A Successful Reboot and Start of a Franchise

Rating: 7/10 (17 September 2014)

Initial Review: The Sam Raimi "Spiderman" trilogy was hugely successful and really set the bar high for other superhero flicks, but a disappointing third installment (made in 2007) ended the franchise. Five years later, Sony released "The Amazing Spiderman" the first installment for the rebooted franchise. The reboot, which is the film I'm reviewing, is directed by Marc Webb and features actor, Andrew Garfield, as Peter Parker/Spiderman. I was skeptical after seeing the trailers for the film, but the actual movie changed my opinion.
The Positives: The first improvement Sony made from the original trilogy is the cast. When I first saw photos of Andrew, I thought he would be a terrible choice for the role, but I now believe he is the superior Peter Parker/Spiderman. Andrew's acting ability is incredible; he is very flexible and displays emotion well without coming off as cheesy or giving the feeling that he is overacting. He plays the role of the nerdy Peter Parker well and has the cocky and joking nature of Spiderman down to a science (which was missing from the first trilogy). Every time I watch him play the role in the Amazing Spiderman 1&2, I feel like I am actually in a comic book, which adds to the authenticity of the film. Emma Stone plays the role of high school sweetheart Gwen Stacy, and displays a moving chemistry with Andrew Garfield (and I guess it helps that these two are dating in real life). "The Amazing" brought in new angles, like Peter's parents, which added to the storyline and brought something fresh for those who followed the last franchise. One thing that I really enjoyed about this film is the new look and web shooters for Spiderman. I really was not a fan of the organic web shooters of Raimi's trilogy, and watching peter design the web shooters was fun and added credibility to his genius qualities. The new suit was also a fresh look. The slick, spandex suit has visual appeal and the eye pieces, to me, gives Spiderman a darker tone. The comedy was awesome and kept me laughing throughout.
The Negatives: The main problem I had with the movie (which to me is a big problem) is the lack of action. I'm not saying there was no action throughout the movie, but the scenes were short and didn't provide the vibe of Spidey having much power. His attacks didn't seem to cause much damage to the lizard (the villain of the movie). The second issue I had with the movie is the villain himself. Even though he had good back story, I was disappointed with the cgi used for his appearance. He just didn't feel very scary despite his massive size.
The Conclusion: Despite some negative aspects, I gave the movie 7/10 which I deem as a pretty positive review. "The Amazing Spiderman" brings new concepts to the table which makes the film entertaining for the general audience. I am confident that this movie will be a good experience for comic book fans and general viewers. I strongly recommend this film.
Also see my review for "The Amazing Spiderman 2"