The Amazing Spider-Man Review

                                                                     

The Amazing Spider-Man is a retelling of Stan Lee’s classic comic book franchise. When it was first made clear by the original news and trailers that it is a reboot, I must admit, my initial reaction was one full of disappointment that I would have to sit through another 2 hours of a story I was told a decade ago via Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.

The idea in starting from the beginning of Peter Parker’s (Andrew Garfield) tale, however, is a respectable one. Sony was so displeased with the direction the last trilogy took, they wanted to cut ties completely, and a complete overhaul was the only way.

   
The movie plays out much the same as the original, the radioactive spider bite, Uncle Ben’s (Martin Sheen) death, Peter seeking revenge, and on the way becoming Spider-Man, etc. What separates the Amazing Spider-Man, however, are the intricacies. 

   
Probably the best change is that Peter Parker is actually a scientist. He develops his own webbing, using the classic web shooters. He does research to create his costume, basing it around the spandex that professional athletes. And the list goes on to the point where one gets the sense he is actually passionate about science.

   
Peter’s love for science plays a rather large part in the overall plot of the movie, too. After impressing Dr. Connors, he is invited to the Oscorp tower, wherein he helps further research that is important to the story. To keep from spoiling the movie, though, I will leave it at that.

Becoming a “superhero” does not entirely change who Peter Parker is as a character. He still caries all the insecurities that come with being a high-school teenager. He stalls, stutters, and stumbles over words, when talking to his crush Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone), and makes her the screen saver for his computer. (More to say about Gwen later...) Yet it is when he puts the Spider-Man costume on, added with his newfound abilities, that he gains the confidence to trash-talk, like the character is known for.

  
(...Back to Gwen) Luckily for both the character and the sake of the viewers, Peter’s  crush is not unshared; Gwen likes Peter, as he likes her and, too, has her uncomfortably shy moments, like when she invites him to dinner. Emma and Andrew work well together to say the least and are very much a high point of this film.

   
Many people have said that the Amazing Spider-Man is a darker take on the franchise than what Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. I think “more serious” is more of an appropriate term, however. It lacks some of the humorous moments that the last trilogy had, i.e. when Peter was trying to figure out how to use his webbing, but replaces those moments with Peter’s aforementioned trash-talk and his and Gwen’s lighthearted crush. People should not at all make the mistake thinking this is “dark” like Batman: The Dark Knight, though.

   
In closing, I am thinking there is not too much bad I can really say about it. The Lizard is certainly not the most intriguing of villains, but outside of the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, and Venom, Spider-Man does not have very many interesting bad guys. Aside from anything minor, I think it is an absolute upgrade over the last 3 movies and definitely one to watch.