Prometheus VS The Amazing Spiderman - 2012 Summer Blockbuster Stand-Off - Best Reboot, Prequel or Squeakquel.

So, the polls have closed and with an overwhelming majority (I hugely exaggerate this), the winner you voted in for Best Villain Who Is Not A CGI Transformers Reject was Charlize Theron as Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman. She wasn't my winning choice but you're right, she was amazing!
 

 
Anyway, onto our second award now for the 2012 Summer Blockbuster Stand-Off. In an industry that seems on the whole to no longer give a toss about originality, this award is for the Best Reboot, Prequel or Squeakquel. Unfortunately, neither Alvin nor the Chipmunks released a new film this summer so instead, first up is Prometheus, which was easily one of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2012. For fans of the Alien films or just sci-fi in general, Ridley Scotts' return to the universe he helped create was just wet-your-pants-and-have-to-buy-a-mop exciting, made all the more thrilling by perhaps one of the best trailers I have seen in years.  

 

Now, I've read a number of reviews for Prometheus and yes, there is a lot of disappointment out there. The main gripes seems to be that Prometheus wasn't as scary as Alien, that the action wasn't as good as in Aliens, that blah blah blah. How ridiculous! Prometheus was never supposed to be another entry into the Alien series. Scott always said from the beginning that the plan was to expand the Alien universe but with a film that stood very much on its own merit and Prometheus does exactly that.

Sure, there are parts of the plot which seem muddled or are difficult to explain at the moment - why did the virus affect people in different ways? why is David mental? why can't Noomi Rapace stick to one accent? - but with a sequel rumoured to be in the pipeline, I'm sure most of these mysteries will be explained and besides, I enjoyed trying to figure it all out myself. Prometheus is thought-provoking mainstream cinema at its best but still manages to remain exciting throughout. I doubt that anyone who watched this film did not even slightly squirm or freak out when the protagonist Shaw performed surgery on herself to extract the alien. I can't remember the last time I was so tense watching a film.
 

And how epic and beautiful was that opening scene with the Engineers?

And finally, if you're still not sure about Prometheus, then just consider Michael Fassbenders' performance as the android David. Genuinely eerie, Fassbender elevated what could have been a generic sci-fi character into an Oscar-worthy performance that completely stole the film (although I still love you Charlize!). Check out this viral video introducing David that Scott created to advertise and expand upon the film. Youtube the others as well, they're all worth a watch.

 

Ok, so on the other end of the spectrum for Best Reboot, Prequel or Squeakquel is the new version of Spiderman. Like many people, I was very sceptical when I first heard that Spiderman would be rebooted, as it had not been long since the original trilogy ended on the horrendous note that was Spiderman 3. Man that was awful. Especially when Tobey Maguire tried to be a sexy bad boy EURGH!

 

 

 

But then I heard who had been cast in the main roles of Peter and Gwen Stacy.

 

 

Thank God for Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Finally, we have a Spiderman who is cute and relatable but still perfectly sums up the essence of the awkward Peter Parker we see in the comics. And Emma Stone! She can literally do no wrong. The two had great chemistry, partly I'm sure due to their real-life romance, and the best scenes in the whole film turned out to be the authentic conversations they both shared as they got to know each other.  

 

 

Ok, I know The Amazing Spiderman wasn't perfect though. The Lizard was somewhat of a let down and I absolutely hated the overly sentimental scenes where the general public helped Spidey out in his time of need...damn you crane operators!

 

 

However, what I ultimately loved about this film was that it was just fun, like a summer blockbuster should be. Sure, it had some darker moments, revolving particularly around the new and improved Uncle Ben and Aunt May (i.e. they actually had personality), but the wisecracks Spidey made brought a smile to this fanboys face. As I've mentioned in another post, The Amazing Spiderman also featured by far the best Stan Lee cameo I've ever seen in a Marvel film. See it again here (but sorry once more about the quality, best I could find).

 





 

So the choice is yours. In one corner, you have the sci-fi cerebral prequel that is Prometheus and in the other corner, you have the energetic and attractive... I mean charismatic Amazing Spiderman. So who wins the award for Best Reboot, Prequel or Squeakquel?

 

  



 

You decide! Comment below if you agree or disagree with my choices and vote in the poll. Results will be revealed before the end of the week. Nuff said.