Summer of Superheroes

Summer 2012 featured a great deal of amazing movies but the most popular, without a doubt, were the films about the superheroes. So here's a brief review on all three.

Dark Knight Rises

My favourite movie of the summer and easily the year. I saw it (so far) three times in theatres. Why? Because it's just that good. The final movie takes place eight years after the second film so a lot has happened which are explained well. Wounds have barely scabbed over from the Joker's rein. But there are some new faces joining the older ones. As well as humor to defuse the tension when it becomes too dark. There is a beautiful balance between action & adventure, drama, angst, romance, humor and tragedy.

Nolan brings it back full circle as Batman has to face his fears, limitations and demons to overcome the huge obstacle that is threatening the destruction of Gotham. One of my favourite things about Nolan's films, is that there is a great amount of depth in the film. Whether it is plot or symbolism. There were many times were I felt, symbolically, Nolan was showing his audience his first film again. Spoiler Alert but for example, when Bruce was climbing up from the Pit, it reminded me of the him in the first movie trying to climb up from the well. Actually, the whole part of the film where Bruce was in the Pit, was almost a homage to the Batman Begin's well known quote: "Why do we fall, sir? So, we can learn to pick ourselves up." That's what Bruce shows us in the pit - never give up. End of Spoiler Alert. Unlike Spiderman 3, Nolan masterfully juggles with the multiple villains so that the audience never feels awkward.

But as much as I loved it, it could be easily disliked as well. For those who had extremely high expectations - it will not meet them. After the late Ledger's legendary performance as the Joker, it's hard to come even close. Also, many people will not like it simply because Nolan's ending is not the one they wanted.

One thing you should know though is that this is the last Batman movie in Nolan's series. If another Batman movie comes out, it will not have Nolan as director, Bale as Bruce/Batman or probably many of the other actors.

Avengers

The big blockbuster hit of the summer, directed by the famous Joss Wheldon. For those who don't know the name, you know of his creations: Buffy, Firefly, Angel and even Toy Story. Originally Jon Favreau (director of the first two Ironman movies) was supposed to direct but he chose to stay on as an executive producer. This movie has a little bit of everything! It has action & adventure, drama, romance, angst, tragedy and plenty of humor to keep the audiences engaged. It is entertain for everyone. It nicely balances the storyline of the four protagonists as well as the supporting characters without neglecting anyone. It is incredibly easy for the view to connect with any one of the heroes. Also, Joss Wheldon does an amazing job with dialogue as many characters have memorable lines without being cheesy.

Personally, I saw the film four times in theatres because there were many scenes that I loved. In particular, Hulk had many hilarious scenes that I died laughing.  The first time I watched it, my friend had to nudge me in the ribs to get me to stop cackling like a hyena. 

The only problem with this film is that if you haven't watched the other four series (Hulk, Ironman, Thor and Captain America) you are going to miss something because a lot of the same faces pop up in this movie.  Ideally, to watch this movie, the viewer has to be up to date on the other four series. Well, not so much Hulk, seeing as they changed the actor. Mark Ruffalo, by the way, does an amazing job as Bruce Banner (I think you found a winner Marvel)!

One other negative for this film is that it is currently the most mistake filled film of 2012. It's not that much but it is still more then any other film so far.

But it's still an amazing movie.

Amazing Spiderman

I had mixed feelings about this reboot. I loved the new actors, Emma and Andrew, but I was still sort of loyal to the older actors. I disliked strongly where Spiderman 3 left us and I did feel like they were screwing up what had great potential from the first film. But at the same time, I was wondering where's Mary Jane and who's Gwen Stacey in the new reboot? Ultimately, I decided to approach the film with an open mind.

I'm glad I did because they did an amazing job. Andrew Garfield's version of Spiderman was more easier to identify with then Tobey Maguire's saint-like approach. Andrew's Peter was multi-dimensional. Sometimes, he was angry, vulnerable and hurt and other times he is shy, friendly and funny. But overall he is a nice guy. But Andrew's approach allowed for the audience to accept it more when Peter wasn't always nice whereas I judged Tobey's Peter more harshly simply because he seemed more saintlike and naive.

Emma Stone also did a wonderful job as Gwen Stacey to the point where I was like 'Mary Jane who?' Plus, the chemistry between the two actors set the screen on fire. There were times where I blushed more at their flirting then I did at some other movie's explicit scene. I'm glad they became a real-life couple as well because they are very cute together.

This movie like the other two superhero films mentioned aboved, have the same genres; action & adventure, drama, angst, tragedy, romance and humor. This movie is also a very good compromise for a date.

Unlike the previous two films, Amazing Spiderman has a slower build to the climax because unlike Dark Knight Rises and Avengers, it is starting from the beginning so it needs screen time to set up everything.

Chances are you will either love the new reboot or hate it because you are that loyal to the Tobey's. But personally, it really does deserve to be called the AMAZING Spiderman.