Terrific, After a Bit

Rating: 8/10 (15 May 2013)

I watched this on Starz in two shots because I found the first 45 minutes or so to be not very good. It was acceptable, but I just wasn't anxious to endure another slog through the origin of Spider- Man. After the film gets through that bit, though, it gets much better. Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker absolutely nails this character, bringing to the role a kind of vulnerability Tobey Maguire never quite pulled off. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy is awfully cute and does well here, but she appears to be at least five years too old to be in high school, and I'm afraid I found that distracting.
The POV shots of Spider-Man web-slinging his way through Manhattan are astonishing. Visually, this film is a triumph. I'm glad I finally caught up to it and will look forward to the next one.