A sublime superhero film with its heart in the right place!

Rating: 10/10 (3 July 2012)

The new Spider-Man is truly amazing! One would ideally give the verdict in the latter half of the review, but I'd rather say it right at the beginning.
What a great year it is turning out to be for fans of superhero franchises! First we had 'The Avengers', now we get 'The Amazing Spider- Man' and July 20 shall see the final chapter of Chris Nolan's Batman "rise"!
A reboot and prequel of sorts, it is inevitable that most of us compare Mark Webb's Spider-Man to the previous Spider-Man trilogy directed by Sam Raimi, starring Tobery Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Is it as good as Raimi's 'Spider-Man' which came out about 10 years back in 2002? How similar, different or better is it?
The basic plot of Webb's reboot stays the same so don't go expecting major novelty in the first half.
A young Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds himself lonely and attracted to classmate Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). His friends bully him while as caretakers; aunt and uncle expect him to be more responsible. Amidst all this, a spider bits him, turning Peter Parker into Spider- Man, a helpful vigilante.
Webb however modifies Peter's character traits and makes him more interesting, intriguing, even a tad immature. He has no qualms in declaring that he is not morally obligated or responsible to make everyone happy. Unlike Maguire, Garfield is not saintly, shy, conscious or extreme nerdy before or after he dons his spidey outfit. He makes mistakes, loses his cool, exploits his super powers, speaks his heart out, prefers being aloof. He even lets Gwen know right from the beginning that he fancies her...so no 'good friends' drama there fortunately.
Webb also makes his love interest more appealing and less annoying. Unlike Mary Jane, Gwen is not a spineless damsel in distress. She is not an indecisive emotional fool either. She reads Peter's mind and knows what she needs to do. She even fights, risks her life to save Peter. The biggest highlight of the film is the sizzling chemistry between Garfield and Emma. The real life couple looks great together on screen too. Their love story makes you smile. Their terrace kiss is as special as the upside down kiss in Spider-Man (2002). Garfield shoots his web on Emma, pulls her towards him, grabs her in his arms and leans in for a kiss... iconic indeed.
As far as the bad guys are concerned, Rhys Ifans plays Dr Connors who becomes a huge dinosaur like lizard, thus a huge threat to Spider-Man. He is not entirely a villain though. Even with limited screen time, Emma Stone is very charming & impressive as Peter's love interest. Irrfan Khan has just about two scenes, but he does get noticed & is likely to return for the sequel.
The special effects, cinematography, stunts are mind-blowing. The very first scene where Peter starts discovering his newly found powers on a moving train is superbly shot. The action in the school fight & climax is incredible too. As for Spidey's trademark web-swinging, this has easily the BEST web-swinging sequences ever conceived, take my word for that. And if you are watching this in 3D, Imax viewing would be awesome. Even as Spider-Man shoots his web in the air, you will literally dodge to avoid being his target! The 3D is not gimmicky & is used mainly in the action sequences.
Last and not the least, Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man is supremely charming. With his expressive face & body language, he looks the part both as Peter Parker & Spiderman. He makes us forget that Tobey Maguire played the same character in 3 successful films before! He executes his role differently with no resemblance to Tobey. He is rebellious, vulnerable, romantic, amateur (he works on his web powers as they don't come naturally to him), practices before becoming a pro at flying and falling from skyscrapers. He even googles his unforgiving spandex outfit before zeroing in on one.
If you are a true Spiderman fan, you would be glad to welcome him back in the new avatar. This is the second best Spiderman film, after Spiderman 2. Its easily better than the first & third Spiderman films helmed by Sam Raimi.
Verdict: Simply amazing - 8.5/10!