Much Hyped ‘Life of Pi’ Trailer Here…

UK Release Date: 21st December 2012.

Stars: Ang Lee (director), Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tobey Maguire, Gerard Depardieu.

Plot: The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper’s son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.

Life of Pi is an upcoming fantasy adventure film based on the award winning novel written by Yann Martel which is also the character that Tobey Maguire will be playing in this film but this is just one of the things that confuses me about this trailer.

There is lots to enjoy really if you’re into animals perhaps; I mean there is a zebra, a tiger, a whale, meerkats and more so that’s good I guess? I think the problem with this trailer is that it is made for people who have read the book. I have not read it. Therefore I am left confused by the trailer and to be honest I think by next week I will have forgotten all about it. However, upon reading people’s opinions over the internet there does seem to be an air of positive feeling and anticipation surrounding the film from fans of the original book. Unfortunately, the movie industry is worth a hell of a lot more money than the world of literature so if you’re going to make a big budget film based on a book you have to make it appeal to everyone, not just the readers of that book or else that’s one huge loss you’ll be making.

Footage of this film was shown at CinemaCon and went down really well as one of the highlights of the event so there must be something to it. Unfortunately I don’t have the slightest interest in this film at the minute; the trailer was boring, it wasn’t very good and didn’t peak my interest in the slightest. Who knows, maybe I’ll read the book and come to understand the trailer more but for now that’s what I think.

[Review] The Amazing Spider-Man

When The Amazing Spider-Man was announced there was a mixture of uproar and confusion among audiences. After all, Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire’s trilogy had only ended in 2007 and Spider-Man 3 became the highest grossing movie of that franchise so why start from scratch again, why not continue? Everyone had an opinion on whether it should be rebooted or not but one thing was guarantee; whether it was Spider-Man 4 or The Amazing Spider-Man people were going to see it because Spider-Man is one of the most popular superheroes in the world. I will only make one comparison between The Amazing Spider-Man and the trilogy of the last decade and it is this:

Things that are better in The Amazing Spider-Man than in Sam Raimi’s trilogy: EVERYTHING.

Andrew Garfield takes on the role of teenager Peter Parker who after being bitten by a spider… blah blah blah. Everyone knows the story, so what is different here? This time Peter Parker is looking to try and find out who he is, why his parents disappeared when Peter was just a child, what work his father was working on that was kept so secret. All the time, trying to come to terms with his new abilities and manage a love life with the beautiful Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), avoid being captured by the head of New York Police who just so happens to be Gwen Stacy’s father (Denis Leary) and eventually saving New York from a huge giant Lizard, or Dr Curt Connors, if you would prefer, (Rhys Ifans). So really, he’s got it easy.

Andrew Garfield in the lead role is superb. A genuine fan of Spider-Man since he was a kid and it shows in the charisma and life he brings to the troubled teenager on screen; he carries a great emotional range and the one liners and witty remarks are delivered perfectly. The chemistry with his co-star Emma Stone is there for all to see and she puts in a performance to rival that of Garfield’s. The lead duo are supported excellently by Rhys Ifans, a man born to play villains. But my favourite performance of The Amazing Spider-Man is from Michael Sheen as Uncle Ben, really really fantastic!

The Amazing Spider-Man is visually wonderful and I really would not have expected anything less from director Marc Webb. A lot of trust was put in Webb with this being only his second ever film and his first on a big budget but he proved with (500) Days of Summer that he has a great talent for capturing great performances, stunning visuals and examining relationships.

Despite this being a clear superhero comic book movie film, the superhero antics seem to take a back seat and we are allowed to delve deeper into the characters. Peter Parker is clearly a conflicted guy who has grown up having a troubled life which isn’t about to get any easier and the relationships he forms with his Uncle and Aunt are really well written, his relationship with Gwen Stacy (a vital part of Spider-Man history in the comic books) is dealt with wonderfully and with a huge deal of respect. You get a real sense that all of these characters are believable in their motivations, their friendships, their triumphs and short comings.

The Amazing Spider-Man doesn’t quite match up to The Avengers and probably won’t beat The Dark Knight Rises either but what we have here is proof that they were right to reboot the Spider-Man series. Seeing Andrew Garfield as the wise-cracking friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is a treat that everyone should witness.

My Rating: 9/10