Nailed it

Rating: 9/10 (8 July 2012)

As a Spider-man fan I was very much looking forward to this film and it did not disappoint. Lets first discuss Andrew Garfield.
Whilst some believe he's too cool but he plays the awkward nerd very well, those among us who consider themselves awkward nerds will identify with almost all the scenes in this film. In the action scenes whether stuntman or whoever it was, Garfield holds his own. Most importantly this Spider-man quips.
Emma Stone as Gwen is also a far more interesting character than Mary Jane. This is early in Peter's life, there was no Mary Jane at that point, she'll presumably show up later. Anyway, Stone's performance is very convincing, but we already knew that she was capable of delivering solid performances. As a character we have something more than a damsel in distress, someone who can help, I won't say how but we do.
Rhys Ifans is also very menacing when he needs to be and kind when he needs to be. His performance is so good I completely forgot about his role in Notting Hill.
This story is a lot more character driven, as well it should, it is about teens growing up basically, whilst attempting to stop a giant lizard terrorising New York. And for the most part this film nails the emotional side, I was gutted when SPOILER Ben died, but I was equally happy to see the relationship between Gwen and Peter grow, the roof top scene is very sweet.
That does not mean it skimps on the action, there is a lot of action in this film and it is very intense and films in such a way that you can see what's going on. Coupled with the action is the web slinging, and there are moments when the swinging is great taking, the introduction of the occasional first person camera was a genius move.
I recommend this to everyone, yes you've seen his origins before, but you'll be surprised at just how different they can make it, whilst still keeping with the comics.