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'The Amazing Spider-Man' Trailer Analysis & Breakdown

The second trailer reveals new plot points from the upcoming film.

The second trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man hit in the early hours of the morning and everyone's talking about it. It's curious that Sony/Columbia chose to unleash the trailer on the internet rather than have it debut during the Superbowl. Then again, with the anticipation this movie already has, they probably felt it wasn't necessary to pay millions for a time slot.

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While Sony has released an official synopsis of the movie that lays out what the story will be about, there are still some key points unveiled in the trailer. Watching the trailer a few times, it clearly shows us how this film will differ from the previous Spider-Man movies.

== TEASER ==

Captain George Stacy is Anti-Spider-Man

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In the comics, Captain Stacy was a fan of Spider-Man. He eventually discovers that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, the boy dating his daughter, Gwen. Despite the dangers of that relationship, he still approved of Spider-Man's actions.

It's a different story in the movie, at least in the beginning. He describes Spider-Man as wearing "a mask like an outlaw." He even later publicly issues an arrest warrant for "the masked vigilante known as Spider-Man." This is a big departure from the other films as this angle wasn't fully explored.

Flash Thompson is still a Bully

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Ah, the glory days of high school. No high school is complete without its share of bullies, unfortunately.

As Peter is deep in thought, he is brought back to reality when he receives a basketball to the back of the head courtesy of Flash Thompson. Thankfully I've never been hit by a basketball in the head but I imagine it wouldn't be fun. It looks like this must happen after he gains his spider-powers since he finally gives him a piece of his mind. But if you look carefully, you'll notice Peter has a different hood (how many hoodies does he own?) and Flash has a different top on as well.

Peter's Dad Was a Geneticist

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We know from the first trailer that Richard Parker was involved with genetics before his disappearance. His involvement at Oscorp allows for Peter to gain some of his research in becoming Spider-Man. We know Peter finds his old satchel which most likely has the design or formula for the web shooters and web fluid. Peter is a smart kid but to be able to create those as well as his advanced costume is a bit much to accept.

If Richard Parker was an employee of Oscorp, does that mean he and Mary weren't SHIELD agents? That's the assumption as to why they 'disappeared' when Peter was young, forcing him to be raised by Uncle Ben and Aunt May. It is possible he was still an agent in the research department and maybe he was supposed to try to infiltrate Oscorp or worked there before being recruited into SHIELD.

Peter is Really Smart

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Peter Parker is supposed to a really smart guy. That's something that was often overlooked over the years. He is able to come up with and solve a crazy formula that impressed Dr. Curt Connors.

What is this equation for? We know Connors turns into the Lizard. This must be what he and Richard were working on. Peter must have come up with the finishing touch that allows Curt to become the Lizard. Peter later tells Gwen that it's his fault, he created the Lizard.

The Lizard Unleashed

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The Lizard almost seems like an odd choice for the main villain of the movie. He is a classic villain. The idea of a man-sized lizard goes along with the old urban myth of giant-sized alligators living in the sewers after being flushed down the toilet.

We do get some glimpses of the Lizard in action and he doesn't look too bad (way better than Green Goblin's armor in the other first Spider-Man movie). The idea of a man mutating himself almost makes more sense than a guy gaining superpowers, wearing a goblin suit of armor and being able to fly around on an experimental glider.

Web Shooters

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The missing web shooters in the first movies was a decision some loved and others hated. If Peter gains spider-powers, being able to shoot webs naturally makes sense. We can accept that a young Peter Parker was intelligent enough to design and build them himself, while still in high school in the comics but when thrown on the big screen, it could be a stretch. It's likely that some of the idea behind them was thanks to his dad and that mysterious satchel.

What about that red light? When shooting webs, you see a little cloud of smoke pop out, as if it's from a pressurized device built into the shooters. There's also a red light that goes off. You would think that the light would give away his presence if he was deep in the shadows but then again, Spider-Man is able to move like lightning. It could be that the light tells him how much webbing he has left. It could start going off when he's getting low or gets brighter when he's swinging on "empty."

Spider-Man Captured

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You can't have a Spider-Man movie without him losing his mask. We know Captain Stacy is out to get him. We see several police officers in heavy gear surround him. Spider-Man is captured, handcuffed and has his mask removed. It's then that Spider-Man breaks out of the cuffs and jumps around, escaping from the police. It's possible he moved around so fast and because of the dark, no one gets a good look at his face. Perhaps this is when Captain Stacy finds out Spider-Man is really his daughter's boyfriend.

Peter's Dad Helped Create Spider-Man

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Because his dad was involved with genetics, it's almost fate that Peter becomes Spider-Man. In a flashback scene, we see a spider in a jar. Peter's dad was apparently very secretive and Connors mentions they were going to "change the lives of millions." Connors also says something about a "new species in New York" and it can be aggressive if threatened. As he says this, we see glimpses of the Lizard but it would make more sense if there was a new spider species in New York rather than a lizard.

We later see Peter deep in a lab as Connor's voice says, "If you want the truth Peter, come and get it." Could it be possible that Richard Parker might have experimented on his own son? When Connors says that line, it's almost as if he is aware Peter is Spider-Man. Peter's dad experimenting on him is unlikely and could be too much. It's better if Peter is working at the lab and is accidentally bitten by a crazy mutated spider.

Gwen Discovers Peter's Secret?

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There is a scene that looks like the Peter and Gwen are on a rooftop. They kiss and then Peter jumps off the roof, not in costume. Gwen then says, "I'm in trouble." This would be from the fact that her boyfriend is Spider-Man and her father has issued an arrest warrant for the vigilante. The two are later seen together with Peter in costume. This could be from Spider-Man saving Gwen but she appears to be looking him with something more than simple gratitude for saving her life.

What About Uncle Ben?

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Will Uncle Ben get killed in this movie? Is he the inspiration for Peter to become a hero? When Spider-Man is stopping a car thief, he cracks a joke. He doesn't come across as witty as he is in the comics but if his uncle was recently killed, I don't know if he'd be making jokes right away. Without his death, would Peter really learn about great power and great responsibility? Sorry Uncle Ben, you need to die.

It could be his part in helping to create the Lizard that motivates him to be a hero. This probably wouldn't be the case unless Connors is transformed earlier in the movie. Spider-Man has to be active as a "vigilante" in order to get Captain Stacy's attention.

Will we have another trailer before the movie is released? Will any more information be unveiled? We'll have to keep our eyes peeled to see if anything else is revealed about the movie.

Here's the trailer if you need to see it again.

128 Comments

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fodigg

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Edited By fodigg

@Chibi-Iroh said:

@fodigg: They aren't steampunk its called mechanism you know....somethings do still work off of small cog mechanisms. In no way does his web shooters look steampunk they actually look like a high school nerds attempt at making legit web shooters.

On that I have to disagree. I would not expect exposed cogs or clockwork at all for an advanced device like a webshooter. Furthermore, if your argument is that the youth of Parker implies that a "rigged" or generally unpolished appearance would be appropriate, I'd argue that highly complex and delicate clockwork is not the most effective way to portray that concept to the viewer.

Calling it "mechanism" does not change the fact that this particular type of mechanism (clockwork) is a part-and-parcel (other than steam itself) with the aesthetic of Steampunk. Furthermore I am not arguing "these are perfect examples of Steampunk devices," rather I am making a simple comparison between these devices and the general aesthetic of the Steampunk style--which I would not generally deem appropriate for an official Spider-Man production even though I appreciate it in many contexts--to express the sentiment, "fuck that clockwork shit."

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Catastrophic

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Edited By Catastrophic

@fodigg: Just save your breath from the other idiots and say that you don't like the designs because the gears seem out of place of the design. Like that, you can avoid having an argument on the definition on what is steampunk. End of story.

I hope they have a subplot in which in he focuses to a different character when in "Spiderman" mode. Peter Parker becomes depressed when Uncle Ben dies but forces himself to be be someone else when he's Spiderman. Maybe have a subplot where people can notice his character over the phone and know it's him but then he tries to act out all comedic just to further enhance the idea of having another personality, like an undercover cop. Would be an interesting explanation on why he becomes a wise cracking joker despite seeing the death of his uncle.

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Chibi-Iroh

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Edited By Chibi-Iroh

@fodigg: I mean he isn't rich and doesn't have resources to make them look like OSCORP professionally made them. I can see why they look like they do especially since the mechanism looks quite simple.

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fodigg

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Edited By fodigg

@Chibi-Iroh said:

@fodigg: I mean he isn't rich and doesn't have resources to make them look like OSCORP professionally made them. I can see why they look like they do especially since the mechanism looks quite simple.

A slingshot is simple, clockwork anything is fiendishly complex.

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Chibi-Iroh

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Edited By Chibi-Iroh

@fodigg: I don't know what kinda clock work you have looked at but not all clock work is complex. The design of the webshooters makes alot of sense considering Peter is a genius working with limited supplies and a simple design.

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spidermonkey2099

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Edited By spidermonkey2099

I am really looking forward to this film. I didn't like any of the previous Spider-Man films as they didn't seem to be Spider-Man to me. This film though appears to have gotten everything about Spider-Man's character right, imo. This is one of the many films I'm looking forward to this year, the others being The Dark Knight Rises, Avengers, and Joss Whedon's other two films coming out this year (Much Ado About Nothing and Cabin in the Woods).

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fodigg

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Edited By fodigg

@Chibi-Iroh said:

@fodigg: I don't know what kinda clock work you have looked at but not all clock work is complex. The design of the webshooters makes alot of sense considering Peter is a genius working with limited supplies and a simple design.

I'll concede that if you can explain to me how the clockwork in the webshooter works. If it's not readily apparent from the photo (and it's won't be, because it's all decorative nonsense) then I don't see how you can defensibly call it "simple."

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Chibi-Iroh

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Edited By Chibi-Iroh

@fodigg: Are you serious? What do you expect them to look like? The kid is a professional scientist its not like he is the technology or resources to make something that looks high tech.

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feargalr

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Edited By feargalr

Im real pumped for this, I have been since the last trailer. I hope they don't kill off Gwen till the second movie, give the viewers some time to like her character and what not, that way if/when they do kill her it'll be like OMFG etc..

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fodigg

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Edited By fodigg

@Chibi-Iroh said:

@fodigg: Are you serious? What do you expect them to look like? The kid is a professional scientist its not like he is the technology or resources to make something that looks high tech.

If he can crack open and use the parts from an old-timey watch--possibly hundreds of watches to get the exact gears he needs--why is it ridiculous to you that he couldn't crack open a cellphone and use parts from that? Furthermore, what does he even need the clockwork for anyway? If we're assuming (from the puffs of smoke) that it operates based on compressed gas, why would he need those cogs? You don't see that crap on a paintball gun. It is a purely stylistic decision to include them, and is one that I disagree with because it's silly. And it doesn't get any more sensible by saying "but it's all he had on-hand," because that's ludicrous.

Edit: and that's the last I think I'll be saying on the matter cause at this point we're just derailing the thread.

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King Quisling

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Edited By King Quisling

@fodigg: Ah my apologies. I misread. Thought you said "SHOULD be steampunk." Results of skimming.

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Chibi-Iroh

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Edited By Chibi-Iroh

@fodigg: Trigger

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Katorga12

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Edited By Katorga12

i think this one will be better

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Chevaliere

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Edited By Chevaliere

GWAAAAH!!!!  Denis Leary is Gwen Stacy's dad. He'll be way better than the dad from the other movie (I know and I don't care!).

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LoganRogue24

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Edited By LoganRogue24

looks pretty good.

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Mega_spidey01

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Edited By Mega_spidey01

the trailer looks awesome ! reminds me of ultimate spider-man mix with amazing. this should be a good movie along with avengers and dark knight rises .

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SavageDragon

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Edited By SavageDragon

really excited for this. I love spidey and personally even though i really liked spidermn 1 and 2 i was never a fan of tobey macguire as peter/spidey he just wasnt funny or dynamic enough in my opinion

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GREGalicious

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Edited By GREGalicious

It looks to be a good movie. Better than the original films (omitting the mediocre but still enjoyable 3rd), I dunno, but i'll settle for as good as. I don't think it'll be better than THE AVENGERS though.

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taratabet

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Edited By taratabet

The new spiderman costume looks more good.

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Doctor!!!!!

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Edited By Doctor!!!!!

Soory Uncle Ben... YOU NEED TO DIE!!!

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Dahaka

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Edited By Dahaka

I can't wait until the premier...

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huser

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Edited By huser

@ArturoCalaKayVee said:

For Peter to become a TRUE hero, Uncle Ben NEEDS to die. Him dying is the pivotal moment in Spider-Man's career launch. Not killing him would completely change the Spider-Man mythos.

I don't know, becoming a hero without needing a personal tragedy to inspire you seems MORE heroic not less. Heck, I'd love it if they didn't or waited to a later part of Parker's life, such as after Gwen Stacy's death....showing that whether he's Spider-man or not, tragedy can happen.

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SilverZeo

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Edited By SilverZeo

From what I seen in the trailer, it going to be the first movie, with some small elements from Batman and the Hulk movies... why is Spider-Man is getting rebooted after 1 "bad" movie while X-Men is still going on with at least "2" bad ones?

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Strider1992

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Edited By Strider1992

I'm a little disappointed with the Lizard design I was hoping for something less human and a bit more reptilian like this:

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Apart from that it looks like its going to be good.

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Acharya77

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Edited By Acharya77

Are there any scenes of Spidey that take place in broad daylight?

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IronFist19

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Edited By IronFist19

Hi, im from México..

And i think that this woul be a darkest, but an excelent movie.

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Strider1992

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Edited By Strider1992

@IronFist19: Welcome to the Vine

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Funrush

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Edited By Funrush

Um, I've only read the first two dozen "Amazing" books, but does Flash ever physically bully Peter? From those issues I've read, all he does is verbally bully him.