Now this is more like it!

Rating: 10/10 (1 May 2013)

Hardcore fans of Sam Raimi's Spiderman can rail all they want to. THIS version of the Marvel Comics superhero, Marc Webb's THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN (2012) is BETTER! While I really did like Raimi's 2002 initial Spidey flick, I absolutely loathed the incredibly overpraised 2004 sequel. Thankfully, there is a bit more debate about which film is actually better, because I've always been in the small camp that believes Spiderman 1 is better than Spiderman 2. Part 2 regressed all the good will that Raimi built up in 1. And there is pretty much universal agreement that 3 isn't very good. But I still contend that 2 SUCKS. The huge difference that I already see in this 2012 reboot that is better than anything from the 2000s trilogy is that while the Raimi flicks TRIED and FAILED to have emotion and depth in telling the story of Peter Parker/Spiderman, Webb's reboot actually SUCCEEDS! TAS stars the pretty "amazing" newcomer Andrew Garfield (who was superb in The Social Network) as the well-known iconic character of Peter Parker/Spiderman. Peter is a bullied nerd whose parents mysteriously left him with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May (superbly played by acting legends Martin Sheen and two-time Oscar winner Sally Field) as a child.
Peter's father was a brilliant scientist working on cross-genetics technology that allows an organism to cure and re-generate itself by merging with another. Peter, a novice photographer who inherited his father's science acumen, accidentally stumbles upon some of his father's work in his Aunt and Uncle's attic, including a formula that solves the cross-genetic puzzle that his father's former colleague Dr. Curt Connors (sublimely played by Rhys Ifans) has been trying to solve for years. After sneaking into the Oscorp facility and passing himself off as an intern, Peter snoops into a lab full of test subject spiders, one of which latches onto him and bites him, giving him spider-like abilities: strength, speed, elusiveness, scales, web-shooting.
Connors works for Oscorp, whose founder and leader Norman Oscorp is dying and in need of a cure, and so Connors is trying to use the cross-geneticism to accomplish this. With Peter's help, the puzzle is "solved" and Connors ends up using himself as the first human test subject as he has only arm, which becomes regenerated, but it also has enormous side effects, transforming him into The Lizard, Spiderman's first enemy.
During this time, Peter, caught up in his work with Oscorp and bemoaning his parents' abandonment, selfishly chooses to ignore a robbery, which inadvertently leads to his Uncle Ben's death, so Peter initially uses his newfound powers to go an a rampage to find his Uncle's killer as he stalks the streets of New York on a nightly basis, bringing lowlife criminals to justice.
A romance develops between Peter and his fellow high-schooler, the equally scientifically inclined Gwen Stacy (played with exquisite charm and maturity by the gifted Emma Stone). The Peter-Gwen relationship is really the heart of this film. Very beautiful and engaging. In addition to his Aunt and Uncle, Gwen actually gives Peter a purpose and direction. Even though in virtually every modern superhero film, the girlfriend always seems to find out the secret identity, this is the first film that I think does it in a truly genuine, clever, mature, and natural way, and not just for shock value or cheap effect. I dare say that the romantic aspect is really the MAIN reason why this film works, whereas in Raimi's flicks, I couldn't wait for the "romantic" parts to come and go to get to the action! Credit really must go to Garfield and Stone for having incredible chemistry and being terrific actors. The Raimi films are really juvenile by comparison when it comes to the realistic love story in TAS.
Special mention should also go to legendary comedian Denis Leary, who does an extremely effective and refreshing turn as Gwen's father Police Captain Stacy, injecting the character with his trademark sarcasm, but also coming across as very commanding.
Another thing this film does is that it literally builds Peter from the ground up as a hero, making him learn the hard way through attempts, failures, experiences, pain, loss, and gain. Even many times when Peter is wearing the suit, he still acts very human and down-to-earth. He has to LEARN how to be a hero by still using his own instincts and common sense. It's not just about looking cool scaling walls and kicking ass! Spiderman isn't Superman!
The film also stages the action as realistic as possible, with a healthy dose of CG effects, of course. But, here, unlike in Raimi's films, every action scene makes sense and we get to see how Spidey must use his webs on ACTUAL surfaces! Not just magically touching the sky, the webs hit just about everything in sight: buildings, cars, windows, and even other people!
Garfield is simply superb as the awkward, gifted teen-aged Peter Parker, who has led a tragic existence, but finds a purpose through the memory of his parents, his aunt and uncle, Gwen, and the innocent citizens of New York. I usually think sequels suck, but I patiently await the sequel to his underrated, under-appreciated, extremely compelling and original superhero flick!