Welcome back Spidey!

Rating: 7/10 (19 July 2012)

Much has been made of this reboot. Personally I welcomed it because Spider-Man 3 was such an atrocity. Sam Raimi is a great director, but ran out of ideas when it came to final instalment of his trilogy. 5 years have passed and we welcome a new Spider-Man in form of Andrew Garfield. We also welcome Marc Webb (no pun intended) as director. As most reboots go, it is an origin story and we all know the story of Peter Parker and how he became Spider-Man. We all know of the tragedy responsible for making him the superhero we all know he is. Andrew Garfield is a great fit as Spider-Man. Not only is he capable of the physical aspects of the role, he also handles himself emotionally too. He is a taller Spider -Man but that's something you should really overlook, because his performance makes him worthy of donning the red and blue suit. More so than Maguire you ask? Yes, I think so.
First starters the nerdy Peter Parker has now been put to bed and a cooler version has surfaced in the form of Andrew Garfield. Garfield looks a lot like the John Romita Jr version of Peter Parker. Not only that, I believed he was Spider-Man. The Spider-Man wisecracks we all know and love are delivered perfectly by Garfield. On top of that, he looks the part. He just does! The Amazing Spider-Man has a lot of emotion and drama to it. Not saying that the previous movies didn't have any heartfelt moments. But this adaptation seemed more realistic, more believable with it's character interactions. I could feel and understand Peter's pain. His parents leaving him with his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field) at such a young age and not knowing why, is primarily the reason why the Peter behaves like such an outcast. No friends, just the family he has left. His Uncle Ben is the father figure but not his real father. And the scenes between the Garfield and Sheen are very good. I was waiting for the 'with great power' speech. But it was delivered differently from how we would normally here it. Sheen is great in this, as is Sally Field as Aunt May. Both really do a wonderful job playing Uncle and Aunt. I'd go as far as to say it was even inspired casting. Both actors have a warm quality to them which makes them utterly believable in their roles. Even when Uncle Ben dies (I didn't cry by the way) you feel it. And credit to Webb for not stylising or glamorising the Uncle Ben death scene. It's a pivotal moment in the film, and I thought it was handled very well.
When Gwen Stacy makes her appearance, Peter is love struck and the two eventually become more than friends. Emma Stone is superb as Stacy and adds more life to the character than Bryce Dallas Howard ever did in Spider-Man 3. Rhys Ifans as Curt Connors aka The Lizard was OK. I saw nothing wonderful or unique about what he did with the part. Just a man who was struggling to come to terms with losing one of his arms. The fact character isn't American like the comics makes even less sense than why Ifans was cast. He was just about passable and I cared little for his character. Dennis Leary fairs a little better as Gwen Stacy's police captain father, but again like Ifans adds no meat to his character. Both actors are no more than passengers in this. Visual effects are great. Spider-Man web swinging through the city almost looks like a person was swinging through the Manhattan skyscrapers. A massive improvement on previous Spider-Man movies, which in comparison to this, look weirdly dated. Battle scenes between The Lizard and Spider-Man are well choreographed and well filmed. No shaky cam, just solid action scenes showing you everything from beginning to end. All three encounters between The Lizard and Spider-Man are the highlights of this film.
However, the Lizard looks awful. The creature design for The Lizard borders on amateurish and Ifans' voice over as The Lizard was absolutely rubbish. Why didn't they make him look and sound more menacing? The Lizard looked as if he had been affected by Joker gas. Even when showing anger, he seemed to have this permanent smile across his face. Scenes of real tension were ruined whenever The Lizard opened his mouth. A growl or a roar would've sufficed. His voice for The Lizard would've been perfect for a Saturday morning kids show. Here, it only annoys and because of that I couldn't take The Lizard seriously as an antagonist. Also this film drags and drags. Stacy eventually becomes aware of Peter's secret. But to see how their relationship develops is dry and tedious. The script on the other hand, does just enough to keep you engaged.
Webb's direction is fine especially during the action set pieces. Whether he'll be like Raimi and be around for the two sequels remains to be seen. It's a 3 out of 5 star movie which makes it worth watching but for me, not a repeat watch in the cinema. Though I recommend you purchase this on Blu-Ray and DVD. It's a must for extras. The villain was poor, the plot is hardly original but great visual effects fight scenes, and good performances from Sheen and Garfield save this from being a two star movie. Doesn't belong in the Superhero Hall of Fame, but it's a good superhero movie.
Good to have you back Spidey!