daughter Kelly is from a previous marriage. Ian is also currently dating Sarah Harding, though he has obviously been married before (it is clear in the first Jurassic Park film that he has had multiple divorces).
   The language is not as heavy as in Jurassic Park, but is still used. God's name is used many times and h*** is used once or twice. There may be more language, but I don't recall anything else.
   The Lost World is an exciting adventure film with plenty of suspense. The acting is well-done and there are some funny parts that make me laugh. Because of the violence especially, this isn't a film for younger viewers. Some pre-teens might be able to handle the violence, but some may not. It really is up to the parents. My eleven-year-old sister has watched all three Jurassic Park films and has not been scared.
   If you like adventure, action, or dinosaurs, this movie would be great for you. If you dislike those genres of movies, you might find that The Lost World is not your cup of tea.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Length: 129 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Director: Steven Spielberg

Producers: Gerald R. Molen, Colin Wilson

Music: John Williams

Year of release: 1997

Primary Audience: Teens, Adults

Note for Readers

   I am trying to make Family-in-Mind Reviews as best as I possibly can. I have been adding some new features recently. If you have an idea for something I can try, leave a comment. If I can add a feature that you wish to see, I will try to do so.

~nbr1776

Update to Blog: List of Genre Labels

   Under the Blog Archive, you will see a box labeled "Genre Labels." Each label displays how many reviews are under that topic and once you click on it, you can view all of the reviews with that label. For example, click on "Adventure" and every book or movie review with that label will appear on the screen.

~nbr1776

Update to Blog: Emails

   I am pleased to tell you that you may now follow Family-in-Mind Reviews via email! Simply enter your email address in the correct area and our newest reviews will be sent to you once they are posted.

~nbr1776