The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Based on the comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, this film is perhaps one of the best adaptations of Spider-Man to be released thus far. I appreciate that for the uninitiated, there seem to be far too many reboots of the character and the story, but most of these are due to the film rights being passed around from studio to studio - at a time when Marvel weren’t making their own films yet - before reverting back to Marvel Studios, allowing them to incorporate their own character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe at last.

And yes, before you ask, this film is another origin story (at least we weren’t subjected to that once Spider-Man entered the MCU, I guess Marvel came to the conclusion that audiences were well aware of Peter Parker’s transformation by then). But I must say, as a long-time reader of the comics - Spider-Man is by far my favourite Marvel character, and has been since the late 1980s - this is certainly the most accurate origin story of the character. In fact, even the title of the film is testament to that: the first appearance of the character was in The Amazing Spider-Man.

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is a high-school senior in New York. Living in Queens with his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field) - since his parents died in a plane crash when he was very young) - he is your average nerd. Terrorised by the school bully, awkward around girls, especially the girl he has admired from afar for years, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), the list goes on.

Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field).

After being bitten by a genetically-enhanced spider, he begins to take on some spider-like qualities, specifically much more acute senses and an ability to climb walls. Yes, I know you probably already know this, but what you may not know is that - as far as the comics are concerned - he never had the ability to shoot webs. Rather, his webs were shot from electronics mounted to his wrists - a fact which this film has accurately portrayed.

Of course, you can’t have a Spider-Man movie without a formidable villain, and this film delivers there, too. Dr. Curtis Connors (Rhys Ifans), a researcher working in Oscorp Tower, who has been trying to crack cross-species genetics for years, comes to a breakthrough (partly with Peter’s help). Any comic readers out there can probably name the villain already. For the rest of you, it’s The Lizard, a half-man, half-lizard creature with super strength and claws that look like they would cause some pretty serious damage.

Peter’s admiration for Dr. Connors, and his hatred for The Lizard, are essentially what creates the majority of the tension in this film. The rest comes from his developing on-again, off-again relationship with Gwen Stacy (once again, they’ve nailed this; Peter’s first girlfriend in the comics was always Gwen, I’ve no idea what possessed the writers of the first Spider-Man movie to make MJ his first love).

I’ll leave the rest of the plot for you to discover for yourself, especially if you haven’t seen the film yet.

Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield).

The screenplay - by James Vanderbilt and Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves - is as close to perfect as a comic-book adaptation can be, certainly at the time this film was released. As I have already discussed, many of the events, characters and situations in this film are lifted straight from the pages of the original comics, much more than any other Spider-Man movie had been previously. The characters are all accurate to the books, and with plenty of additional conflicts - internal and external - thrown in to flesh out the film.

James Horner’s score is brilliantly constructed, and perfectly suited to the on-screen action throughout. It is at the same time suitably epic and also sufficiently understated when required. At no point does the music dominate or overshadow the action. As you might expect if you are familiar with Horner’s previous work, the score is exclusively orchestral, and the arrangements are very well realised.

Thanks to the cinematography of John Schwartzman, significant portions of the film look as though they have been lifted straight from the pages of a comic book. There is decent use of light and dark which, while it may not win any major awards, is certainly sufficient for the subject matter.

The performances of the cast are equally decent. While not particularly inspirational at any point, they are certainly well-suited to their respective roles. Garfield is an adequate Peter Parker (though the mantle of the best has since gone to Tom Holland of the MCU), and Stone is by far the best on-screen Gwen Stacy to date.

Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).

The supporting cast are also adequate enough. In selecting a standout among the supporting cast, I can’t go past Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors. He brings real heart to the character and, conversely, portrays The Lizard with just the right level of impending threat.

I would certainly recommend this film to fans of Spider-Man, though I suspect finding a fan who hasn’t seen this film yet might prove difficult. I would even recommend this film to anyone who didn’t enjoy the trilogy that preceded it, asking you to give the character another chance.

Director Marc Webb has made an incredible adaptation here, one that would only be outdone by its sequel two years later (which I shall be reviewing in due course).

8 out of 10.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Loosely based on the novel 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad, Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War is just as confronting and chilling as ever, even after more than forty years.

Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is sent up the river with a small band of soldiers to find and 'apprehend' Colonel Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has been ignoring orders for too long and turned rogue, killing innocent civilians and fellow soldiers alike.

Willard is uncertain throughout the film of whether he will be able to complete his mission, which ultimately entails having to kill Kurtz. He feels that if he is to succeed, he will become as evil as Kurtz himself. But at the same time, he cannot bring himself to disobey a direct order from a superior officer.

Along the journey up the river, he comes across numerous other battalions, all with their own missions as part of the ongoing war. Among these is Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall), another soldier who seems to be using his authority to rule a little more severely than perhaps he ought. In fact, the film is made up of many little vignettes, or episodes, as Willard goes further and further into darkness on the way to the mission's ultimate conclusion.

Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall).

The screenplay, by John Milius and Francis Ford Coppola, as mentioned above, is based loosely on Conrad's novel. The novel of course has nothing to do with the Vietnam War, having been written during the Victorian era. It is, however, a story about a man going through episode after episode as he descends further into darkness on the way to his ultimate goal. Coppola saw in this strong parallels to the American involvement in the Vietnam War, and so cleverly created this film, a film that took years of his life - and his family's life, as they moved with him to film it - and nearly killed him in the process; there were certainly several obstacles along the way that meant the film nearly never saw the light of day as art began to imitate life, and Coppola found himself sinking deeper and deeper into a darkness of his own.

The score - by Carmine Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola - is rather minimal actually, hardly taking any attention away from the on-screen action. In fact, for the film's two-and-a-half-hour running time, it doesn't feel like there is more than fifteen minutes that is scored. There may be more, but there is far too much happening on screen to notice, and there are significant lengths of time between sections that are scored, something which unfortunately one doesn't see as much in more modern films that feel significantly overscored. And when there is music, it is absolutely perfect.

It is definitely Vittoria Storaro's cinematography that makes this film what it is. The shots of landscape throughout are absolutely stunning, and the use of light and dark for strong contrast is incredible. For significant portions of the film, characters are lit on only one side of their face, with half in shadow, giving a fascinating insight into the characters involved, as though showing the light and dark that is inside every human being, the capacity for both good and evil. This is something one finds in all the best literature throughout history, and it is ever-present in this film, something that almost certainly speaks to the film's continued significance today.

Capt. Willard (Martin Sheen) contemplating the magnitude of his mission.

Speaking of which, there is another interesting feature of Coppola's framing in some of the most significant scenes of this film. Whenever there are incredibly intense conversations taking place between characters - especially between soldiers when one is in a position of authority over the other - the one in authority is actually shot looking into the camera, which brings the viewer into the scene in an almost complicit sense. This is slightly unsettling the first time it happens, and positively uncomfortable and chilling by the last time it happens. I don't believe one can watch this film and still believe by the end that war is a good idea (not that I ever did, but still).

The performances of the entire cast are brilliant, too. Martin Sheen is the obvious standout throughout, as we see his descent further and further into the darkness that is all around him, and he portrays this with incredible skill. It is especially significant when one realises the film was probably shot - as most are - out of sequence, meaning his 'level of descent' for want of a better term would have been different at every moment, but he does this so well.

Marlon Brando's portrayal of the unhinged Kurtz is chilling, and incredibly good. He plays the role in such an understated way as to make it even more uncomfortable.

Col. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) has become unhinged, and power has gone to his head.

Dennis Hopper appears as a photojournalist - sadly only in the last thirty minutes or so of the film - and does a great job of this. His character is quite complex actually, but his commitment to the reality of his character is quite incredible.

Coppola has made an absolutely stunning film here that at its heart is an in-depth study of the human heart and the human condition. Despite its age, it still has so much to say to audiences of today, and for this reason, will probably continue to move and confront audiences for many years to come.

9 1/2 out of 10.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Inspired by a true story, and based on the tell-all book by Frank W. Abagnale and Stan Redding, this film tells the remarkable story of the youngest person to ever make it onto the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.

Frank W. Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) lives in a small suburb of New York, with his father Frank Sr. (Christopher Walken) and French-immigrant-mother Paula (Nathalie Baye). His life is relatively happy, until he returns from school one day to an ultimatum: his parents are getting a divorce and he must choose which parent he wants to live with from now on.

Rather than making a decision, he runs away, and begins to support himself with the assistance of a slew of bad cheques, until he decides to pose as an Pan-Am airline pilot.

Using the practice of 'deadheading' (a term in air travel for a pilot who flies on an aircraft in a 'spare' seat (not actually piloting the aircraft, but 'hitchhiking' in a sense), he flies all over the country, and even internationally, though never with Pan-Am itself, for fear they will clock his fraudulent ID badge.

After he has enough of flying, and all while contiuning to cash fraudulent cheques, he settles for a time in Georgia, where he poses as a paediatrician, and winds up supervising the night shift in the emergency ward of a hospital, where he meets young candy-striper Brenda Strong (Amy Adams).

The two become engaged, and Frank then begins working for Brenda's father Roger (Martin Sheen) in his law firm as an assistant prosecutor (having successfully passed the bar exam in the state of Louisiana).

All through his exploits, he is relentlessly pursued by FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who works in the bank fraud department. There are a few near misses for Hanratty, moments where he comes so close to capturing Abagnale, but only to have him slip away yet again.

The screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, from Abagnale's book, is reasonably well written, with plenty of action, and plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. Of course, most of these twists are taken from the book, rather than being of Nathanson's invention; Abagnale's life was filled with twists. There are a few minor alterations from the book to the script, but these are nowhere near significant enough to affect the plot of the film greatly (these are just things I happen to know, having followed Abagnale's story since hearing him speak a little over twenty years ago).

John Williams's music is fantastic (but when has John Williams ever written a bad score?), with a repeated leitmotif throughout the film that, while appearing simple in its construction, is anything but, particularly as it recurs throughout the film in different arrangements and with modified instrumentation at each occurrence.

One of the strongest elements of this film, however, is the cinematography. Janusz Kaminski has an incredible touch when it comes to his use of light and dark, and particularly the use of shadow. There are many sequences which take place in almost total darkness, which give these moments a film-noir feel, and highlight particular elements exceptionally well. I refer primarily to the scenes set in the French prison (nothing more about that here; I don't want to spoil the film for you).

Jeannine Oppewall's production design and Mary Zophres's gorgeous costumes both set the scene perfectly, and particularly ground us in the world of the 1960s when most of the film takes place.

The performances of the cast are also fantastic, particularly those of DiCaprio and Hanks, as the two opposing forces who continue to be forced together by fate. An honourable mention must also go to Christopher Walken who, as always, is brilliant in his performance, bringing so much life to his character, but doing so in the most subtly beautiful way.

Director Steven Spielberg has made a wonderful thrill-ride of a film here that, though I may be biased due to my fascination with Abagnale's exploits, is a film I always enjoy watching. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you check it out at your earliest opportunity.

8 1/2 out of 10.