Worth the reboot

Rating: 8/10 (4 July 2012)

Despite all the hand-wrenching and teeth-gnashing over the idea that it's just too darn soon to remake Spider-Man, this film proves that there's no time like the present. Andrew Garfield, who seems born to play the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, delivers a nuanced and multi- dimensional performance that will erase the memory of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man from the minds of all but the most hardcore fans of the original. The fact that most American film-goers aren't very familiar with Garfield (if they do know him, they might have a vague memory of his performance in "The Social Network") seems to work in his favor—he doesn't need to shed the baggage of any earlier roles to convince the majority of the audience that he is indeed Peter Parker.
As for the plot, it's pretty standard comic book hero/action hero/monomyth hero action fare—but the plot isn't really the reason you go to see a movie like this. The supporting cast—Emma Stone, Denis Leary, martin Sheen, Sally Field, and Rhys Ifans— is top-notch, and the action sequences are artfully balanced by dialogue that develops the characters and adds insight into their relationships. The 3D effects are very well done and used judiciously so as not to overwhelm the film, and Marc Webb (what a great name for the director of Spider-Man) does a masterful job directing just his second feature film.
Be sure to stick around after the first round of credits—there's a teaser scene that hints (very obscurely) at the sequel.