The "A" in Amazing

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2012)

Like many people, I like to look up a movies review before going out to watch it with my mates to see if its any good. I usually get a good understanding from the users' comments and reactions to judge if the movie is worthwhile. Now as a movie buff, I do pay attention to many aspects of a movie such as the directing, editing, screenplay, dialog, and acting and make my decision on whether or not the movie is good on these criteria. Taking into consideration the movie is in fact a reboot, I understand there are a avid fans of the Raimi version that do not see the need for a retelling of an origin story again, and may feel the need to look down on Marc Webb's work. I was around 6 when the original trilogy began and I did enjoy it at the time but looking back at it now I just cant stand Parkers obsessive need to scream "Mary Jane" at the climax of every movie, or the fact that web shoots out of Spiderman's wrist and he never seems to get injured after a fight with bad guys.
Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight definitely raised the bar for all superhero movies with its realistic approach to the genre. The Amazing Spiderman does try to mimic it in a way but doesn't copy it outright as I read one review state. Marc Webb incredibly intertwines a darker, more realistic Spiderman with a teenage Peter Parker (who is portrayed outstandingly by Andrew Garfield) struggling his way through high school and all its obstacles. Peter is in fact an intelligent student as we see throughout the film who does eventually create the web shooters (part of this realistic approach I mentioned before) which also stays truer to the comic book. Whereas Raimi's Parker was supposed to be a geek with all his good grades, we were never made aware of his intellect on screen (except him actually attending class) nor his hero-esc characteristics before the spider bite. Webb's Parker on the other hand displays his intellect many times throughout the film and displays his courage while attempting to help a student from being bullied. I found Andrew Garfield's portrayal of Parker'a emotional journey outstanding. He continued to surprise me throughout the movie with his awkward charm and his representation of a teenager. Emma stone too deserves an applaud for her portrayal of Gwen Stacy as an actress who didn't just play a damsel in distress(MARRRRY JANNNE!!!) and actually aided the protagonist when he just had too much going on. Another shout out to Martin Sheen for his amazing acting (no matter how short it was), he definitely is the emotional backbone to this story and does an incredible job as Uncle Ben.
Other than the "Amazing" acting in the movie (see what I did there) the directing and editing where top notch too. The POV shots definitely were the most impressive aspect of the directing and I could not help myself drool a little watching climax of the movie. Spiderman's realism comes into play as he is in fact a spider(MAN)and damage takes its toll. Also the fact that Peter frequently gets bruising on his face after a fight with a bad guy or a certain lizard does make it effectively plausible. The fight scenes are choreographed extremely well and Spiderman's movement does in fact resemble that of a spider (who would have guessed Spiderman fights like a spider). This equality in action, character development, an emotional story is what makes this so Amazing. I felt myself feeling for these characters because of the their incredible ability to involve me in their story.
The reviews I read before going to watch the movie said that there wasn't really any reason to watch the same movie twice, and that it wasn't really worth it, but I could not believe how wrong they were after watching the movie. Sure, Raimi did a good Spiderman trilogy that explored the origins well. Personally, I think Webb started an "Amazing" Spiderman trilogy that explored the origins even better with all its extra content. "If" the series had continued on into a 4th I don't think it would have met the audiences expectations; as the third one proved. The all new characters are perfectly cast in their respective roles (Andrew Garfield even reminds me of the 1994 cartoon series that came on Fox Kids...That's how GOOD he is!!). For anyone having doubts on watching a reboot of Spiderman I strongly advise you to go and enjoy this new and improved Spidey before coming to any conclusion. For those who haven't seen the original I can guarantee that you will love it, no matter what sort of movies you like.
The culmination of great acting, story and directing lead to a movie that I feel is true to its name: Amazing!