The Amazing Spider-Man

Even though it may feel like this year’s Con didn’t feature the same kind of huge buzz-building Superhero convention events as have been seen in other years, Spider-Man at least took things seriously and made a splash, following the release of the much-discussed first trailer.

First, it all started with a touching moment…

The panel then rolled along with the typical Q&A and footage presentation, which seemed to have included a dense batch of footage. Footage of Uncle Ben, Peter, and Gwen Stacey talking awkwardly, bullying, fighting, Peter discovering his new strength, playing with a criminal using his web-shooters, a bit of (very serious) Denis Leary, and some unfinished looks at Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors.

You’re probably interested in the look of the Lizard, which was shown towards the end…

Germain at /Film

“In the footage that first revealed the look of The Lizard, he comes up from the sewer through a toilet in a girl’s bathroom to scare a couple of young girls. His look is best described as Killer Croc meets Venon but the size of the Hulk. He’s huge, with a flat face and long tongue, and really detailed dark green, reptile scales.”

Mike at JoBlo

“It’s a strange scene; on the one hand it’s somewhat cartoony, on the other hand, it’s definitely filled with a certain perversity. As for the character himself, I wasn’t completely sold. It’s most likely nowhere near finished, but it looked pretty close. I’ll reserve judgment until we see more, however.”

Again, there are rundowns in several places, but the most common reaction from the footage seemed to be guarded optimism. I didn’t notice a single bit of coverage that was bowled over or had their opinions changed by the presentation, though many did walk away with an appreciation for Garfield’s enthusiasm, and the impression that this will be something more than a Nolanized reboot.

Drew at HitFix

“…what really did it for me was seeing the wise-cracking fast-talking Spidey, the one I’ve never seen in a film before.  Garfield is just plain funny as Spider-Man.  He uses it to annoy his opponents, and it’s also a nervous thing, a way of dealing with the things he’s facing.  It’s playful.  It’s not dour at all.  And it’s the Spider-Man that I always wanted from the Raimi films.”

There are others that noted director Marc Webb’s deftness at handling romantic tone is definitely present in the scenes between Peter and Gwen, and that the overall playfulness is fresh. So even if no one is convinced this back-to-origin reboot is entirely necessary, it seems clear the film will have something new to offer.

Also, you may have heard about a perturbed Rhys Ifan’s not saying much during the panel and perhaps being arrested, but it looks like he really just got a stern talking to from Comic Con security. While never “arrested” he seems he was “detained.” Super hard-core rockstar behavior, that.

Knights of Badassdom

Appropriately enough, it is a film about LARPing and cosplay that held one of the panels with the best response, as Wrong Turn 2 director Joe Lynch delighted folks with his natural geekiness. Footage was shown at the panel, and it’s supposedly quite funny, but for now the rest of us must settle with the trailer (via DarkHorizons)…

I can’t say I’m particularly excited by the trailer, which is filled with pretty easy nerd excitement humor, awkwardly embedded cute girls, and a general cheapness (though that does become the subject matter). If the charm of the characters and the strength of the dynamics between them is present in actual footage though, I’ll be pleased to catch the film.

There are a couple of cool facts they discussed at the panel that might excite some folks though…

Angie at /Film

” – …Lynch worked with Guillermo del Toro‘s Spectral Motion for some of the visual effects. During the panel, Kwanten revealed that the creature they’d created was “a 14-foot succubus.”

…Heavy metal clearly played a huge part in the film. The clip described above was set to music by the heavy metal band Manowar, and during the panel, Lynch asserted, “We need more heavy metal in this world.” Lynch described Bear McCreary‘s score as “heavy metal orchestra.”

There’s still more fallout from the Con to cover, so keep your eyes peeled….