The Amazing Spider-Man
When the news broke that the Spider-Man franchise was about to be rebooted, we don’t think there was one person who thought it a bad idea. After the shambolic shenanigans of Spider-Man 3, it’s fair to say that it was time for some fresh ideas for our favorite web-slinging superhero.
To add the cherry to the cake, Andrew Garfield was cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, which appeared to be inspired casting decisions, while Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) signed on to direct. Regrettably, that’s pretty much where the good news ended.
Despite offering us a live-action Lizard and exploring Peter’s relationship with Gwen, 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man didn’t live up to its full potential at all, falling into the trap of becoming another origin tale where half the movie is about Uncle Ben’s death. While it’s arguably a better film than its successor, 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it never delivered on its initial promise to kick-start the Spidey 2.0 universe.
Punisher: War Zone
Full disclosure: we liked 2008’s Punisher: War Zone. In many ways, it was way ahead of its time, offering us an R-rated comic book film that never shied away from its bloody roots. If you think about it, the forthcoming Netflix Punisher series is just this project in another guise.
Nonetheless, the rest of the world didn’t agree with our opinion. It also probably didn’t help that director Lexi Alexander’s vision had to compete with Iron Man and The Dark Knight that year – arguably two of the finest comic book movies of any era – and the film proved difficult to market since it focused on ultra-violence and adult themes.
In the years since its release, Punisher: War Zone has become something of a cult classic and a mandatory addition to your film collection. That said, it could do nothing to change Frank Castle’s woeful big-screen adventures to date.