Line #65 YMMV/TheAmazingSpiderMan


1	Go to [[YMMV/SpiderMan this page]] for tropes related to the comics.
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6	[[folder:The Amazing Spider-Man film]]
7	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
8	** Do the words we hear when Connors is alone in his lair mean the Lizard has taken on a mind of its own and is TalkingToThemself? Or are we hearing Connors' InnerMonologue as he prepares his attack? Or is he really talking to someone else, namely the Man In The Shadows? Likewise, is the Lizard a full-on SplitPersonality, or is it always Connors but in [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil a mentally unhinged state]]? [[spoiler:The sequel does bring in the Shadow Man again, which further brings up the point if he's real or someone who mentally disturbed people such as Curt and Harry see.]]
9	** A fairly minor example can be found towards the thief who [[ItWasHisSled killed Uncle Ben]]. Was his decision to throw Peter his milk a small PetTheDog moment, or was he [[PragmaticVillainy simply trying to bribe Peter into silence while he stole money from the register]]?
10	** Uncle Ben himself. Was his death via confronting the thief a result of him heroically living up to the message of responsibility he earlier told Peter (as this version emphasizes that "one ''has'' to help others if they're able to", instead of "don't just look out for oneself"), or did he just recklessly get himself killed when it could have been easily avoided?
11	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: In a deleted scene concerning Lizard's rampage through Peter's high school, there's a scene where he [[LecherousLicking almost licks a teenage girl's face]]. Neither Connors or his alter-ego are ever established as having that sort of attraction.
12	%%* DesignatedHero: How some viewers perceive Peter Parker in this film.
13	* CondemnedByHistory: While the choice to reboot the character rather than create a fourth film in [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Sam Raimi's Spider-Man]] series was certainly controversial even at the time, critical and audience reviews of the first ''Amazing Spider-Man'' were generally quite positive on release, citing the film as a breezy and faithful take on the character and praising Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone's charisma and on-screen chemistry. Over time however, the film's reputation has become more negative due to a number of factors. The flaws and clunky universe-building of [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2 its sequel]] seemed to taint the public's perception of Garfield's Spider-Man in general and retroactively hurt the first film's reputation by association. Opinions sank even further when Creator/MarvelStudios announced that they had struck a deal with Sony to create a new version of Spider-Man for the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse and it seemed that the still-unresolved plot threads from this film, such as what really happened with Peter's parents, would never be resolved. When the MCU version finally debuted to great acclaim in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' and ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' proved to be wildly popular as MCU Peter's first outing, ''Amazing Spider-Man'''s reputation had hit its nadir and both ''Amazing'' films were written off as a misguided failure and a ShaggyDogStory with no closure.
14	** This process may be reversing however, with the release of ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', as Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man became an EnsembleDarkhorse of that film, leading many people to revisit the film with a fresh appreciation for Garfield's take on Peter. It helps that the film also resolved some (but not all) of the plot threads that this series left hanging and gave Garfield's Peter satisfying emotional closure, and that various executives at Sony and Marvel have expressed interest in creating further adventures for both the Garfield and Maguire versions of Spider-Man.
15	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
16	** The film's portrayal of Captain Stacy was very well-received among fans. He's vastly different from the comics, but is just so ''cool'' that fans don't tend to mind.
17	** Flash, for being closer to his JerkWithAHeartOfGold characterization than his usual pure JerkJock behavior seen in other media.
18	* FoeYayShipping: For some reason, Peter Parker/Curt Connors has a small fanbase, even though [[NoYay Curt is old enough to be Peter’s father]] and he’s more [[ParentalSubstitute fatherly towards Peter.]]
19	* GeniusBonus: In addition to being a ShoutOut and some {{Foreshadowing}}, Peter's room has a poster for Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/RearWindow'', a film about another photographer that fights (or rather solves) crime and has a beautiful girlfriend.
20	* HarsherInHindsight:
21	** During the fight with the Lizard at the school, Peter throws Gwen out of a window and webs her so she doesn't hit the ground, which is PlayedForLaughs. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Peter wouldn't be so successful [[ILetGwenStacyDie the next time he would try to do something similar]]]].
22	** In a shot leading up to a deleted scene after Peter sneaks Gwen out of her room, the camera holds on a clock tower. In ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' [[spoiler:Gwen is killed in a clock tower]].
23	** Captain Stacy's [[spoiler:dying wish for Peter leave Gwen out of his adventures as Spider-Man is all the more pertinent considering her original fate in the main Franchise/MarvelUniverse]], and becomes much, ''MUCH'' more horrible when [[spoiler:Gwen meets the same fate in the sequel. Captain Stacy's ghost even appeared to Peter moments before it happened.]]
24	* HilariousInHindsight:
25	** "You found my weakness, it's small knives!" is reminiscent of "A bullet came out of his gun somehow! How did he know my one weakness?" from these [[http://jaypinkerton.com/2004/06/08/spider-man-comics/ parodies of the Spider-Man newspaper strip]] floating around the Web since 2004.
26	** One of the first things Peter's powers do - [[http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/322171-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic squeeze out too much toothpaste]].
27	** Much laughter was had when the first leaked production photos were of the car thief scene, strangely involving Spidey and said car thief in... suggestive positions. Now we know that the crotch thing was ''deliberate''.
28	** Remember Creator/StanLee appearing in ''Film/{{The Avengers\|2012}}'' and scoffing the idea of superheroes despite all evidence to the contrary? [[HeadphonesEqualIsolation Now we know he has good reason...]]
29	** Cranes nearly killed Gwen in ''Film/SpiderMan3''. In this film, [[spoiler:they save the day to give Spidey a helping hand when he's wounded.]]
30	** Peter getting fire for using Bing becomes this when many people who used Google jumped ship to Bing in 2013 following some questionable implementations of their Safesearch feature.
31	** Creator/SallyField plays the wife of a character played by Creator/MartinSheen, who's best known for [[Series/TheWestWing playing the President of the United States for 7 years straight]]. Less than a year after this movie came out, she got an Oscar nomination for [[Film/{{Lincoln}} playing the wife of a]] ''[[Film/{{Lincoln}} real]]'' [[Film/{{Lincoln}} American president]].
32	** Irrfan Khan plays Dr. Rajit Ratha, a colleague of Curt Connors who also knew Richard Parker. His next role? The starring role in ''Film/LifeOfPi'', in which he is stranded on a boat with a tiger...named Richard Parker.
33	** In the movie, Captain Stacy jokes about not being "the mayor of Tokyo" in response to Peter Parker's claim that Dr. Connors has turned into the giant lizard monster roaming around New York, in a Shout-Out to Franchise/{{Godzilla}}. [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2 This movie's sequel]] and the [[Film/{{Godzilla2014}} 2014]] ''Film/{{Godzilla\|2014}}'' [[Film/{{Godzilla2014}} remake]] ended up being direct box office competitors in the May of 2014.
34	** A superhero fighting a villain [[RooftopConfrontation atop of a tower]] to prevent a major bioterrorist attack? [[Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014 Later done.]] Also done again in [[VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 yet another Spider-Man media.]]
35	** Long before he was given the role of Captain Stacy, Denis Leary wrote a book called ''Why We Suck'', which features a side-by-side photo comparison of him and Creator/WillemDafoe, who played Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in Sam Raimi's first ''Spider-Man'' film. Leary notes that people think the two look alike, and comments, "I apologize if every time I hear 'You were great in ''Film/SpiderMan1''', he has to hear 'Why the fuck did you do ''Film/OperationDumboDrop''?'"
36	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: The main complaint of film critics who didn't like the movie that it's too similar to Raimi's ''Spider-Man'': the origin takes up the full first hour and then the film shifts gears to Spidey facing a crazy green villain and even ends with a funeral at a graveyard. The movie also makes too many callbacks to the Raimi films that it makes this film struggle to be its own thing without being in the shadow of the previous films.
37	* ItWasHisSled:
38	** Those who know anything about Spider-Man know that Uncle Ben is killed.
39	** [[spoiler:George Stacy's death]] actually happened in the comics and in fairly similar circumstances. So for those that remember their comics, it's not as big a surprise as it might be.
40	* MagnificentBastard: For "The Man in the Shadows", see [[YMMV/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries here.]]
41	* MemeticBadass: Crane-Dad and the ability of New York Crane Operators to somehow mobilise faster than the police.
42	* MemeticMutation:
43	** One of Spidey's lines against a car thief when he pulls a knife out - "You found my weakness, it's small knives!"
44	** Chocolate milk killed Uncle Ben.
45	** "Not my policy", as a great counterpart to the 2002 film's "I missed the part where that's my problem".
46	** The scene where Peter gets down on ground after swinging around on a chain, looks up and screams excitedly is often spliced with a similar scene from ''Film/SpiderMan1'' where Peter is crawling on a wall, looking down and screaming excitedly, [[https://youtube.com/shorts/RLbgU1zkM7o?feature=share making it look like]] Creator/TobeyMaguire and Creator/AndrewGarfield's Peter Parkers are meeting each other and cheering on.
47	* MorePopularReplacement: Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy is more popular than both her portrayal in the tepidly received ''Film/SpiderMan3'' and Mary Jane as the trilogy's love interest for her {{Adorkable}} yet headstrong personality and proactiveness in the climax (in contrast to MJ having to be [[DamselScrappy rescued multiple times]] in the trilogy). While the film itself is still divisive, Gwen is easily the most popular of the love interests across all three continuities.
48	* NarmCharm: The crane scene. The idea that Spider-Man, the web-slinging superhero of New York, has to be saved by a group of ''crane operators'' sounds ridiculous on paper, but it's actually set up well and executed beautifully, making it a popular counterpart to the tram scene from ''Film/SpiderMan2''.
49	* NeverLiveItDown: One thing that, evidently, a lot of people can't get past is Peter's comment that promises you know you can't keep are the best kind, which hints that he'll continue dating Gwen regardless of what George Stacy told him [[spoiler:while on his death bed.]] That it's literally the last thing said and done in the movie doesn't help.
50	** Many seemed to miss the fact that Peter was breaking the cycle started by his fathers actions at the beginning of the movie, and the last scene bookends a personal arc that spans the entire film. Richard Parker abandoned his duty to be a father to pursue the greater good. Peter spends the movie pushing his loved ones further and further away so that he can completely devote himself to that same pursuit, ignoring his duty to be a nephew and boyfriend. At the end of the movie he rejects the choice, choosing to balance his responsibilities to be Spider-Man and his responsibility to be Peter.
51	** To its credit, [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2 the sequel]] pulls an AuthorsSavingThrow due to the backlash from this, making Peter immensely guilty about this decision and, via ForegoneConclusion, having it lead directly into what Captain Stacy was trying to prevent.
52	* NightmareRetardant: Curt Connors' face as The Lizard is subject to a lot of mockery from fans. This is due to its human-like characteristics falling into the UnintentionalUncannyValley at times, while also looking looking less scary than the reptilian-like visage depicted in the comics.
53	* OlderThanTheyThink: A Creator/{{Marvel}} movie where the BigBad is planning to use a [[MacGuffin device]] to turn the general population into mutants like himself in the climax? ItsBeenDone in ''[[Film/XMen1 X-Men]]''.
54	** A ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' movie featuring a scientist mentor of Peter becoming a WellIntentionedExtremist and trying to use his invention to help mankind at all costs, even if it means the destruction of New York City? Are we talking about this movie or ''Film/SpiderMan2''?
55	** A lot of people criticised the lack of the Lizard's snout and the fact that he almost never wears anything. The [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries 2003]] series featured a Lizard that was practically naked (complete with a blonde, bespectacled Connors) and [[https://www.gamesradar.com/concept-art-for-sam-raimi-s-the-lizard-revealed/ concept art]] for the Lizard from Creator/SamRaimi's ''Film/SpiderMan2'' also depicts him without a snout.
56	** A variation of the classic ''”WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility”'' being used instead of the actual phrase (which was done again in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'') has already been done in the ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan comics as well as by Doc Ock in Sam Raimi’s ''Film/SpiderMan2''.
57	-->'''Dr. Octavius:''' Intelligence is not a privilege, it’s a gift. And you use it for the good of mankind.
58	** While this movie did it for longer and with better Special effects, both ''Film/SpiderMan2'' (when Peter changes into Spider-Man and swings away after seeing MJ with John Jameson) and ''Film/SpiderMan3'' (during Peter and Harry’s first fight, when he swings into an alleyway) also showed a first person POV of Spider-Man web-slinging.
59	** The movie also received some criticism for having Peter skateboard, pointing out how unrealistic it is for a nerd to skateboard. Peter Parker in various media has shown non-nerdy interests despite being a nerd. In the original comics he likes motorcycles and in ''Film/SpiderMan3'', he reveals he and Harry used to play basketball, though admittedly they weren’t very good but they still knew the basics (the [[MemeticMutation "Still got the moves"]] line comes from that scene).
60	* OneSceneWonder: Missy Kallenback, the nerdy girl with glasses who Peter protects from Flash. She literally only appears in two scenes, but it was enough to spawn her a fandom and a lot of EpilepticTrees. If only the credits had not named her, some would have theorized she was Carlie Cooper due to the strong resemblance.
61	** Best Creator/StanLee cameo ever! See HeadphonesEqualIsolation on the main page.
62	* QuestionableCasting: Casting a then 28-year-old Creator/AndrewGarfield to play a [[DawsonCasting high school teenager]] falls here for some. Creator/TobeyMaguire was about the same age when he was cast and that is rarely brought up (probably because Maguire's Spider-Man was a teenager for only the first third of the first film and old enough to go to college in the subsequent films), but it doesn't exactly help Andrew's case either. However, it can be forgiven; does he ''really'' [[http://healthyceleb.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Andrew-Garfield-height-weight-2.jpg look like he's 28]]??
63	* RetroactiveRecognition: Missy Kallenback is [[Series/DirkGentlysHolisticDetectiveAgency Amanda Brotzman]].
64	* RootingForTheEmpire: Surprisingly, some fans supported Dr. Connors' plan to turn all New Yorkers into lizard-people like him.
65	* RonTheDeathEater: Peter Parker himself got this, largely from fans of the previous trilogy of movies and MCU, where every mistake or negative action he performed was taken as evidence he was a horrible asshole who verbally abuses his poor aunt (note in the film itself, ''she'' was the one who shouted at ''him'', while all he did was beg her to go back to bed rather than see him covered in bruises). Bare in mind, Peter Parker is ''meant'' to make mistakes and cause problems for himself, but Andrew's Peter was the only live-action Peter to have it held against him.
66	* SpecialEffectFailure: The helicopter scene before taking off had a visible shadows of the camera crew.
67	* {{Squick}}:
68	** In the sewer scene, the Lizard throws himself and Spider-Man straight into the water. Spidey’s submerged long enough to nearly drown, has MASSIVE cuts in his torso from the Lizard’s claws, and there are chunky… ''things'' floating through the water. Spidey’s suit also has brown stains on it for the rest of the movie.
69	** Spidey accidentally pulling off Lizard's tail during the fight at the school. Then we're treated to a shot of the tail growing back...
70	* TrailerJokeDecay: Spidey's quip about the small knives to the would-be carjacker since nearly every trailer and commercial have included this bit.
71	* UnconvincinglyUnpopularCharacter: Throughout the duology, Creator/AndrewGarfield was criticized for making Peter Parker ''too'' cool. Even before getting his powers, he's shown to be attractive, athletic, smart, and friendly, making it hard to buy that he's a friendless loser.
72	* UnintentionallySympathetic: The group of bullies in the subway train were initially playing a prank on Peter (by balancing a bottle on his head while he was asleep), but Peter ends up [[ShamefulStrip stripping a woman nearby]], [[ComedicUnderwearExposure leaving her in a bra in the middle of a crowd]], an unfortunate side-effect of his Spider-Powers activating at the worst possible moment. This ends in a brawl which Peter wins. Problem is, as WebVideo/ScreenRantPitchMeetings pointed out, Peter (admittedly, unintentionally), ''sexually assaulted a random woman'' (who was just minding her own business) and is now beating up the men who are trying to defend her, and we are supposed to see them as a GangOfBullies picking on our lovable protagonist.
73	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
74	** The girl whose banner Flash accidentally ruins. She gets mad and accuses him of intentionally ruining it, and while he acts like a jerkass after she calls him out, she's painting her banner ''on a basketball court'' '''''during a game of basketball.'''''
75	** How some feel about Peter Parker for various reasons, [[NeverLiveItDown especially because of]] [[spoiler:his breaking his promise to Gwen's father before he dies about staying away from Gwen]].
76	** [[spoiler:Gwen is this as well for some for '''knowing''' this and yet still encouraging Peter to break said promise to her own deceased father. Even so, these people still don't look forward to the inevitable consequence for this to befall Gwen.]]
77	** And then there's a third camp who don't feel much sympathy for Captain Stacy himself in this situation. [[spoiler: He orders Peter to break his daughter's heart, regardless of her own feelings in the matter, because he doesn't want her put at risk.]] Except as Gwen rightly points out in the next movie, it's ''her'' choice to make and she could be at risk doing any number of things. Although still legally underage, Gwen is not a child and is old enough to work a prestigious job and understand the risks involved with having a father as a policeman, and so should have her own feelings considered in this. It's one thing to tell Peter he can't date her, but to stay away from her completely?
78	* VindicatedByHistory: With the hype surrounding the MCU beginning to die down and the need for everything to folded into an interconnected universe being replaced by a greater appreciation for standalone superhero films, many have revisited this entry with fresh eyes and come to appreciate it as a personal, human story in the guise of a superhero movie, exploring the ideas of responsibility with much greater depth and nuance than the previous installments and delving into the idea of parental abandonment. Many of the elements that were derided by fans that wanted a simple blockbuster have come to be appreciated as elements that make the film better than other superhero movies, like Peter's more complex characterization, his longer road to figuring out how to be a hero, and the clearer differentiation between true heroism and redemptive violence, all elements that the Raimi movies and MCU version lacks.
79	* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: One thing many agree on, the web swinging looks ''fantastic''. The shot where Spidey is wrapping the Lizard in a great layer of webs is a tad... conspicuous, however.
80	* WTHCostumingDepartment: Many, ''many'' people [[https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Famazingspiderman.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FSpider-Man_Suit&psig=AOvVaw2H2ToK43jkMT8a4x7xTuu5&ust=1652975256262000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCIDX1fWy6fcCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD question Peter's suit in this movie.]]
81	[[/folder]]
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83	[[folder:The Amazing Spider-Man tie-in video game]]
84	* BrokenBase:
85	** The casting of Creator/SamRiegel as Spider-Man, due to Andrew Garfield being unavailable. It doesn't really help that he's received a lot of flak for being TheOtherDarrin in [[VideoGame/{{Persona 4}} another]] [[VideoGame/Persona4Arena game]].
86	** The change in the suit from the one in the movie, with Beenox adding a utility belt to the ensemble. However the first time the player heads to Peter's apartment, they have the option of removing the belt from the suit, pleasing those who like both versions of the suit.
87	* HarsherInHindsight:
88	** In interviews promoting the game, Beenox pointed out they needed to get the film's producers approval on what elements & characters they used & referred to in the game, to avoid using anything planned for future films as the game was supposed to be canon to the film. ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' wound up using Rhino, Felicia Hardy and Alistair Smythe in the film, completely contradicting the use of those characters in the game.
89	** The primary plot of the game is that a virus created by Oscorp gets out of control and ravages New York City, forcing Spider Man to find a cure. ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' had the exact same storyline, but much more direct, actually showing casualties.
90	* HilariousInHindsight:
91	** The use of the "[[JediMindTrick These aren't the droids you're looking for]]" routine, considering Spider-Man & ''Franchise/StarWars'' are both owned by Disney as of late 2012.
92	** Stan Lee being a playable character with all the powers of Spider-Man is this when you consider that in the 2014 film ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6''. [[spoiler:Stan Lee cameos at the end of the movie, revealed to be a retired Superhero]].
93	** The inclusion of the costume from [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy the previous trilogy]] as an unlockable extra became this, after the first shots of Spidey's costume from ''Amazing Spider-Man 2'' revealed... that it's more or less replaced the costume from the first film.[[note]]"More or less," because the eyepieces & the [[ChestInsignia Spider insignia on the chest]] are different, and the webbing is black instead of the silver on the Raimi suit.[[/note]]
94	* MoralEventHorizon:
95	** Alistaire Smythe [[spoiler:injecting Spider-Man with a nannobot cocktail. This temporarily strips him of his powers. When Spider-Man was weakened, he tries to overkill him with the S-03 robot.]]
96	** Connors feels he crossed it with [[spoiler:Captain Stacy's murder from the movie]], but Spider-Man credits it as the Lizard's fault to console Connors.
97	* QuestionableCasting: Creator/SamRiegel as Spider-Man instead of Andrew Garfield since Tobey Maguire voiced Spidey in the three tie-in games based on [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy the trilogy he starred in]]. Note that some are noting that Riegel would actually make a rather good Spider-Man, if he wasn't standing in for the star of the movie. There's another camp who questioned why they didn't have fan favorite Spidey voice actor [[WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan Jo]][[VideoGame/SpiderManShatteredDimensions sh]] [[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Kea]][[VideoGame/SpiderManEdgeOfTime ton]] to reprise the role.
98	* SalvagedGameplayMechanic:
99	** The Wii nor 3DS got the WideOpenSandbox that was on the other versions, and most sources didn't really bother to point out the Wii version didn't have the Sandbox world. Around March, a UsefulNotes/WiiU version was released with the entire WideOpenSandbox and DLC packs already in the game.
100	* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: The general consensus is that while it's not an ''amazing'' game, it is a good one.
101	[[/folder]]

Context YMMV / TheAmazingSpiderMan