It's not 'Amazing' but it was probably worth doing.

Rating: 7/10 (19 November 2012)

I love Spider-Man. I love the comics, I love the PlayStation games and I think the animated series that seemed to be on Fox Kids 24/7 back in the day is one of the greatest cartoons ever made. What I didn't love, however, was the Sam Raimi film trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate them. For what they were, they were pretty solid and part two in particular was a thoroughly enjoyable little adventure. Unfortunately though, I could never take them to my heart. They weren't Spider-Man. Maguire wasn't Peter Parker, he was just someone doing a bad impression of him, and Kirsten Dunst most certainly was not the Mary Jane Watson I knew and loved. Therefore, when I first discovered that this reboot was happening, I was really quite excited. I hoped and I prayed that it would do away with everything Raimi got wrong and bring the real Spider-Man to the big screen, after over forty years of waiting. 'The Amazing Spider-Man' is by no means flawless, it's the closest thing yet to a truly amazing' Spider-Man film.
The biggest problem with Raimi's trilogy was that the vast majority of the people in it had been woefully miscast. In complete contrast to that, Andrew Garfield was quite simply born to play Peter Parker. I've always loved Garfield and I was sure he wouldn't disappoint here. I was right. He gets it down to an absolute tee. The social awkwardness, the cute nerdiness and the dark emotional baggage that has become so symptomatic of Peter Parker over the years is on display here in abundance. From his nervous little ticks, to the facial expressions, the walk – heck, even the conversational style – Garfield IS Peter Parker. Similarly, Emma Stone is great as Gwen Stacy and the chemistry between the two sparkles throughout. Furthermore, the characters themselves are great. Marc Webb, as director, does try a teensy bit too hard to hammer home Peter's troubles, but for the most part it works. Gwen isn't the damsel-in-distress that Raimi's interpretation of Mary Jane turned out to be. She's an active player, she's fun, she's feisty and she's a great counterbalance to Peter's bouts of recklessness. Peter and Gwen are instantly likable to the point that watching their relationship unfold and develop really is a joy. The supporting cast and characters are solid too, and Webb does his best to flesh them out a bit, even going so far as to give Flash Thompson (Chris Zylka) a multi-faceted personality, instead of the two-dimensional jock Raimi gave us. I must give special credit to Sally Field too who, in my opinion, dazzles as Aunt May. I liked Rosemary Harris' portrayal of the character in Raimi's films but felt that the character herself was totally wasted. Here, Aunt May is put to some decent use, as is Uncle Ben whose relationship with Peter, despite his relatively short screen time, is explored in a fair amount of depth.
However, the film doesn't come without its problems. The plot is, for lack of a better word, silly. Admittedly, it's highly enjoyable and makes for a very entertaining two hours, but it doesn't hold up to much scrutiny at all. There are far too many coincidences and conveniences helping it along and it therefore all seems a tad ridiculous. One particular plot device (involving cranes – look out for it) would even give Spider-Man 3's 'emo Peter' a run for its money in the cheese stakes. Having said that, the origin story is executed brilliantly and there are some great laughs to be had as Peter starts discovering his abilities. Yes, it takes a while to get going but solid performances and a good script stop things from becoming tedious. The themes that run through the film (and, one would assume, its sequels) are interesting and Webb succeeds in creating an aura of mystery that is genuinely quite exciting. The background story of Peter's parents and Oscorp industries is handled well and a number of foundations are laid down for a potentially exhilarating set of sequels.
Now for the main problem with the film and, considering this is a superhero film, it's a biggie. Spider-Man is handled brilliantly. Everything that people had expressed concern about, such as his use of 'web shooters' or the fact we'd have to go through the whole Uncle Ben murder thing again, is handled creatively and with care. The film's villain, however, is not. The Lizard (played ably by Rhys Ifans) is not the most interesting bad guy in the World. There's not a whole lot that can be done with him and, whilst Webb tries his best, the character can only go so far. The change in personality, for example, rings quite false and the dodgy CGI is quite difficult to swallow. Ifans is good as Dr. Connors and the character's background is explored as much as possible. Unfortunately, it's a thin background and there isn't a great deal to work with. However, the action sequences are entertaining enough and the fact that Spider-Man is portrayed as amateurish and weak against such a monster gives the film a pleasant twist. We genuinely get the feeling that Spider-Man could lose this fight. At the end of the day, he's just a schoolboy and, as such, it's ludicrous to paint him as a skilled strategist or fighter. By having him rely on the help of other characters to succeed, Webb manages to keep the character grounded, which is a very good thing.
Overall, is a country mile better than 'Spider-Man 3', has a much more interesting origin story than 'Spider-Man' and is, by the strength of its performances, marginally better than 'Spider-Man 2'. As a reboot, it's promising and was well worth doing. I only hope that the sequel is able to build upon the themes laid out here without becoming too unrealistic or contrived.
Oh, and the Stan Lee cameo is hilarious.