Lacks Heart and Comic

Rating: 4/10 (2 June 2015)

As cringe worthy as Tobey Maguire is, you always like him at the end of the day. As cheesy as the original film is, it has a heart and a comic book feel. We felt something during Uncle Ben's speech in the original film. In this film, it is merely glossed over to something that's supposed to add up to more or less the same thing. Also, doesn't anybody ever poke an eye at Peter during all the great powers he has? Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man is perhaps more fitting but he's just missing something. He doesn't have the corny comic book feel to him in this film.
I guess this is a more "serious" version of the Raimi film but there is no substance here. You have a giant lizard running around doing nothing interesting. Everything that relates to Spider-Man just feels glossed over. I don't even think we find out anything about Uncle Ben's killer. We never see him again! Peter isn't even responsible for anything! There is no guilt felt! There are some subplots in here that don't amount much to anything.
To the film's credit, they sure did pull off a better love interest for Peter. Gwen is cute and an actual character. I also do feel like Peter is almost more relatable here. Him and Gwen do process chemistry and are cute. But sometimes we need a bit comic book to it. Or something to it. Something like a story. As stupid looking as the Green Goblin looked in the original film you remember him for his cheesy lines. He was at least a character! This lizard dude is nothing! The film fails to add anything new to the Spider-Man mythos and you forget most of it by a year. Where's those little warm feelings you get when Spider-Man kisses M J for the first time (as bad as her character is)? The film is not memorable nor does it have a warm spider heart. It just feels like your average mediocre movie.
Putting comparisons aside, there really is nothing here to marvel at. Peter is likable enough but nothing that special. Nothing special in that there's no character development. He starts fighting and stuttering and ends fighting and stuttering!
But the Stan Lee cameo was cool...