The So-So Spiderman

Rating: 7/10 (15 July 2012)

With everyone going gaga over this movie I guess I expected something more. To me, it was just another average day at the movies when seeing The Amazing Spider-Man and I don't think I will ever understand the hype.
First of all, "the untold story" I'm assuming is code word for "retelling the same origin story with a few tweaks." Sure there's a new love interest in the form of Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone, and Peter goes to High School instead of working for the Daily Bugle, but other than that it is the same story you saw in the original 2002 Spider-Man directed by Sam Raimi.
I will give the movie credit where it is due, the acting was very good. Despite my scepticism, Andrew Garfield proved to be an excellent Spider-Man and Peter Parker (although I still find it hard to believe someone that good looking was an outcast in school... just saying.)Spider-man is more comical and charismatic in this film than in all three prior films combined. However, Tobey Maguire will always embody Spider-Man for me in a way I don't think Andrew Garfield could ever touch. I've always enjoyed Emma Stone as an actress and she does play Gwen Stacy well, It's just that I found Gwen Stacy superfluous in that, she does nothing of genuine consequence other than creating the mixture which I'm sure someone else could have done. I understand that the movie needs a love interest, I just wish she would have been more involved. Their romance was uncomfortable for me. I know they're awkward teens but do they have to be THAT awkward?
Visually this film is stunning and is one of the few films I've seen where the 3D actually added something to the film. I also enjoyed the fact that Peter got visibly wounded, making his fight scenes more tense as you felt there was the real possibility of death. The "shadow" of Norman Osbourne over the film was also interesting. You never see him but you know he is waiting in the corners, creating a eerie tone whenever he is mentioned. However, the plot is nothing special, nor is the villain. The film promises to discuss the disappearance of Peter's parents but, after their departure within the first five minutes,they are never really mentioned again. In the end, The Amazing Spider-Man turns out to be just So-So.