The Amazing Spider-Man (Blu-ray+DVD+UltraViolet)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
US BD Release Date: November 9, 2012
Original Release Year: 2012
Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence)
Running Time: 136 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English, French, Portuguese), Dolby Digital 5.1 (Chinese, Spanish, Thai), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English Descriptive)
Subtitles: English, English (SDH), Cantonese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai
Movie: 4 out of 5
When Spider-Man 4 became stuck in what is known in the industry as development hell, causing the series director, Sam Raimi, and stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst to leave the franchise, both Sony and Marvel made the decision to go back to the character’s origins with The amazing Spider-Man. After the disappointing (and seemingly overstuffed with villains) Spider-Man 3, this seemingly premature reboot is a like a breath of fresh air.
Taking a cue from Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, director Marc Webb, with help from screenwriters James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, and Steve Kloves, open the film with a young Peter Parker experiencing the disappearance of his parents (Campbell Scott and Embeth Daidtz) and being left at the doorstep of his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field), and through the course of the film delving much deeper into the backstory of Peter Parker’s childhood. Fast forward several years later, and we meet an awkwardly teenage Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), whom the attractive girls in school ask to take birthday photos of themselves for their boyfriends. When Uncle Ben needs help when the basement floods, Peter discovers his father’s old briefcase, complete with formulas and algorithms he was working on at Oscorp just before his disappearance. But Peter also finds a connection to his father, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), who is still conducting research at Oscorp. Peter sneaks into Oscorp, assuming the identity of an intern, but is discovered by classmate Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), who introduces him to Connors. Peter manages to wander off, and in the process is bitten by a genetically mutated spider, thus beginning his transformation into Spider-Man. Connors and Peter begin working together to complete a limb-replacing serum, which Connors had been working on with Peter’s father. Out of desperation, Connors injects himself with the serum, which regenerates his right arm. But there are serious side effects, including transforming into a lizard-human hybrid and insanity, and thus Connors decides to release the serum throughout the city, transforming the entire population into the hybrid creatures.
Marc Webb may seem like an odd choice as a director to launch a revitalized comic book franchise (despite the name), considering his only other film was the off-beat (500) Days of Summer in addition to a number of music videos. But Webb seems equally comfortable with intense action sequences that include extensive visual effects as he is with much more grounded dramatic scenes, as well. The scenes between Peter and his Aunt and Uncle are much more natural and realistic than those in Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man, and likewise for the teen-romance between Peter and Gwen. Both the fight between Spider-Man and The Lizard in the high school (which is nearly 100% CGI in many of the shots) and the final climax along the skyline of New York and atop the Oscorp building are breathtaking but never feel like centerpieces. And although the major climax resolves at around the 2-hour mark, Webb spends an additional 10 minutes tying up some loose ends between Peter and Gwen, without feeling overly long. Andrew Garfield, despite being at least ten years older than the Peter Parker he portrays, exudes an adolescent charm with an underlying sense of tragedy. Emma Stone continues to portray strong, intelligent young women with Gwen Stacy, bringing some of her great sense of comedic timing to the role. Martin Sheen brings Uncle Ben to life as a much stronger father figure than Cliff Robertson’s gee-whiz portrayal. Sally Field’s Aunt May is also a much stronger, more independent character. Rhys Ifans plays Connors as a tortured and sympathetic soul who really believes he is doing the right thing. Finally, Denis Leary hits all the right notes as police Captain Stacy, the overprotective father to Gwen, without ever becoming a caricature.
10.0pt;line-height:115%">Last but not least is the score by James Horner, who quickly breaks tradition and sweeps away the standard comic book style of score that Danny Elfman made a career on (and many others have imitated). Horner’s symphonic score is what many would consider old-school, relying on the use of themes, and harkens back to his earlier work on films like Willow, Krull, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and my personal favorite, The Rocketeer.
On a somber note, two key members of the production team passed away prior to the film’s release, producer Laura Ziskin (shortly after wrapping principal photography to breast cancer) and production designer J. Michael Riva (weeks prior to the theatrical release to a stroke while working on Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained). Both the feature and the documentary are dedicated to their memory.
Video: 4 out of 5
Released theatrically in IMAX 3D, RealD 3D, 2D digital cinema, and 35mm, and filmed mostly in 3D using the RED Epic camera in 5k, Sony’s 2D Blu-ray release is everything one would expect for a recent release, with one minor exception (I’ll come back to that later). The 1080p image retains the film’s intended aspect ratio of 2.40:1, and was compressed using the AVC codec. Colors are accurate and consistent, especially flesh tones. Blacks are well-rendered as well, particularly in the night time scenes which retain much of their dimensionality, despite being only 2D. Detail is exquisite, down to the spandex fabric of the Spider-Man suit and perforations in the lenses of the Spidey mask. Where some may complain is in the overall apparent dimness of the picture, but, if I recall, this was intentional and was apparent in the theatrical release, too.
Audio: 4.5 out of 5
The included DTS-HD-Master Audio 5.1 lossless track is yet another reference-quality mix that really shines. Fidelity and dynamic range are excellent, providing a truly immersive experience with sonic highs and lows. High school hallways teem with shuffling footsteps and chatty teens, cityscapes breathe with wind and street traffic rustling by the microphone as Spider-Man swings from building to building, and creaks can be heard in the floorboards of Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s row home. Dialogue is clear and directed mostly to the center channel with some occasional directionality. And James Horner’s score envelops the listener from all around.
Special Features: 4.5 out of 5
The Blu-ray/DVD combo includes two Blu-ray discs and a DVD (which includes the feature and a handful of the special features from the two Blu-ray discs). The discs are housed in a sturdy 3-disc Blu-ray case (much thicker than a DVD case), with inserts that contain redemption codes for a Spider-Man suit for the mobile Amazing Spider-Man game, redemption code for an UltraViolet copy of the film (which expires on 11/9/2014), a redemption code for SonyRewards points, and a recipe for Spidery Peanut Butter Cookies made with Skippy Peanut Butter (but no Skippy coupon).
Blu-ray Disc One:
The disc begins with skippable trailers for Sony Entertainment Network, UltraViolet, Men In Black III, Total Recall (2012), The Amazing Spider-Man Second Screen App, and Take Part: Worldwide Orphans Foundations public service message.
The Amazing Spider-Man Second Screen App: The app is only available for iPad and Sony-branded Android tablet devices (Samsung Galaxy Note users are out of luck), and apparently includes additional content synched with the movie. Since I do not own an iPad or Sony-branded tablet, I was unable to review this feature.
Audio Commentary with Marc Webb, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach: This is essentially two commentary tracks edited into one. Director Marc Webb apparently recorded his track separately from producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach, as each tries to catch up with the visuals from time to time. It’s a good track overall, with all three contributing details about the production with very few gaps in the commentary. Subtitles of this track are also available in English and other languages.
Trailers: In addition to Men In Black III and Total Recall, trailers for Arthur Christmas and Premium Rush can be selected from the pop-up menu.
Blu-ray Disc Two:
Rite of Passage: The Amazing Spider-Man Reborn (HD, 1:49:49): An extensive documentary on the various aspects of development, production, casting, costumes, and post production produced by Charles Lauzirika. The documentary can be viewed in its entirety or as seven individual featurettes.
Deleted Scenes (HD, 16:50): A total of eleven scenes, many including score by James Horner and in various stages of post production. Included is the original cut of Uncle Ben’s death, as well as many scenes mentioned in the audio commentary. Unfortunately, none of the scenes include any director’s commentary.
Pre-Visualization (HD, 39:08): Sixteen scenes are included, some in simple storyboard form, many in low-quality animated form.
The Oscorp Archives Production Art Gallery (HD): Split into three categories (Spider-Man, The Lizard, and Environments), each category can be viewed either as a slideshow or the viewer can scroll and select each slide individually.
Image Progression Reels (HD, 11:51): Four key visual effects sequences are studied, with commentary by various members of the Sony ImageWorks effects team.
Stunt Rehearsals (HD, 11:52): The title is fairly self-explanatory, the footage is captured with camcorders (with major interlacing issues). Eight sequences are included.
Developing The Amazing Spider-Man Video Game (HD, 3:30): Dee Brown, founder and head of game developer Beenox discusses the video game tie-in published by Activision.
DVD:
The DVD contains a standard definition of the film with Dolby Digital 5.1 English, French, and Spanish language tracks, an English Descriptive Audio track in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, Audio Commentary track, Deleted Scenes, Stunt Rehearsals, and Oscorp Archives Production Art Gallery.
Overall: 4.5 out of 5
While fan reaction to the film was mixed, director Marc Webb managed to give the franchise a fresh start that pleased most critics and audiences. Sony delivers yet another stellar Blu-ray disc with outstanding video and audio, as well as an abundance of special features. Recommended.
