The most amazing Spider-Man film ever.

Rating: Null/10 (8 July 2012)

I just came back from seeing "The Amazing Spider-Man" and in my opinion is the best Spider-Man film ever made; far surpassing even the Sam Raimi films. What Mark Webb has done is nothing short of amazing. He wiped the grime that was Spider-Man 3 from audiences and, like Chris Nolan, gave him a clean slate and made him exist in a world that is highly plausible and believable at the same time. Everything feels real and it just draws you in. Character emotions, action scenes, well written dialog feels real.
Part of the reason why this works is because it feels wholly cohesive. Sam Raimi's films were good in their day, but the felt a little too cartoonish and campy though I liked Spider-Man 2 better than part 1. But Webb gives it a more human angle while setting it in a gritty, contemporary world that is haunting and unforgiving.
With all that said, it's the acting that's the most impressive. Andrew Garfield thoroughly sets himself up as a more believable Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He's more agile and full of physical action than the one portrayed by Tobey Maguire as well as more emotional and expressive. We see his anguish, his heartbreak, his anger, his frustrations, and determination. But we also see something that has never been touched upon in the previous films: his inventiveness. How he builds his devices in which to fight crime(as well as guarding his privacy) showcases that and I applaud the filmmakers for exploring that bit of the iconic character. Sam Raimi has never done that.
Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy does a lot more than she did in Spider-Man 3. In that film she was nothing more than window-dressing and a substitute for when MJ wasn't available to warm Peter's heart, but in this film,she is really caring about Peter and the build up to their relationship is organic and really natural; something that's been missing in Spider-Man 1 and 2. With such well written dialog between the two characters, you really feel for them; almost as if they were real people despite being fictional characters and this film has that nailed down very well.
But no Superhero film would not be complete without a superb villain and Rhys Ifans does an incredible performance as the menacing, giant green monstrous Lizard. I so wanted to see this character portrayed on live-action film and thankfully I got that chance. With such believable and realistic CGI, much better than Spidey 1 and 2(though 2 was incredible in it's depiction of Dock Ock)the filmmakers make him more than a worthy adversary for ol' web head to tangle with. I only wish that there was more banter between them in their alter egos. Though I enjoyed their interactions with each other before becoming enemies, I would've loved it if they had more interaction.
I was thrilled by the action. I doesn't feel artificial at all; it feels more organic, especially when Spidey is swinging around town, beating up bad guys, or just simply hanging around. No thanks to the state of the art technology powering the film, it's only used to emphasize the film, not completely dry it.
I like The Amazing Spider-Man. No, I LOVE IT!!! The best Spider-Man film ever made. Everyone on board has gave the audience an amazing thrill ride from start to finish while also getting into the character's head. I'm really looking forward to see what Marc Webb and the rest of the gang are spinning for the next film. Kudos to everyone involved, The Amazing Spider-Man is truly amazing.