Tag Archives: spidey

Kraven

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Vampire Owl: This is not the kind if superhero that we were looking for.

Vampire Bat: I am pretty sure that this is an anti-hero.

Vampire Owl: All vigilantes are not really anti-heroes.

Vampire Bat: Well, this one seems to have less heroism than others.

Vampire Owl: Sometimes villains are the true heroes.

Vampire Bat: You are talking about Thanos, aren’t you?

Vampire Owl: I always wished that they ended the series with The Avengers: Infinity War.

Vampire Bat: I also agree that a dead character should stay dead.

Vampire Owl: Well, death is only the beginning.

Vampire Bat: Yes, as far as the dead keep rising.

[Gets a vanilla shake and three cups of iced tea].

What is the movie about? :: Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe) is a much-feared drug lord and crime boss, and he moves to Ghana with his sons after the death of his wife, only to have his sons attacked by a lion and one of them even leaves him after seeing that his father brutally killed the animal. The family feels broken down, but the younger son stays with the father, whom considers him to be too weak to continue his legacy. The elder son Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) goes on to become Kraven the Hunter, an entity whose real identity is known. The younger son Dmitri Kravinoff (Fred Hechinger) lives with his father, but has no part in his crime business. Sergei goes on as a vigilante who hunts criminals. After assassinating an arms trafficker in a Russian prison, and following it up with a few others, he travels to London for Dmitri’s birthday where there is a family reunion including the father. But their reunion is short-lived, as mercenaries abduct Dmitri despite the best efforts of the big brother to stop the effort.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The man who was behind this kidnapping, Aleksei Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola) has been an opponent of Nikolai. He also has the strength of a rhinoceros along with its skin, after an experiment which was conducted a few years ago. Aleksei proposes an alliance with the brothers to overthrow Nikolai, and after agreeing to this, he says that they would be partners. As there seems to be no solution, Aleksei lures him to a monastery in Turkey, but the ambush is not successful. Aleksei hires the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott), a hypnotic assassin to kill him. Sergei’s only support it Calypso Ezili (Ariana DeBose), a lady who had also helped him earlier to survive when he was attacked by the lion as a child. Now, it remains to be seen if a deal or a raid could be done, as Nikolai is not ready to pay the kidnapper. Still, it is to be seen if the assassin would kill Sergei even before that. He finds himself searching without results, but some result is sure to come soon.

The defence of Kraven the Hunter :: There is the usual anti-hero dose being provided here, and there is a look at the environmental concern and the love for animals, as if an emergency of our times. The action scenes in the forest and grasslands bring a certain amount of variety here and there. A connection between the wild and the domestic is established easily. The actors seem to very much capable of working through the side of action, and the anti-hero side is indeed well-maintained here. The fights do feel more raw than stylish, and that often comes as a welcome change. The mystical elements do run through here. The antagonist is indeed strong, and there is more than one that goes with the title, all of them strong enough to make an impact. There is a lot of idea left for a possible sequel, as the ending seems to suggest more to come, and there is surely some mystery to be solved later. The anti-hero elements do work better than what Deadpool has been turning out to be with its ridiculous nonsense.

The claws of flaw :: The movie never manages to raise its level that much as it keeps moving through the safe zone and keep it even safer. In this world of too many superheroes, some risk needed to be taken in the right way to bring variety through innovation and not through strange representation and change of races and ethnicities. The movie also struggles with its special effects, and even its antagonist could have scored further with better computer-generated imagery. There should have been some Spider-Man connection made here, and without that presence even in the end credits, we struggle to believe in the seriousness here. The negative opinions about Madame Web might affected this one too, as the world of spiders surely seems to be in a crippling state – we miss The Amazing Spider-Man more than ever. There are complications about his position in this world, and the lack of clarity regarding his powers would mean more confusion – well, it is that kind of a family where everyone seems like an anti-hero or a villain and we do wonder about the situation being like this with just a hunter around.

The performers of the soul :: Aaron Taylor-Johnson leads the way pretty well as the anti-hero who goes on hunting without remorse, as he chooses the worst people. There might be the question if someone bigger would have been there, but this would feel good enough due to his dedicated work. Even though Ariana DeBose as Calypso Ezili manages pretty well, Diaana Babnicova who played the younger version seemed to match the character the best, and a deviation from the past is visible around there. Alessandro Nivola makes a fine antagonist, and even with lesser graphics and special effects, he is indeed a menacing villain and a match for the protagonist. Christopher Abbott plays the other villain, and the menace should have been given more time as we look at it. About Russell Crowe, we see a certain amount of grey side here, and it is also something to remember as we move away from this movie. Fred Hechinger who made a point will surely have more to make in the sequel as we notice the ending moments.

How it finishes :: Kraven the Hunter adds to that list of lesser-known anti-heroes, even though it might never be as popular as Venom and Deadpool who became the main characters out of Spider-Man and Wolverine. This is that movie which seemed to have been missed by too many people around here. Unlike those earlier superhero movies, this one is the flick which came with no hype at all, and most people also failed to realize that this one existed in the theatres nearby. They would expect many things here, but they would no not much about him, as this man is no hero that the people in this part of the world have ever known. All these are happening in a timeline where fine superhero movies like Minnal Murali and Gundala and brought about by those industries which have not been known for creating this kind of a universe. With that long comic support, it is surprising that people of Spidey are struggling to make an impact. I would for a better work with a sequel even though this one did work well enough.

Release date: 13h December 2024
Running time: 127 minutes
Directed by: J C Chandor
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

No Way Home

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Vampire Owl: How many Spider-Mans do we get to see here?

Vampire Bat: Well, I know more about Batmans.

Vampire Owl: I don’t know anyone else to ask, as I don’t know a Vampire Spider.

Vampire Bat: You can still ask someone who has watched this particular movie.

Vampire Owl: I don’t need to ask any human about that.

Vampire Bat: There can always be exceptions.

Vampire Owl: I don’t make exceptions with humans.

Vampire Bat: You should try trusting one human per day.

Vampire Owl: You think that it is going to mean something.

Vampire Bat: Make an attempt today, and you will at least have a decision.

[Gets a gobi paratha and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: After the death of Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), it comes to light that he had revealed Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland) identity as Peter Parker. Michelle Jones-Watson a.k.a. MJ (Zendaya) finds herself as the celebrity girlfriend of a superhero without any idea what is to happen next, as they are hunted for the drones of Stark Technologies which were used by Mysterio, who had manipulated the scene as if it was Spider-Man who controlled the drones against the people of the city. People seem to believe more in Mysterio rather than Spider-Man, and Peter’s friends are questioned by the federal agents. Their applications for future studies far away from the city with a fresh start are also rejected. The charges are dropped soon enough, but they are not able to get rid of the crowd which keeps following him to such an extent that he wishes to spend most of his time on the roof of a building. Fed up with everything that has been happening around him, Peter decides to meet Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), hoping that he can come up with a solution to the miserable turn of events.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In New York Sanctum, he hopes that Strange can go back in time, and make sure that what happened to him didn’t really happen. Strange doesn’t have the time stone any more, but he manages to cast a spell that would be able to make everyone forget that Spider-Man and Peter Parker are the same person. Despite being warned against using it, he feels that he is in full control. Even though the spell seems to go on well in the beginning, Peter continues to be the foolish youngster that he has always been, and request alterations with different names so that his loved ones can remember his secret identity. Strange is forced to stop the spell before something terrible happens. He contains the spell, and Strange asks him to at least try to plead his case before trying something strange like this. While he tries to do the same, Otto Octavius a.k.a. Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) appears out of nowhere, searching for his machine, and almost kills everyone on a bridge, causing massive destruction and loss of public and private property in the process.

And what more could happen around here as the world seems to have changed? :: As Spider-Man seems to have things in control, Norman Osborn a.k.a. Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) seems to appear out of nowhere. Then there is Dr Curt Connors a.k.a. The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and also Max Dillon a.k.a. Electro (Jamie Foxx) who also seems to have come from other universe, as the spell seems to have summoned people from the other universes who know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Doctor Strange now really needs Peter Parker and his friends to search the internet for anything strange which might have happened in the nearby areas, and get all the villains from other universes in captivity. But these are the supervillains whom he hasn’t encountered before. Electro is rather too powerful for the Spider-Man of this world, as he is too super-charged, and they don’t really know what the Green Goblin is capable of. There seems to be some changes to the powers of the supervillains too, and they hope that it is not for the worst. Now, can the newly arrived supervillains be stopped?

The defence of Spider-Man: No Way Home :: This is one movie from the third group of Spider-Man franchise that manages to bigger than ever, and also has more smartness than the earlier films of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Even though the danger is more serious here, the humour is surely not lost with the characters. With more than one Spider-Man around, there is a lot of nostalgia related to this one too, and my favourite would always be the one from The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel. As far as the villains are concerned, they provide nostalgia from all universes almost equally. We can credit the performers who bring the different elements of antagonists in a variety of universes very well. The action sequences continue to impress us, and with so many villains around, this surely has the grandeur. Visually, the world has been done very well, as we look at it. Even though it is not his movie with the title, it is still Benedict Cumberbatch who impresses the most here too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie becomes more relevant as it seems to begin something which will have some grand influence on the whole cinematic universe. Some repetitions will be felt, and the youngsters do feel like going a little bit too irritating. These are the kind of youth that doesn’t even take the responsibility for their actions, and still blame others for whatever dumb things they did. The seriousness should have been there during at least some of those situations which meant terrible danger for everyone around. The movie should have also focused less on getting the clap from the masses, as that time is now over after Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. But we know where the movie is heading – the exciting finish, that too without exaggeration, does the job. There is something for everyone who has loved Spidey through the years, no matter what the age group might be – you get enough of the superhero here.

How it finishes :: The movie which continues the Spider-Man legacy, and had a nomination for the Best Visual Effects at the 94th Academy Awards. We have all been waiting for this movie more than the other Marvel films for sure. After all, we have been fans of Spidey for such a long time, and none of our favourites were with this particular spider. It just doesn’t feel like having the effect of what has been spread as the great superhero experience with multiple Spider-Man impact. It seems that the new generation superheroes need more to be of use, after Avengers took it beyond the limits. Yet, the movie remains as interesting as most of the superheroes should be. With a superior finish after a lot of action, the movie manages to end things well. The movie surely leaves us with more to hope for with the later films. We are never finished with the superheroes who seem to keep providing us with the false hope about a world which will always remain hopeless – the world needs what is not real at all times, because reality is always worse.

Release date: 17th December 2021
Running time: 148 minutes
Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

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Vampire Owl: Do they mean to say that Spider-Man will finally come home?

Vampire Bat: I don’t see why not. Home should be where the heart is, and we know how much that it makes everything changing.

Vampire Owl: Well, it doesn’t matter if he come home or not, as there are so many superheroes who have overtaken him in the recent past.

Vampire Bat: Yes, I remember him having ruled the superhero world around here. Superman, Batman and Spider-Man were three big heroes.

Vampire Owl: You see how well Thor: Ragnarok managed to do better than this one at the theatres.

Vampire Bat: It is not really that strange. The Spider-Man that everyone loved, was not this teenager who is more irritating than an undead zombie filling a bucket with a hole.

Vampire Owl: Yes, I remember how irritating he was in Captain America: Civil War.

Vampire Bat: Then, he is also at a low level of heroism compared to almost everyone in the Avengers list.

Vampire Owl: Yes, I am sure that he is too much dependent on Iron Man. And he is like our first known superhero. It is such a shame.

Vampire Bat: At least, he is named after the spider and not the bat.

[Gets three cups of masala tea with Nice Time biscuits].

What is the movie about? :: Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton)and his salvage company take the contract to clean up the city after the events of The Avengers, but their operation is taken over by the Department of Damage Control (DODC), a combined venture of Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and the United States government, much to their dismay as they had set everything for these operations. Now out of business, and left with not many options to come back to track, Adrian and his team keep the Chitauri alien technology they had already managed to take from the site, and use it to create and sell advanced weapons. At the same time, the incidents of Avengers: Age of Ultron also happen, and there is Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man (Tom Holland) who gets invited to all the action during Captain America: Civil War – he is very much excited about the same, but has to get back to Midtown School of Science and Technology to continue his studies.

So, what happens next in the movie? :: Peter used to be part of United States Academic Decathlon, but now, he spends more time looking for action, keeping on checking with Stark’s employee Happy (Jon Favreau) to see if there is chance for any more of the Avengers missions, but he doesn’t reply to the same. His best friend is Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) who supports him in all things, and is the only one in college, and the only person among his friends and family to know his secret identity. His classmate and opponent Eugene Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) wastes no time in making fun of the two, and also his talks about doing internship at Stark Enterprises. Peter doesn’t care though, as he has fallen for a senior girl named Liz Allan (Laura Harrier), and has a few friendly neighbourhood Spidey jobs to do almost every day. He helps people in need using the costume which Tony Stark had provided for him during the battle against Team Captain America.

And what is to follow next in this adventure? :: After stopping criminals from robbing an ATM using the advanced alien weapons, he comes across a deal, and is taken away by Adrian in his Vulture form and dropped in a lake, only to be saved an Iron Man armour programmed to keep track of the Spider-Man suit. But it is not just Vulture that stands in Spider-Man’s way, as the Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine) has also been unleashed. Peter realizes that something huge is going on, and that it is in Maryland as shown by the tracker he set on one of the villains – this leads to Parker rejoining the decathlon team and traveling with them to Washington DC for their national tournament, but with villains with alien technology, one has to wonder if this is too much for a friendly neighbourhood spider-boy to handle – but you can never predict that well as far as our superheroes are concerned; for Ant-Man is the smallest big one!

The defence of Spider-Man: Homecoming :: There are those usual Spider-Man action here again, and it works most of the time. Tom Holland as Spider-Man seems to get into things very well. Earlier, in Captain America: Civil War, Spidey was one irritating creature, and now things have managed to be better. The beginning with his own shots of the adventure with Avengers is pretty bad too, but the villain and his superior ideology to Peter and Tony is a boost, as we have a better antagonist than those in those usual superhero movies. It is nice to have Spider-Man there though, as what could Marvel Cinematic Universe be, without its greatest superhero of all-time? There is a certain funny side that works at times, but not throughout the flick – also, the movie does keep us guessing about what is to happen next, with a clueless superhero gets into his job. The one heroine whom we might be looking for in a sequel, should be Zendaya as Michelle Jones. Before we get things to be better, lets go through the Spidey stuff for its third series of movies.

The claws of flaw :: Everything in this movie seems to happen for one reason or the other, and Spider-Man has to prove himself to the one rich egoistic superhero just because he has money to spend on everything. This does make one wonder if Vulture is the real hero who takes these away from the millionaires and gives it to the people. Even Marisa Tomei seems to have been chosen for Iron Man, as you notice how quickly the age of the aunties of Spider-Man are falling – the first franchise of the century had the actress playing this role in her eighties, then the next one close to her seventies, and in this third group of movies, we will have fifty-year old aunty! Even the leading actress is pretty much not interesting, with her character being there for what seems to be ready to bring that twist about falling in love with the villain’s daughter – it is such an old thing, even for Bollywood; there is the need to change it. Well, the two are poles apart in everything on screen. The action and the tale are not much smarter either.

How it finishes :: Most of us who have grown up reading and watching Spider-Man more than any other superhero will find it strange to have this kind of an irresponsible hero in the Spider-Man suit. The Spider-Man we knew as the supreme one from Marvel, the other two big names Batman and Superman being part of DC, has been brought to be part of a second grade list here, under Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, Black Panther, all of whom we who are here at this part of the world never really knew during our childhood. He-Man had a position far above these people, and even our own inspired creation in the form of Shaktimaan. Now, when we see Spider-Man in this form, it makes us wonder more than anything else, and the box-office of this superhero here which is just under Thor: Ragnarok is more because of the left-overs of the Spider-Man of early 2000s, and The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, more than the result of Marvel’s new cinematic universe.

Release date: 7th July 2017
Running time: 133 minutes
Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Laura Harrier, Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Jon Favreau, Donald Glover, Tyne Daly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jacob Batalon, Isabella Amara, Angourie Rice, Tony Revolori, Garcelle Beauvais, Kerry Condon, Michael Mando, Hemky Madera, Bokeem Woodbine, Logan Marshall-Green, Kenneth Choi, Hannibal Buress, Martin Starr, Jorge Lendeborg Jr, Abraham Attah, Tiffany Espensen, Selenis Leyva, Tunde Adebimpe, Michael Barbieri, Ethan Dizon, Martha Kelly

<— Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Amazing Spider-Man II

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the amazing spidey

Vampire Owl: How can they release the movie on a Thursday? That too a Spider-Man movie which releases in the United States on Friday?

Vampire Bat: Because it is International Worker’s Day and Spider-Man is part of the working class, not the rich bourgeois class like Batman or Iron Man and neither is he an alien like He-Man, Superman or Thor. You remember he used to deliver pizza on an awesome moped when he was Tobey Maguire with Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson. And he is amazing as you can guess from the title.

Vampire Owl: So he thinks that he is amazing. I wonder how much? Does that make the movie automatically amazing? And that former trilogy of Spider-Man, it was not amazing enough?

Vampire Bat: He should think that he is more amazing than most of the other amazing superheroes, just like my dead cat, until it chose to go Neo and play Matrix in front of a Tata Safari. Let’s check for that “amazing” thingy right now, and make sure that he is not just a vain hybrid like many others. So we are having onion uthappam today?

Vampire Owl: That would call for lunch before or after movie?

Vampire Bat: Now, that is a clearly amazing question, as far as there is no spider in the lunch.

[Wing-rides to the multiplex].

What is it about? :: Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is trying to balance his life as both himself and Spider-Man as he tries to save the world, spend time with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) along with searching for the secret behind the death of his parents. As our hero keeps reminding himself of the promise he made to Gwen’s father, he keeps breaking up with her, sometimes she herself breaking up with him as he keeps talking about what her father said. Peter’s childhood friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) returns to the city to see his dying father Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper) who tells him that the disease is hereditary and he has been struggling to extend his life. As Harry takes over as the new CEO of his father’s business, OsCorp, he keeps trying to find a way to cure his disease. He finds that Spider-Man’s blood may give him a chance as he can heal himself pretty fast. He asks Peter to help him finding Spider-Man to which he says that he will try, but later shows up as Spider-Man to say no as he was unsure of what the results would be. Meanwhile Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), an employee of OsCorp falls into a tank of genetically modified electric eels making him a walking electric generator, but is captured by Spider-Man as he creates chaos in the city. It seems that both Harry and Max now has one spider enemy – and the battle begins.

The defence of The Amazing Spider-Man II :: The movie has Spider-Man on a mission to save the city as well as his love life. He does that in style here. The shots of Spider-Man swinging around the city and then his battle with Electro are breath-taking not just for the sequences, but also for the environment. The camera work is stunning and everything looks so awesome in 3D or truly amazing to fit the title. There is that scene when Electro uses his special power of electricity on everything around him, and Spider-Man goes on to make sure that everyone around remains safe by flying through the air and shooting webs all around him. There is also that battle against the fully powered Electro who uses his power in such a destructive manner that Spider-Man’s moves looks so impressive as the world of electricity around him which seems to recreate its own beauty beyond destruction on the screen in 3D. How often do you see such beautiful devastation and a battle which is so much electrifying not just in the sequence, but also visually? Where else can you get a superhero so selfless and gives so much hope unlike some of the others who seems to get the viewers further into darkness and the absence of hope?

Claws of flaw :: Despite being the best Spider-Man ever, the movie also deals with the usual stereotypes, as the villain falls into genetically mutated trouble yet again, and transforms into something special from the nobody that he used to be. He often reminds one of Megamind‘s Tighten with his desire to be noticed. He is too much of a Mr. Nobody in the beginning, a lot more than what can be taken. His powers are rather too much, and his evil side is a little half-baked. The Green Goblin gets very less screen time too, an Harry Osborn doesn’t shine and only leaves us with potential to be awesome in the sequel. OsCorp becomes more of the opposite of the Stark Industries here. The final scene also seems to have been forced for the inception of Mary Jane Watson into the franchise. The plot’s other side which involves Peter’s dead parents are also a little over-used. I won’t say that this affects the movie much, and the negative reviews only reflect the critics’ horrible inability to enjoy this movie, and one can never attribute it as the flaw of this movie. How can someone see the special effects and 3D of this movie and give a positive review with them only? The negative reviews are rather a case of shame.

Performers of the soul :: Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man and Peter Parker does a fantastic role in the multiple personalities, and let nobody fool you about this superhero’s two-sided coin of a world. I would say that no other superhero’s alter ego is that powerful as Spider-Man can claim. Nobody has this much conflicts in the real life, which should be why heroes like Iron Man can live without a secret identity, and money makes it easy for him and Batman. This is where someone like Andrew Garfield does so well to suit, and forms a nice pair with Emma Stone who is there stronger than in the first movie. She becomes Spidey’s first true love like nobody can deny it. She has quite much to do, and powerfully contributes in saving the day as well as the movie. I would have preferred her with black or brown hair, but Gwen was supposed to have the golden one. Jamie Foxx comes up in different avatars, as he transforms from a Spidey fan to an attention seeking villain who wishes to get rid of his competition on television. Dane DeHaan is no James Franco, but he has given us hope of coming up as the arch-nemesis of this Spidey, like Jim Moriarty is to Sherlock Holmes and Joker is to Batman. He might not get that many claps, but gives us enough hope to bring a lot in a possible sequel – for this one is evil, and evil mind has just began to work.

Soul exploration :: Among all the superheroes, Spider-Man has been the most human, despite Iron Man and Batman claiming to have no real superpowers except for the help of superior scientific equipment and remaining closer to humanity. But what does Spider-Man give us? He was that superhero who gave us the best line to quote from a superhero movie not bothering the situation – “With great power. comes great responsibility”. There is no denying that Batman as the Dark Knight took off with so much style, and even his villains, Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) and Joker (Heath Ledger) made that powerful impact that no other super-villains could make. But there is something about Spidey, and it is that his villains have always remained powerful than him, and even with his superpowers, he is at disadvantage, and being the younger of the group, he also has to deal with more troubles, as he struggles to make his living. There is no other superhero who has his alter ego in that much troubles as he would have as a superhero. Yet, his battles are more interesting to watch than that of any other superhero, and there is the success of Marvel. He is the common man’s superhero. Yes, the verdict is that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is amazing, no matter how fan-boys will try to degrade it.

How it finishes :: As Peter Parker says “Everyday I wake up knowing that no matter how many lives I protect, no matter how many people call me a hero, someone even more powerful could change everything”. But there is always another side to it, and for that, there is the graduation speech of Gwen Stacy. But some critics are still caught in the web of The Dark Knight, and refuses to come out. No disrespect to The Dark Knight, but it is a shame to think that it is the only great superhero movie, and there comes the fan-boys with an extra-terrestrial ability to overrate that franchise. It is high time they step out of it, or stupid Bollywood superhero movies like Krrish 3 will copy from Hollywood and make some complete retarded stuff, pay for positive reviews and create new record at the box-office. It is worthless to ask, but one has to wonder how someone can like Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 3 more than this one? That was proved again with the positive reviews for one of the dumbest movies of all time, Noah. Or may be they have a case of arachnophobia, but I would give them the advice to take this movie as something which can take that fear out of them, use this to bring some love for the creatures, at least the smaller ones with no venom. Now, if it will overtake Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier as the highest grossing movie of the year is a question worth asking.

Release date: 1st May 2014 (India); 2nd May 2014 (US)
Running time: 142 minutes
Directed by: Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Marton Csokas, Louis Cancelmi, Max Charles, Chris Cooper, B. J. Novak, Denis Leary

theamazngspiderman2 copy

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

The Amazing Spider-Man

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✠ I would be surprised if the loyalties of the fans have not shifted from my favourite superhero of the childhood to what could be termed as the Iron Man mania or the Batman addiction. They have taken over, and my other childhood superhero He-Man is nowhere to be found. The Revival of the interest in Spider-Man can go back to the Tobey Maguire – Kirsten Dunst starring adaptation of the same and its sequels. Still, the favourite actor of the series happened to be James Franco, thanks to Spider-Man 3. As everyone was waiting to watch The Dark Knight Rises, there was a little lack of interest in the same, but I am glad that the movie has managed to survive. Spider-Man was my favourite comic-strip in the Sunday newspaper, and I remember waiting eagerly for it, even as for the cartoons section, the winner was Ducktales. I had a good collection of Spidey’s graphic novels, and I can remember buying despised chewing gums just for getting the Spidey stickers free, giving the gums to my friends. Spider-Man defined my childhood, even as I never tried to climb the walls. I would add that Spider-Man is also the first “typical superhero” video game I played.

Count Dracula: Spider-Man? Seriously? I mean you are the Vampire Bat, always wearing that black costume and pretending that you can fly, and you still like Spider-Man? You should like Batman, he is your kind sharing the “bat” added to your names – he comes in black, while this spider person comes in red and blue. Even Robocop comes in black pretending that he is Judge Dredd, and it is the new trend. Think about it – Spidey boy is too thin for you; it might feel okay for you now, but from the way you are gaining weight, you might become Vampire Bane and not Vampire Bat.

Vampire Bat: I have no special interest in the character, nor am I interested any spider. I have a fair share of spiders and their webs in my room though. I used to raise a little spider on my motor-bike, but it wasn’t radio active, and went missing on a rainy day. I didn’t have photo of it, which is why I couldn’t ask people if they have seen the little one. Do come here, and count the spiders. I wake up every day, and see a lizard or cockroach, thats how I usually start my day. If you need a centipede though, there are some beautiful pictures right here at Harsha’s place (http://allresourceupdates.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/centipede-they-are-quite-fastarent-they/)

Count Dracula: No, thanks. There was a time when a centipede got into my coffin. I won’t blame it as I am obviously the dead Count walking. It seemed to love the time in my ear, and I had to use drown myself in blood to get it out. I had to run after the local village people with an axe three times a day to reduce the fat that I had gained by taking in too much dark elf blood. Thank God for Goblin Markets, otherwise it would have fed on my brain and the childish zombies would have mocked me. Let me tell you this though, no centipede or a spider will ever become a vampire.

Vampire Bat: But Peter Parker is bitten by the spider, that too a genetically modified one. As you know, the abilities were transferred like vampirism. Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man, along with most of which you already know – of Spider-Man Origins as the man becomes Spider-Man after his uncle’s death. That would leave the question about what are the two different things – they are Gwen Stacy and Dr. Curt Connors a.k.a The Lizard. I would say that they both score better than our heroine and villains of the earlier Spider-Man trilogy. I wouldn’t just judge our hero in comparison yet though.

Count Dracula: Only one villain? That is depressing. I heard that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will have two of them, The Rhino and Electro. It is usually the number two movie that comes up with the best villain. Now that is going to be a cliche for sure.

Vampire Bat: I doubt that. I know who you are referring to, but I loved Batman Begins, and Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul is my first preference for a Batman villain in the new trilogy. The Scarecrow could have been so much better too. But we just can’t deny our Lizard his due. We don’t have an evil man there; he is no Joker, as he falls to his tragic flaw rather than anything that motivates a normal villain. He is the victim of science. He succumbs to that feeling that he can use technology to his advantage in doing the right thing, but ends up doing the exact opposite.

Count Dracula: Someone I know said this “Ah, it is the fault of our science that it wants to explain all; and if it explain not, then it says there is nothing to explain”. It was someone I despise a lot. But the situation here demands that to be true.

Vampire Bat: Yes, I remember Van Helsing. But it doesn’t begin or end there. The Lizard’s only possible true comparison is with Doctor Octopus of Spider-Man 2, another experiment gone wrong and another bad man created. The emotional turmoil, the consequences of his actions and the way their minds deviate – lots of things might be similar. Lizard’s clear advantage is the more advanced CGI and the movie being the origins story. Spider-Man 2 was the last good story in a series and this one is the first. I would still think that the Spidey villains need to get better, as Ra’s al Ghul, Joker, Bane, General Zod – they are all scoring for DC. Marvel’s only hope lies in Loki along with Magneto and his side-kicks as long as they are not taken away by Krrish.

Count Dracula: Talk about Andrew Garfield. He is surely Spider-Man, as the one that you might have read in those Sunday comic strips. He looks young and surely looks like the youngest superhero that is popular with us. He is not burdened by experience as Batman, nor is he troubled by his alien existence like Superman; he has not the need to be He-Man and protect a universe of magic either. He is more or less closer to being the comparatively normal superhero than he is. At least he is closer to being what he claims than you are; you still can’t fly.

Vampire Bat: Why should I fly? Even Batman doesn’t fly. I have a logo like him and I even have dark costumes which can scare people at night. Why don’t you concentrate on Wichita instead? I mean Emma Stone. I can’t get over that name at all – thank you Zombieland. She looked so good in it with the black hair, but this character needed this colour change. This movie has a better romance than the former trilogy, thank God. No overdose of crying romance to follow, we hope. But we can only hope that the Venom episode would be handled much better.

Count Dracula: It took them only five years after the trilogy ended to release the first movie of the reboot franchise. I don’t think that this one can offer too much difference from the previous adaptation. Batman and Superman got rid of the style of wearing underwear on the outside, but as Spider-Man never had that practice, that gesture is not possible. The dark style might not suit him either. May be he can dress like me and hold a spider in his hands. The symbol of ‘bat’ worked for Batman, and the alien nature worked for Superman. Neither the spider symbol or the nerdy character can do something like that for Spider-Man.

Vampire Bat: There are a few things that the trio of superheroes, Superman, Batman and Spider-Man can offer, and one of them is great delight in the form of box-office success. There are many others for sure, but along with Wolverine and Iron Man, these three carry immense potential to break records. The only character from the west who might be more well-known than these should be you. You are our synonym for vampire, and if there is something that they relate with sucking good amount of blood that is you, even as I know a few mosquitoes who might disagree.

Count Dracula: That is not right. I have maintained the disguise of a simple farmer here. I just cultivate corpses, and keep the environment undead. Don’t you have your own vampires out there, the vampires of wealth in the form of celebrities and politicians, vampires of food in the form of restaurants, vampires of truth in the form of media and so on? Do not bother me with that – try your superheroes instead. They shall entertain you and make sure that your childhood concepts remain almost the same.

Vampire Bat: The dignity of superheroes was stolen away by Krrish. It has been partially saved by Thor, but only with the next sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man that it can be claimed back completely. It is up-to Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone to keep the work going. The villains will help, and so will the CGI.

Count Dracula: I am not the kind of person who would believe in superhero stuff. But let me tell you a few things I am sure about. The first thing is that Spider-Man will never be my favourite superhero. The second thing is that I still believe in Spider-Man movies. The simple light shade that the Spidey manages gains my respect.

Vampire Bat: Yes, the movie is excellent in many ways. There are not many flaws to be associated with it. We loved the performances and the way in which they have shaped the story. It is still too early for a reboot and there is nothing spectacular tried this time, and no attempt to deviate into another path like what happened with Batman. Get that DVD, my friend.

Count Dracula: Yes, I think I will. Good bye, brother in fangs.

Vampire Bat (to himself): How can we ignore our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man just because there have been an overflow of superheroes? There is no chance for such a cruelty towards the first Hollywood superhero movie to release in the theatre near my place. There will be no such avoidance. This movie will be more recommended than any other Spider-Man movie. As the origins story has been setup already, the sequel is only going to be better, and I am very confident about it.

✠ The Amazing Spider-Man is another superhero movie which you have to watch. Even without any particular innovation of supreme significance, the movie is a treat to all the fans of the genre as well as the Spidey lovers. The web is stronger than ever this time, even as it will not win any awards in an arachnid competition. Watch this one as the origins story, and there is a lot more to come. You may or may not like spiders, and in most cases loathe them, but lets make sure that this is one creature of the web who gains our attention. Even Count Dracula does that wall crawling stuff very well, and he would indeed love to see something really amazing from the two-legged partial arachnid who just cannot stop itself appearing again and again. Along with the two villains that we have in the upcoming sequel, lets hope for the other interesting villains like Mysterio and Chameleon, as its going to be a long race for the Spidey.

Release date: 3rd July 2012
Running time: 136 minutes
Directed by: Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, Sally Field

theamazngspiderman copy

@ Cemetery Watch
✠The Vampire Bat.