Giant Freakin Robot

Now that it’s official that Spider-Man is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, all that remains is for fans to wait until he shows up. But don’t worry, in the interim there will be plenty to talk about, including his age, race, whether or not they’re going to show his origin story (again), and much more. What we’ve heard is that he’ll show up first in Captain America: Civil War (which makes sense, he plays a part in that story arc and has a great moment we can’t wait to see on screen) and then get his own solo movie. There are still people out there who think Spidey will show up in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and while that seems highly unlikely, check out this video that inserts the web-slinger from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 into the latest Age of Ultron trailer.

The news just came out that Spider-Man is returning home and joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and there’s already talk of who might don that iconic suit and swing from building to building. Marvel doesn’t waste any time. The last two actors to play the role—Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire—were in their thirties (granted, Garfield looks like he’s about fifteen), but this time around their aiming for a much younger actor and take him back to high school. There will likely be tons of names floating around, but right now the top two on the list are Dylan O’Brien and Logan Lerman.

This report comes from Variety and indicates that both of the baby-faced actors have become candidates for the role, though they do also say that no one has actually been approached about it yet. Right now these are just a couple names being kicked around, and you have to imagine that, even if one of them does wind up with the part, there will be many more mentioned before this is all over.

Well this is big news, especially comic book fans, and more specifically than that, Marvel fans and those out there who have been underwhelmed by the last two Amazing Spider-Man movies. Marvel and Sony, who owns the rights to the fan-favorite web-slinger, have reached a deal that will allow Spidey to show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And there are even reports about where he’ll take his first bow.

Word of negotiations between the to studios leaked out late last year, giving fans hope, but last night Marvel officially announced that they’ve reached an agreement that will see maybe their most popular comic book character finally appear on screen opposite the likes of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and others.

You get the feeling that hiding somewhere in the 140-minute runtime of director Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 there’s a decent 90-minute movie. The problem is that, for every good moment, fantastic performance, and solid action scene, there are underdeveloped character and story elements, questionable CGI, and tepid melodrama. This causes the movie as a whole to come across as flat, dull eye candy, which never does enough to differentiate itself from either its predecessor or Sam Raimi’s earlier stab at the franchise. Not enough of what they try to do works, there’s no thematic continuity, and you walk away feeling like the filmmakers never decided what movie they wanted to show you.

Andrew Garfield proves once again that he was an excellent choice to play the new incarnation of the web-slinger and his civilian alter ego Peter Parker. Charming, earnest, and fun to watch, he embodies the duality of the character, capturing both the wisecracking teen, but also carrying the weight of his responsibility and the baggage he stows under all that spandex. People are going to hate the constant banter with the bad guys, but that’s a key part of Spidey’s shtick, and to be honest, that’s always been the most annoying trait of the comics. As the lead he’s easily the best part of the movie, but still not enough to save the day.

Saturday nights feature the worst TV programming of the week. Sometimes you’ll find a good marathon, or maybe a movie premiere on HBO, but it’s a graveyard for original programming. FOX, the company that will throw anything at a wall to see if it sticks, is trying to change that with its Animation Domination High Def, or ADHD, for those who are not into words.

But if you’re into pictures, and specifically moving pictures that feature Spider-Man’s dick a handful of times, then this “Scientifically Accurate Spider-Man” clip from the ADHD YouTube page will toot your Daily Bugle. The video is basically a rendition of the Spider-Man theme song where the lyrics tell an increasingly disturbing story about what the behavior and physical attributes of a real half-man, half-spider would be. See if you get caught in the ass-blasted web of hilarity below.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from MythBusters — aside from not to test-fire a cannon near a residential area — it’s that Hollywood tends to play fast and loose when it comes to science in the movies. Sure, it’s ridiculous to see a guy blown backwards through a window with a shotgun blast, but it just looks so damn cool. Still, the folks behind the movies do sometimes at least try to get things right, and that’s why they bring in people like Professor James Kakalios. He served as science consultant on The Amazing Spider-Man, and amongst his other duties, he invented a brand-new equation specifically for the film. Check it out.