Swinging With Style

Rating: 10/10 (29 July 2012)

When Tobey Maguire finished filming for Spider-Man 3 back in July 2006, he probably sat back on his laurels and smiled, safe in the knowledge that his immediate future in the world of superhero films was safe. So imagine his shock when Marvel Studios announced at the start of 2010 that, as opposed to continuing the series where they had left off, they were preparing to reboot the entire franchise.
And reboot it they have. Their latest effort, The Amazing Spider-Man, manages to be everything its predecessors weren't. It's effortlessly funny, brilliantly scripted, commendably acted, and much, much closer to the comics. Andrew Garfield is fantastic as the lead, mixing cheeky teen and pressured adult with ease. You can drop right into his world, allowing a real sense that the citizen-saving hero is often just as vulnerable and scared as those he's trying to rescue.
The biggest difference between the revamp and the originals lies in the plot. Whilst the 2002 adaptation swaps introductory depth for high- octane action, this version revels in the specifics. The first hour is completely taken up with a detailed look at exactly how this scruffy, skateboarding orphan becomes the string-spinning neighbourhood hero we all know and love. Written down it looks long-winded and dull, but director Marc Webb (clearly fate has a sense of humour) manages to pull it off to perfection, building believable relationships gradually and dotting the script with tension and secrets.
The scene when we find out something has happened to Peter is a particular highlight. Peter is repeatedly forced to object and apologise as his new powers manifest themselves in increasingly awkward and amusing ways. After accidentally beating up an entire subway carriage without any effort at all, Peter flees, and the action truly begins.
The rest of the film is much more like the original. Whilst the villain is different (Rhys Ifans as Dr. Kurt Connors, AKA the Lizard) the concept is the same; our new hero learns to hone his skills and uses them to defend New York. A fracas with a back-alley gang makes Peter realise he needs a mask to disguise himself, and after initially going with a plain red wrestler's guise he eventually settles on that ever-so- familiar blue and red spandex suit. Fully suited and booted, he learns of an evil plot to destroy the whole of New York and, despite making enemies of the entire NYPD, goes off on a desperate bid to stop cliché becoming reality.
Any action missing from the first hour is well and truly made up for here. Fight sequence after fight sequence sees Spidey win, then lose, then win, then lose again. Aided by Parker's notably adept love interest Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone proving she can do action just as well as comedy), he weaves his way in and out of schools, laboratories, offices and sewers in pursuit of the impressively realistic Lizard. Such is the intensity of the action that at times the viewer genuinely needs to sit back and take a breath, especially if said viewer is watching in 3D, here used to take full advantage of the long, swinging street shots so familiar to Spider-Man films.
Though you might not be able to detect it, I honestly did love the original trilogy. But it really is blown clean out of the water by the new set-up. From the tense family scenes with Peter's Aunt and Uncle to the explosions and falling skyscrapers, the film is a credit to 2012's Superhero Summer. The only real problem I can find is that it's 2 years until the sequel. Anyone would think Marvel had lots of other projects to be working on...