Spiderman: Homecoming is my Favorite Spiderman Movie

The night is always darkest before the dawn. Truer words have never been spoken. 3 years have past since the darkness that is The Amazing Spiderman 2. Making it's poor use of Spidey's world fade into a distant dubstep memory. Now it is time for the dawn aka Spiderman: Homecoming to rise and save the web crawler from cinematic mediocrity. Marvel Studios and Sony Picture have co-authored the best Spiderman movie of all time. It could even be my personal favorite MCU movie. It has heart, charm, and humor in spades. Tom Holland (Captain America: CW) embodies a teenage Spiderman. He is now officially my favorite Spidey. The character has never shown his age before quite like this on screen. Spiderman: Homecoming much like Peter Parker's actual life feels like a high school comedy seamlessly mixed with a superhero blockbuster. The whole cast is terrific and director Jon Watts (Cop Car) deserves serious praise. Also can't believe how many references and easter eggs are in this film as well. If you love Spidey what are you doing reading this shit, go to see Spiderman: Homecoming right now.

P.S. One of the only flaws with the film was that this amazing scene wasn't adapted. SHOCKER!!!

What Marvel's Spiderman Needs To Do

6 Things That The Spectacular Spiderman Needs To Do

Spiderman is swinging his way into the MCU. I still get excited every time I write it. After an introduction in Captain America: Civil War, the Web Head will be getting a new solo film in 2017. So I prematurely determined that film should be titled The Spectacular Spiderman and came up with a list of some things that Marvel Studios' take on the character should include. Enjoy!

1. Keep Peter Parker/ Do Not Retell His Origin Story!

Ever since Marvel + Sony's announced their team-up, the name Miles Morales has been tossed around quite a bit. Some people are tired of Peter Parker's tale. Instead they want a different character as Spiderman. Miles is of course the Spiderman from Marvel comics' Ultimate verse. He was introduced back in 2011 and picked up the mantle of Spiderman after Ultimate-verse's Peter Parker's death. The real plus to Miles is that he would bring some much needed diversity to the Avenger's roster with his half African American half Puerto Rican heritage. 

Now while I agree that bringing in Miles as Spiderman does have it's positives, I still believe that Peter Parker should remain the cinematic Spiderman for now. Fans have wanted to see Spiderman chill with his fellow Avengers for some time now and having Miles being there instead of Peter just would not be the same. I wanna see Peter exchange quips with Iron Man and receive guidance from Captain America. He is the original Spidey and with Marvel finally getting to use the character in it's universe, I just don't see them not using Peter Parker.

Now in the future I am 100% onboard with bringing Miles in as a replacement. Marvel Studios wants these films to run for as long as possible, so when the time is right Miles can take on the mantle of Spidey and carry the franchise into a new era.

But until then, if Peter is involved keep his origin story out of it. Peter gets bit. Uncle Ben gets killed. Powers + Responsibility. We get it. We don't need to see it again a third time. The Amazing Spiderman had Ben die because Peter wanted chocolate milk. There is just no coming back from that. Do what The Incredible Hulk did and tell Peter's origins in the opening credits. Of course the film can allude back to Uncle's Ben murder and Peter getting his powers when needed, but just start the film with Peter having been Spidey for a little while. 

2. Introduce New Villains

The Amazing Spiderman did a poor job of utilizing Spiderman's rogues gallery. Which is surprising because besides maybe Batman, the Web slinger has the best cast of baddies in comics. Which brings us to Electro. No one's favorite villain is Electro. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko don't even like him. That is until The Amazing Spiderman 2 director Marc Webb claimed that he loved the character. Then he turned Electro into a caricature and absolute joke of a main villain. Now if that's how Marc treats the things he loves, I sure wouldn't want to be his Valentine. So for the new films let's focus on villains people actually like and have set backstories, not a guy who looks like Mr. Freeze's ballsack and acts like Jim Carrey's Riddler.

Truer words have never been spoken

Several high profile Spidey villains have yet to have a big screen adaption. Electro was picked over greats like Kraven, Mysterio, Vulture, Kingpin, and Scorpion. Marvel won't make that same mistake. They will pick one that fans have been clamoring for because if the MCU needs one thing, it's better bad guys. Besides Loki and hopefully Ultron, the MCU villains have been very underdeveloped and underwhelming. Showcasing Spidey's kickass rogues will definitely help aid that nagging problem.

Although I do have one caveat. Hold on off on using the Green Goblin for now. He has been depicted on screen twice now and the last time Marc Webb gave him fucking meth mouth. Pennsatucky from Orange Is The New Black has a better smile than that ugly bastard. Now this is in no way saying that the characters Norman + Harry Osborn should not be used at all, but what I'm saying is if they are used set them up for a couple of movies before suit up one of them up in the halloween costume. 

3. Get An Experienced Director(s)

No more Marc Webbs. The guy was inexperienced with action movies and large budgets. He did excel in romantic moments, but if you look at #6 I say this next reboot needs less of that shit. So who should Marvel + Sony turn to for directing this bad boy?

The obvious choices are Chris Miller + Phil Lord. They dominated the action comedy genre last year by directing both The Lego Movie and 22 Jump St. The duo has worked with a large budget and are comfortable with both action + comedy. Plus they have worked with Sony before and the last time Marvel hired a duo comedy director team, the Russo brothers, they got the best Marvel solo film since Iron Man. Miller + Lord are a perfect choice to steer this franchise back in the right direction.

I need Peter Parker doing some Slam Poetry in my life

4. Find A Consistent Tone By Telling Cohesive One Story

Besides it's laughable baddies, the biggest problem with The Amazing Spiderman was that it spun too many damn plates. The movie had more story-lines than an episode of Game Of Thrones except that almost half of them didn't even matter to the plot. Truthfully there was just too much going on to care about anything. Important parts of Peter Parker's character like working for the Daily Bugle or going to college were glossed over in favor of showing us  Aunt May become a nurse. Peter is your main character. Never forget that. Don't just throw Peter into a mishmash of random studio ideas.

But by far the least interesting component of the mishmash that was The Amazing Spiderman films was the backstory to Peter Parker's parents. It was a story that had an obvious conclusion (except for the random subway laboratory) with little payoff. No one cares about Peter Parker's parents. We care about how Peter lost his Uncle because he didn't do what was right. He will carry the weight of Ben's loss with him for his entire life. No need to bring his deadbeat parents into the equation as well.

My point is that there is no need to drudge up Spiderman's past anymore. The comic fans know it. The general audience knows it. It is time to move forward with the character instead of constantly linking his stories to his past. The last two movies to really focus in on Peter's past were Spiderman 3 that linked Sandman back to Uncle Ben's death for no reason and The Amazing Spiderman 2 that focused (well they didn't really focus on anything) on Peter's shithead parents. Let's leave the past in the past and move forward with Spidey.

One final note for Sony. Do not try to set up any fucking spin offs. This comment is directed at Sony because they are still obsessed with making a Sinister Six film still even after making a deal with Marvel that squashed their original plans. Instead focus on the franchise at hand. This is your last shot. You can't reboot Spiderman again if this fails (at least not for a while anyway). So listen to Marvel and don't give us anymore of this Oscorp created every single bad guy ever nonsense. 

5. Focus Less on Love Interests

Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy was a high point of the recent Spidey flicks. Kristen Dunst's Mary Jane Watson on the other hand was one of the worst parts of the original trilogy. So whether its Gwen, MJ, Felicia Hardy, or his fucking left hand let's have less focus on Spiderman's love life for at least one movie. 

Look at great superhero movies like The Dark Knight, GOTG, The Avengers, and Captain America: The Winter Solider. What do all these films have in common? Their romantic plots are minimal. Hell, if Peter is going back to high school so let's show him be a nerd and not getting the girl for once. Seriously the guy has gotten more ass than any nerd I have ever seen.

Lastly on this topic, the climax of the film should not include Peter's current boo (if he actually does get one). In all 5 movies Peter has been forced to protect his girlfriend during his final showdown with a nemesis. Let's change up the stakes this time around.

Right on, Adam!

6. Have A Connection To The MCU

One of the coolest aspects of having a connected cinematic universe is that characters can pop up just about anywhere. Take Black Widow for example. She has been in 3 MCU films so far (also referred to as the Black Widow trilogy) Iron Man 2, The Avengers, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Each of those films is from a different franchise and yet Widow fits into each one of them. So while Spiderman will be featured in Captain America: Civil War, I believe Marvel + Sony should have some other character from the MCU pop up in his solo film.

Now I'm not sitting here saying that Iron Man or Hulk needs to show up, but maybe one of Marvel's New York based heroes or villains can. Personally I think the perfect fit would be either Daredevil or Kingpin. Both characters are being introduced in Netflix/Marvel's Daredevil TV show set to air in April. By the time 2017 rolls around the Man Without Fear and the Kingpin of crime will have had over two seasons (assuming that the show succeeds) of development and will be ready for big screen appearances. Just imagine Spidey and Daredevil teaming up to bring down the Kingpin. This scenario could also help set up Sony's Sinister Six (hopefully it never happens because it completely goes against my 4th point) that they seem so obsessed with making still. They could use the storyline from the 1994 Spiderman TAS in which Kingpin assembles the Insidious Six to defeat Spiderman. Anyway I just think that those two characters could fit nicely into Spidey's universe.

Lastly, the Punisher was teased in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. So maybe just like his comic counterpart he could be introduced in a Spidey story. Seriously though I could go on for another twenty paragraphs about who could show up where in a Spiderman movie because the interconnected universe allows for just about anything. So just put someone in there Marvel + Sony.

Bonus: Bring Back Soon to Be Oscar Winner J.K. Simmons As J.Jonah Jameson

Incredible actor who was so perfectly cast that he made Marc Webb and Sony afraid to find a replacement. 

Thanks for reading! Are you excited for Spiderman to join the MCU? Who do you want Spidey throwing down with in his next solo adventure? Let us know in the comments or on twitter @Caped_Informers. and @cstrand73. Be sure to check back regularly for more show/movie reviews and editorials regarding the comic book universe. I'm also writing up a few diffent pitches a story to the 2017 Spidey movie, so stay tuned for that as well.

Marvel Releases Trailer for 'Original Sin' Event

Marvel has released a teaser trailer for their upcoming comic event Original Sin. The Watcher is dead. Now the secrets he has kept of all the Marvel heroes shall come to light. All those skeletons in the closet will shake the very Marvel Universe to it's core! Everyone is a suspect. So who shot the Watcher? Pick up Original Sin #1 tomorrow to begin to find out.

Usually event comics and their endless tie-ins become tedious and boring, but I'm actually onboard for this one. I enjoy a good murder mystery. Especially one that reveals all my favorite heroes' dirty laundry. I can guess their secrets now. Daredevil has been faking his blindness, Captain America admits to not having voted since FDR was president, and Thor's hair is really a wig because he suffers from male pattern baldness. Whatever their real secrets are, I can't wait to see our heroes worlds shattered!

Amazing Spiderman 2 Thoughts/Review!

Marc Webb's The Amazing Spiderman 2 swung into theaters yesterday and all the Informers got together for a screening. Mild- Spoilers Ahead.

What We Liked:

• Great Performances from Main Cast (Garfield, Stone, DeHaan, Foxx)
• Excellent action sequences particularly the final showdowns 
• Proper Characterizations of Peter Parker and Spiderman
• Garfield and Stone's chemistry as Peter and Gwen
• DeHaan's new direction with Harry Osborn/Goblin
• Fleshing out of Stone's Gwen
• Electro's villain score
• Electro was a powerful and worth foe
• A fun joke slinging Spidey
• Absolutely nailing a huge moment in Spiderman comic's history
• A fantastic portrayal of how Spiderman web slings through the city

What We Didn't Like:

• The arc of Peter's parents
• Foreign accents (Rhino, Dr. Kafka)
• Uneven Pacing
• Misplaced montage songs
• Max Dillion's over the top loneliness and shitty life
• Trailers gave away too much of the fighting sequences

          Many people initially thought that The Amazing Spiderman 2 was going to suffer from "too many villains" syndrome ala Spiderman 3, but the movie is not overloaded with villains. It is in fact overloaded with story arcs to get through. The film spins a lot of plates. They had to finish the arc with Peter's parents, introduce Harry, create Electro + Goblin, set up the Sinister Six, deal with fallout of Gwen's dad dying and that's just half of it. There is a lot to get through in 2 hrs and 12 mins. This leads the film to pacing and tonal issues, but what it lacks in those departments it makes up for in the film's heart. Spiderman likes being Spiderman. He is not dark and gritty like Batman. He has fun on the job and wishes to inspire the people of New York. The film perfectly captures this. It also brings tremendous action and performances from it's leads. So while this is not the perfect film cinematically, it does has the perfect Spiderman. Andrew Garfield is more Spiderman/Peter Parker than Tobey McGuire ever was. So taking into everything above into account especially the absolute nailing of a classic Spiderman moment, The Informers give The Amazing Spiderman 2 a 7.5 out of 10. 

Check out our podcast this week to hear more about our thoughts on the movie. Thanks for reading! What did you think of the movie? Sound off in the comments

Superhero Woman Crush Wednesday: (4/30/14)

Woman Crush: Emma Stone

The year was 2007, I was a plump sixteen year old watching Superbad in a theater with my father, when it happened. I saw a young beautiful red headed actress appear onscreen alongside a very plump Jonah Hill. I thought she had great timing comedic timing, but what really drew me to her was every word she spoke felt natural. Even though she was playing a role, you felt that a part of her really was the cool girl who you could joke about dicks and hymens with. Fast forward seven years later. With several projects under her belt and her real blonde hair finally revealing itself, Emma Stone has become one of Hollywood's most beloved actresses. In 2011, Emma nabbed the role of Peter Parker's first love Gwen Stacy. Her Gwen was intelligent, understanding, and beautiful. Emma brought her natural likability to the character and because of that, the chemistry between Gwen and Peter has been the highlight of the Amazing Spiderman franchise so far. In my book Emma will forever be that insanely funny cool girl next door. That girl who just has a smile that makes you want to smile. So check her out in The Amazing Spiderman 2 opening in theaters Friday.

"Easy, Bug Boy."

Check Emma kicks Jimmy Fallon's ass in a Lip Sync battle two days ago. Winning lip singing battles and being awesome is just the Emma Stone way.

-Christian 

Character Crush: Catwoman

For every great super hero, there is always a women who is either trying to rob him, get with him, or fight him. Today that woman is Catwoman. Ah yes Miss Selina Kyle is quite the character in Gotham City. Anyone running around in a black leather body suit who think she's half cat is A-Ok in my book. Plus the flexibility and the sneakiness doesn't bother me either. Although she has no powers or isnt even exactly a hero, Catwoman never stops amazing me. I bet you didn't know this but the chick can fight folks. She knows some pretty sweet combat moves, and knows how to make a great escape. Who wouldn't want that in a women? I'm not talkin about the creepy "I got attacked by cats so now I'm Catwoman". I'm talking about the classic Selina whose sly and knows her way around a good crime and robbery. So Bats, is it too much to ask to share and let us simpleton bloggers get a shot at Catwoman?? Well deserved character women crush for this Wednesday.

"My mother always told me never to get into cars with strange men"

-Brady

Final Amazing Spiderman 2 Trailer Is Here!

Here it is folks! The final trailer to Spideys second (Fifth) movie. All in all the whole trailer is one big badass preview. We get to see sneak peaks of the Rhino fight, bits of humor, and the Goblin suit/fight scene. It just looks incredible. I'm sure my other informers are pumped to see this movie. Check it out for yourselves!

The Amazing Spiderman 2
In Theaters May 2nd


Source:comicbookmovie.com