Too-Cool Garfield as Spider-man and Disjointed Storyline Makes for Mixed Superhero Film

Rating: 6/10 (22 May 2014)

Stan Lee's original idea in the creation of Spider-man was to portray a typical teenage kid with all the navigation problems of someone of that age while also including a superhero alter-ego in the mix. Peter Park, who becomes Spider-man, was in his original conception an orphaned science wiz-kid who was bitten by a radioactive spider which gave him powers and abilities similar to those of a spider while still remaining a human being. Unfortunately, the present installments of "the Amazing Spider-man" on film with Andrew Garfield as Spider-man has changed much about what made Peter Parker a compelling character.
While Garfield is a relatively convincing actor playing roles 10 years younger than his real age, the studios have opted to re-invent Peter Parker as a cool hip late teen. Instead of the nerdy wiz kid of the 1960's and 70's, the new Parker looks more like the lead singer of the latest all-boy teen pop sensation. The problem with Garfield as Peter Parker is he's just too cool and good-looking. He dates the best-looking girl in school, who also happens to be the valedictorian, and sports perfect hair and complexion which were probably made possible by the make-up artists of Vogue Magazine. Peter Parker of the original never quite fit in as a teen in school, and his becoming Spider-man helped him act out a kind of fantasy which he couldn't as Peter Parker. I think the biggest problem I had with believing Garfield was Parker was that I didn't see why the best-looking male in school would need to don a costume and right wrongs. For the nerdy not perfect-looking Parker it makes more sense. For the way-too-cool Garfield who looks like Justin Bieber's older brother, I couldn't buy him as Peter Parker, the brilliant but geeky kid who wasn't popular. Garfield comes off as the not-so-brilliant but highly popular teen who would have a waiting list of girls who desire to date him.
Aside from the problem with casting, the current film has some interesting aspects and very confusing plot elements. The film begins with a flash-back of a couple we learn later were Peter Parker's true parents, Richard and Mary Parker. Richard has been engaged in some kind of top secret project which turns out to be both lucrative and very dangerous. Fast-forward to the present. Parker, now just graduated from high school, learns that his father and his boyhood friend Harry's father were both involved in research to foster regeneration through DNA found in spiders. Harry has now inherited his father's corporation, Oscorp, but also has inherited a degenerative disease. He comes to believe a transfusion of Spider-man's blood will offer him the regenerative abilities he needs to cure himself.
At the same time, at Oscorp, a lowly but brilliant technician through an accident, gains power through electricity, becoming one of Spider-man's archenemies, Electro. At first, the person who became Electro and Harry appear to be on good terms with Peter Parker. Eventually, they both become his adversaries. Intertwined through the story is the love affair between Parker and Gwen (Emma Stone). For some reason, I felt the love story aspect was allowed too much screen time, and the other plots about Harry and Electro were underdeveloped. The story becomes a kind of foursome, with Harry and Electro challenging Spider-man and in some ways his girl Gwen, who also works for Oscorp.
A decent but somewhat confusing story. Much screen-time is devoted to long action sequences and the love story, but the plot about the corporation and the secret research is underdeveloped and not explained thoroughly. While still relatively entertaining, the script probably needed about 2 or 3 more rewrites. Less Spider-man flying around and more about his father and the secret research. It kind of gets better as it goes along but I had many questions which were left unanswered by film's end.