Action scenes are magnificent but story takes too much time developing Spidey's past...

Rating: 7/10 (10 July 2012)

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone make a likable enough pair as the teens who find themselves in a heap of trouble once they learn that Dr. Curt Connors (who transforms himself into The Lizard), intends to make huge trouble for the unsuspecting denizens of the city.
It takes an hour for the story to start unwinding at a faster pace, once we learn about Spidey's parents leaving him to live with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben (Sally Fields and Martin Sheen). But once bitten by a spider, after a forbidden excursion to an experimental lab, the story leaves some of the character development behind and takes off once Spidey discovers his power of web flights and his ability to deal with school bullying.
Garfield never seems quite as vulnerable in the role as Tobey Maguire, but there's a sensitivity necessary for the more intimate scenes. He handles the action scenes well. Rhys Ifans does a commanding job of histrionics as the scientist whose regeneration of lost limbs transforms him into The Lizard, with spectacular effects.
James Horner's score is very effective at capturing all the thrills and excitement of magnificent photography and the special web effects are all any CGI fan could ask for, even when seen in 2D.
But there's an obvious discrepancy between the rather ordinary script and the magnificent special effects that will leave some disappointed that more time wasn't spent on the script itself furnishing a better story treatment.
The whole thing is stylishly directed (especially in the action scenes) by a director with the apt name of Marc Webb.