It needed to be different... And it is!!!!

Rating: 8/10 (4 July 2012)

I feel it unnecessary to comment on the plot of this one because i think that EVERYONE by now knows the Spider-Man story. This "version", however, asks the simple question, 'Do you know Peter Parker?!'
Without comparing too much to the Sam Raimi films (which, for the record, I absolutely love) they had no interest in the true origin of Peter Parker, it was all about who and what Spider- Man is to the people and himself. That proved not to be a bad thing and certainly Sam Raimi's efforts to create Spidey for the big screen went down as a major success all round.
In order to reboot something so well loved and so soon after it was a hit you cannot do the same thing again, there simply isn't any point! This film needed to be different, it needed a fresh side of the story and a reworked main character... They absolutely did that!!
The difference here is that Spider-Man is only one layer of something much bigger. Peter Parker IS Spider-Man and its about him and his reason to do what he does and the responsibility in doing so. Certainly one downside is that this theme was explored quite extensively before, but this is managed to work as a fresh and not overused theme.
As for the new Peter Parker, Andrew Garfield, there really isn't many criticisms that you can make towards him. He really does do a great job in exploring the more scientific mind of both the nerd behind the mask and the web head himself. Even better than that he captures the emotion of a troubled teenager. He has a gift that he wants to use for revenge but instead decided to use it for good, this is perfectly played out in the scene in the car park, the way he speaks to the cops to defend himself is perfectly believable and again captures his teenage ignorance to the world he has thrown himself into. This is very nicely shown through a well written scene in which spidey saves a young boy... I think you will agree when you see it.
Now, I can't go without mentioning the villain. The Lizard is quite fantastically realised by Rhys Ifans, or rather Dr Connors is excellently played by him. Many will argue that Lizard is too heavily CGI, they may be right, but it never feels overdone and his overall detail is very true to its origins. The best thing about Connors is that he toys quite brilliantly with the ideal of a mad scientist without actually surrendering to the label. His brilliant mind becomes corrupt by what he accidentally turns into and ultimately this sets up a very nice showdown.
Clear to say that I really enjoyed this new take on the Spider-Man story and i do believe that it is set perfectly for another that would likely be even better and could surpass even that of Spider-Man 2. The Amazing Spider-Man is different. Thats not a bad thing. Give it a chance to show you why!!
P.S Stay for the end credits ;)