Jasonic Reviews Spider-Man

As an openly honest fan of comic book superheroes, I'm sure many of you may have expected me to review this movie seeing as Spider-Man is my favorite superhero of the Marvel lineup. I may not have as much history or attachment to this movie as I did with Toy Story, but I will say that, when this movie premiered on TV when I was younger, I found myself not wanting to walk out on it. I will admit that. strangely enough, I never gave many other comic book superheroes a chance until I got older, but I will say that Spider-Man paved the way for my interest during both my youthful and teenage years. "Why is this?" you may ask. Well, I believe it may have to do with the increasing quality of superhero films through the years.

The early 2000s were an era that very much revolutionized the tone and structure of superhero films. In the decades prior to, the older Superman and Batman films were the most recognized superhero movies to date and, while they started off good and decent, they sadly declined in quality with each subsequent installment. It appears that this may have been caused by the need for the filmmakers to deviate their work from the source material so, at the turn of the century, writers and directors decided that comic book fans watching mattered and therefore felt the need to cater to their tastes while also building good stories around it. I've not seen the first X-Men to know whether or not this was the case, but, I'm aware that both X-Men and Spider-Man (the latter especially) had something to do with the current success of the now widely accepted superhero film genre. So, without much else to say, here's what I think of Sam Raimi's first big screen hit with Spider-Man.

***SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT*** (not that it matters as most everyone has probably seen this film by now)

This movie is very much what solidified both the origin story and some of the major characters of Spider-Man in the minds of non-comic book readers everywhere. Everyone knows that Peter Parker (played in this movie by Tobey Maguire) is a nerdy kid whom everyone picks on before he gets bit by a radioactive spider and gains extraordinary super powers that reflect the abilities of a spider. Everyone knows that, with his powers, he tries to earn money through a wrestling career, which ultimately goes to his head to the point where he fails to stop a robber who ultimately shoots his Uncle Ben (played by Cliff Robertson) and leaves him for dead. Everyone knows the phrase "With great power comes great responsibility", which remains the core reason as to why Spider-Man, hoping to make up for his uncle's death, goes out to stop crime throughout New York. And everyone especially knows about the conflicts this creates in both his superhero and civilian life as he tries to keep his identity a secret from both those he loves and the powerful supervillains he encounters. Simply put, it's the reason why Spider-Man has been made more famous apart from his comic book counterpart.

On the surface, it may sound like the typical formulaic superhero origin movie and, while this formula as sort of run dry these days, one of the reasons it worked so well here is because the tone director Sam Raimi established here got people excited for the adventure at hand. Sure, the setting, dialogue, and computer effects may be dated, but, overall it gives the movie a vibrant, happy tone with bits of various emotion mixed in to balance it out. For example, when Uncle Ben died, I felt genuinely sad for Peter seeing as he ended off on the wrong note with him due to being so concerned about his selfish motivation to impress the girl he likes -- that being Mary Jane Watson (played by Kirsten Dunst) whom we'll touch more on later. Other than that, the film isn't the most emotionally complex work of film due to the lack of proper character building, but the film makes up for it in the sense that it gives a childlike sense of what a comic book movie ought to be; a fun, thrilling, action packed adventure that draws you into the narrative regardless of its flaws. This is especially noted by the score, written by Danny Elfman, which, every time I hear it, gives me the sense that I'm about to enjoy a spidey-tastic adventure. I mean who hasn't heard that iconic opening theme and not gotten excited to watch Spider-Man in action?

Unfortunately, where there's good bits, there's also a few notable flaws with the movie and its characters. Bare in mind, I'm no Tobey Maguire hater, though I will note how he brings out more of the geeky side of Peter Parker; glasses on, he looks like the sort of "adorkable" Peter Parker we saw back in 1962 with Amazing Fantasy #15. Other than that, in this movie in particular, I don't get the sense that Peter Parker really is the brainiac he looks to be. His web shooters are organic as opposed to the original web shooter gadget he, himself, created in the comics. Regardless, it makes for a few funny scenes up to the point where he swings his first web from a crane before ramming face first into a wall and sustaining no injury (because, you know, super strength). And while I get that they wanted him to have an iconic love interest, I don't fully understand why he loves Mary Jane so much in the first place.

Many have already said how Kirsten Dunst was very bland as MJ and I agree. Apart from her cute appearance and comic-accurate ginger hair, her role as love interest and interactions with "Peter Maguire" come off as a bit awkward and shallow. Sure, I get that Peter's supposed to be awkward, but the cheesy dialogue the film has doesn't really strengthen the fact that these two are supposed to be in love -- I mean, they are later in the series, but that'll be for later reviews. On top of that, MJ winds up in peril three times in this first movie alone and each time she is either defenseless or just off the wall screaming at the top of her lungs like an average damsel (and as she does so I can't tell if I'm supposed to be fearing for her or annoyed because of her constant shouting). In short, she's just there to make Spider-Man look good making her one of the least interesting onscreen superhero love interests I've seen. Although, to give credit where credit is due, her and Maguire did a fabulous job portraying the famous upside down kiss seen many times in the comics.

Another instance where the film falls short for me is the portrayal of the Green Goblin. First things first, Willem Dafoe did an excellent job portraying both sides of his character. Norman Osborn was his usual over-competent, shady businessman self from the comics while the Goblin was outright cunning and maniacal and to this day I mostly associate the Goblin with Dafoe's performance. The main gripe I have with it is how they went with the decision to give him a split personality; Norman Osborn is generally portrayed as a bad man gone nuts often descending into his Goblin persona willingly for destructively selfish gain. Here, soon as Norman injects himself with the serum, he creates his own inner demon and becomes terrified of the person it's turning him into. In other words, I simply don't agree with Norman Osborn acting cowardly, but I enjoyed Dafoe's performance anyway.

As much as I would love to talk about the other actors in this movie, I simply don't feel it's worth noting much else for now seeing as I plan to cover the rest of the series someday -- I will say that Cliff Robertson is an ideal Uncle Ben for film. So to leave off this review I will say that Spider-Man is one of those movies you just enjoy watching despite its cheesiness factor. The tone captures the early comics almost perfectly, the music is done fabulously, and, despite their flaws, the casting is decent enough to where it's at least tolerable to watch. And if this didn't up the ante for superhero movies of our age then I don't know what did. Overall, I give this movie a B- and would for surely recommend it to any average movie/superhero buff out there!

Thanks y'all for reading and I will see you in the next review!

Jasonic Reviews Toy Story

To kick this blog off to a fresh start, I'm gonna review what ought to be my most defining childhood movie of all time: Toy Story. Now, I know what you all might be thinking; how could I, a 21-year-old young man in college, still possibly enjoy a film like Toy Story to this day? Well, I'll tell ya my secret. And, no, it isn't nostalgia goggles, but rather a solid critical perspective on what makes a good movie. With that said, I'm here to address why this movie, the first ever fully computer animated movie in the industry, still holds up well today.

It's been said a number of times that this movie, regardless of its dated look, is what defined a generation's worth of computer animated following it's initial success back in autumn of 1995. If you're not feeling old just thinking about that, let me tell you I was only three months old when it came out, which is one of a number of reasons I am most joyfully fond of its existence -- although my earliest memories of it was at about three years old. At the time, it was simply a fun movie that encouraged my more imaginative side, and so I, personally, would enjoy watching over and over, again and again. It was so great even my parents wouldn't get tired of watching it with me all the hundreds of times I watched it throughout my life. So, without further adieu, let's get down to the basics on why this is truly the ideal animated film for both family and general audiences.

*MINOR SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT* (Not that it should matter as most people, by now, have most likely seen the film)

In regards to what actually makes it so good in the first place, much of it has to do with the story formula it revolutionized. For those who aren't already familiar with the plot, it's a classic buddy comedy film about a cowboy doll named Woody and a "space ranger" toy named Buzz Lightyear who initially get off on the wrong foot when Buzz shows up and snatches away all the attention from Woody's fellow toy friends as well as their owner, a young, imaginative boy named Andy (known for his innocent playtime sessions). In a series of unfortunate happenings, Woody and Buzz get wrapped up in conflict with Andy's naughty next door neighbor, Sid (known for his creative ways of destroying toys), and must work together to put aside their differences and get back home. Nowadays, this formula appears very stock, but, for the time and the effort that went into this film, it was very well done. The development of our two main characters and how they go from being ignorant towards each to helping one another overcome the hindrances preventing them from reuniting with their kid is, perhaps, among the greatest on film developments I've seen in my entire life. In a script partially written by Joss Whedon (yes, the same guy who wrote and directed The Avengers and its sequel), this is very much expected. And, though the film's main focus is on the relationship between Woody and Buzz, even the side characters have a few of their own joke moments and developments.

Part of what makes this so great to watch even now is the presentational value it holds. These characters (among them Mr. Potato Head, Slinky the Dog, and Rex to name a few), while they may all be toys that play lifeless around their owner, the clever ways in which they play off each other feel oddly organic, yet they still have a few comedic moments here and there that remind us they are, in fact, animated toys. For example, Mr. Potato Head is known for his sarcastic comments toward every other toy he comes in contact with and is not only hilarious in that regard, but also in that he often has his put-together pieces whacked off of him. The film is also very vibrant and colorful, something that Pixar would consistently perfect with its subsequent films. There's never any drab shots (probably concerning the time in which this was made seeing as technology was underdeveloped), which, overall, gives the film the optimistic feel it's going for. It is, after all, meant to encourage the idea that, although real toys are lifeless, they are meant to played with in a positive fashion.

In addition, the sound design of this movie is fantastic. The casting of Tom Hanks as Woody is downright perfect, given how much Hanks brings to his performances in general, and is the main reason I always associate Hanks' voice with this beloved character. While I can't generally say the same for the rest of the cast, all of them are great in their roles, especially Tim Allen as Buzz with his iconic line "To infinity and beyond!" The soundtrack, also, has a certain specialty about it with Randy Newman bringing to life the emotions behind the scenes mainly in which he provides his own vocals. I mean, who could possibly listen to "You've Got A Friend In Me", quite possibly the best opening song in an animated movie, and not get a sense of belonging? Surely, this is among the greatest soundtracks in any animated movie and that's not just my nostalgia talking. I happen to also know what makes great music regardless of whether or not I grew up listening to it, but that's another topic for a different blog.

Generally speaking, Toy Story is a film/series that's modeled for me what a great movie with this much heart put into it is truly made of. Despite its dated 1990s graphical quality, the overall quality of the film still holds strong to this day. And if I sound overly praising of it, know that I believe nothing negative can really be said about it. It's got a well-written story, great characters, good humor, solid presentation, a splendid choice of casting, and heartfelt score that it is very much a staple classic with any sensible family/person who loves anything animated. If anything, I give this movie an A+ rating and label it a must see for everyone of all ages!

Thanks for reading y'all and I will see you in the next review!