The Flavor of the Original

Rating: 8/10 (5 May 2014)

I am just back from the movie, and a little amazed at some of the so-so reviews. Based on those, I was expecting the movie to be unfocused and wandering, and Gwen Stacy to be marginalized as a character.
Did those critics even see the same movie? The thematic plot was all about Spiderman and Gwen Stacy, in the episodic form of the original creation. One critic claimed that Peter's wry, subtle joke from the first movie, to the effect that the best promises are those you can't keep, was ignored in this movie. This simply missed the point entirely. The drama is consumed with Peter's conflict between his affection for Gwen, and the danger to which he is exposing her. It's actually rather tightly focused.
It is also true to one of the major themes of the original, the media controversy over Spiderman's character (hero or villain?) But most of all, the screenplay manages to capture the considerable wit and badinage of the characters as they first appeared in the 60's.
Need I add it was visually spectacular? All in all, a really nice achievement.