An adults return to his childhood.

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2012)

The Amazing Spider-man I had the pleasure of seeing this almost a month prior to its official release and I recall loving it but I felt the score was lacking. After reading some of the critics reviews I began to wonder if I rated this too highly and whether I was seeing this movie through rose tinted glasses. So I went again today for its first day of official release and settled in to a sold out screening which was impressive as the cinema was showing both 2D (my choice) and 3D at once.
I was correct in my initial assessment. I love this movie. It transported me back to when I was seven and my introduction to The Amazing Spider-man. When Raimi brought Spider-man to the big screen I was so relieved and excited to eventually see my hero once and for all. Superman fans had had their superhero transported to the big screen almost 20 years previous, Batman 13 years previous. Would I ever get to see him? CGI was only really taking off in the early noughties. It was a revelation to see him. But although I loved Raimi's movie it did not touch me in the same way this movie has. Spider-man 2 was superior to Raimi's first outing and I rank it in my top three comic book adaptations. But again it simply did not have the emotional impact Webb's rendition of the character has.
He has explored the human relationship and condition beyond any previous comic-book movie has dared to explore. There are some seriously tender moments in the movie, yet in many ways those moments have been let down by a lackluster score.
Some people will rightly question the rebooting of a franchise so soon after Spider-man 3. Yet if Raimi had dealt with the tragic story arc of Gwen Stacy we would not have had this reboot. The Gwen Stacy arc is critical in the formation of the character of Peter Parker and Spider-man. This movie has laid the foundation for that arc. I will bet there won't be a dry eye in the house when this epic story is concluded.
Thank you Marc Webb for reminding me why I love Spider-man.