Retro DVD/Blu-Ray Update Week #35

DVD & Blu-Ray Collection Update #33 "Schism"
Date Posted: November 19, 2012
Summary: New DVD & Blu-Ray Collection Update. Check out my DVD & Blu-Ray collection update featuring old and new movie releases. Television Series' also featured. Mini Review included.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 News Round-Up

Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson

Ever since it was announced that Shailene Woodley was cast as Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 I have been behind the choice one hundred percent. Admittedly, based on her appearance alone, she is not the actress you think of when you ask "who resembles the Mary Jane Watson of comic book lore?" in the same way Emma Stone bares an eerily perfect resemblance to Gwen Stacy.

However, now that set photos for the web slingers upcoming sequel have surfaced, the popular opinion in nerd circles is not only that Shailene Woodley is not "attractive enough" to play Mary Jane Watson, but that she also looks flat-out "Horrible" in terms of her own personal appearance. Does this make me mad? Well...yeah.

 Image Source: www.superherohype.com

Granted, it seems as though most who share this negative opinion have not even seen Woodley's much praised performance in 2011's Best Picture nominated film The Descendants, and are therefore unaware of how talented she actually is. However, a more important fact remains. The reason Shailene Woodley does not resemble the Mary Jane of comic book reality...is because she is actually a REAL human being. This article from Cinemablend.com articulates my feelings on this issue better than I can.

Putting my faith in Woodley based on one role could backfire, but it is still a more reasonable and likely to be proven true stance than the harsh one directed towards her based on....set photos and her appearance. Shailene Woodley is immensely talented so I do not give a fuck whether she looks like the ideal Mary Jane or not...but on a personal note: I do find Shailene Woodley very attractive.

Chris Cooper as Norman Osborn

Image Source: www.nj.com /Disney

Not much to say here other than this is pretty damn great casting! Chris Cooper is an excellent actor and would make a great Norman Osborn. However this news announcement raises some very intriguing questions!

Will the Green Goblin appear in The Amazing Spider-Man 2? Will Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy meet her demise at his hands? If not, what exactly will Norman Osborn be up to in this film? 

Personally, I doubt we will be seeing the Green Goblin in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, aside from a brief tease at the end of the film. With two villains (Electro and The Rhino) already announced to be appearing in the upcoming sequel in addition to the introduction of Mary Jane Watson in the rebooted series, it seems unlikely that Marc Webb and the writers would try blowing their load early with Norman Osborn when they have so much going on already.

Even before this casting news was announced I never subscribed to the theory that Gwen Stacy would be killed off in this sequel, especially at the hands of anyone else besides the Green Goblin. Considering the upcoming sequel already seemed jam packed with story material even before Cooper's casting was announced, I feel even more strongly that Gwen Stacy will live to see another sequel by the time The Amazing Spider-Man 2 rolls the credits.  

After all, why would they not take the chance to dedicated an entire film to one of the most important and iconic comic book stories of all-time?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Reveals New Costume

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was arguably the most divisive film of 2012. While some would point to other big budget flicks such as Prometheus or smaller independent ventures such as Beasts of the Southern Wild as the kind of film worthy of said title, I would point to The Amazing Spider-Man simply due to how extreme the differing opinions of the reboot are in contrast to each other and because of how vocal each side of the argument has been.

Some praise The Amazing Spider-Man as the Spider-Man film fans have always waited for that equals or even betters Spider-Man 2, Sam Raimi's second installment of the original Spider-Man trilogy which is regarded by many to be one of the greatest superhero films ever produced. Others absolutely loath The Amazing Spider-Man, claiming the film is pure garbage and not only one of the worst superhero films ever produced, but also one of the worst films of the year. 

Me? I am firmly in the middle ground on the whole debate. I feel the film suffers from too many common flaws, such as a generic narrative and rushed character development (or lack thereof), to be worthy of the praise given to Spider-Man 2, and yet none of the films problems justify the vile hyperbolic hate shown towards it. If forced to choose a side, I would align with the positive opinion considering how exaggerated the arguments of those who hate the film have been, however my true stance is that the film is flawed and not as good as the better Raimi films, but it is enjoyable with some great performances from the two leads which makes for a fun and solid popcorn flick.

Now we have our first look at the newly designed costumed for the web slinger himself!

I have to say...I like it. I really dig this new look.

My issue with the costume in The Amazing Spider-Man was not with the design, but with the material. There was just something about it that felt a little too "Halloween Costume-ish". This slick new material appears to be returning what was used for the Raimi series of costumes, however the new eye pieces have a classic comic book style to them that we have not seen before in these films. I love that. More than any other costume used in previous films, this one looks like it leaped right off the page!

I am relatively excited for the upcoming sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man. While I do have a problem with the villains appearing to once again have a connection to Oscorp, the casting of Paul Giamatti as The Rhino and Jamie Foxx as Electro offers exciting prospects for the future of the series. Hopefully if we get more of a sense that Peter Parker is a struggling outcast and more developed script, this film could be one that everyone will love!

Source: comingsoon.net