An Amazing Reboot; Even Better than the Original

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2012)

Who doesn't know Spider-Man, especially when a trilogy of films based on the superhero started a little over ten years ago? All three films have been tremendous successes and have become movie phenomenons. Sadly, the third film was a mess, filled with too many villains and disastrous subplots. So to make things easier, they went for the 'reboot' route with Marc Webb replacing Sam Raimi, Andrew Garfield taking over Tobey Maguire, and Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy replacing Kirsten Dunst's MJ. Luckily, they did a great job of it.
The story of Peter Parker's origins in "The Amazing Spider-Man" is not necessarily the "Untold Story" as the advertisements say but rather a revamped version. It goes back to basics, taking the key plot points of the original "Spider-Man" film and putting it all together with a few more details and finishing touches. Peter Parker, an orphan living with Uncle Ben and Aunt May, is in high school. He's nerdy and sort of unsociable. He has a hobby in photography although his true passion lies in Science. In an attempt to discover his father's secret life, and of course due to curiosity and stubbornness, he gets bitten by a modified spider and gains his superpowers. His superpowers however don't include being able to shoot webs out of his hands as now he uses mechanical devices to shoot out the webs.
Those who watched the 2002 original blockbuster may feel over-familiar with the first hour of the film as it stays very similar with it. Even Uncle Ben's death is present here, albeit killed by a different person. However, I must say that the origin story is done perfectly and more enjoyable than the one provided in the first film. It's more detailed and his parents, especially his father, is more involved here. It's also surprisingly more touching, and more emotional.
Here, the villain is someone who hasn't appeared in any of the previous films. It's no other than the Lizard. Apparently the Lizard is the result of an experiment done by Dr. Curt Connors, who is the working partner of Peter's dad, Richard Parker. Both of them have been working on cross-species genetics planning to cure others. Unfortunately, Richard died in a plane crash along with his wife resulting in Peter becoming an orphan. Connors has also lost his right arm in an incident and has been observing the regenerative abilities of reptiles (particularly the lizard) in an attempt to grow his right arm back. With the help of Peter Parker, he successfully creates the serum and it worked. However, it does just more than that, the serum completely changes him and turns him into a monster named The Lizard, now equipped with superhuman strength and abilities.
Gwen Stacy's is Spider-Man's main love interest here. Unlike MJ, she is also interested in Science, not someone into singing or anything like that. In fact, she is like the assistant of Dr. Connors and works in Oscorp. Even though she loves Peter Parker and knows of his secret identity, her father is apparently Captain George Stacy and Captain in the Police Department and has issued an arrest warrant for Spider-Man. So much trouble. This creates a stronger romance for the film and is definitely another triumph over the original Spider-Man.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" offers very powerful performances by the actors. Andrew Garfield gave a great performance as the newly revamped Spider-Man. However, I thought that he would be unsuitable as he would look like someone you don't want to mess with and hardly a nerd. But that all changed when I saw this film. He successfully gave Peter the teenage personality needed and was stunning. Emma Stone also gave a great performance as Gwen Stacy and the chemistry between the two leads were convincing. Rhys Ifans gave a cruel and menacing portrayal of Dr. Curt Connors and also did a great job.
The reboot also had impressive 3D effects and one of the few films that uses the 3D wisely. The sets more realistic and envelops you into the action. Talking about action, the battles here are also very exciting and creates high levels of suspense. However, I thought that some of the action sequences are less creative than others and therefore not consistent. The battle in the bridge was satisfying whereas the battle in the school was less creative although it incorporated a very humorous scene.
Just when you thought Spider-Man was becoming "Batman Begins" and descending into darkness, it instead became an action film filled with lots of humor too. There are many comedic scenes that make the film fun and not too depressing. The most humorous scene was actually the one with the signature Stan Lee cameo, the creator himself. This is by far the best Stan cameo I've ever seen and was very hilarious.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" is amazing indeed. It has great acting, impressive 3D effects, and a detailed familiar plot. The two things that downed this film was probably that familiar feeling of the plot which makes it less intriguing (especially when the original film just came out a little over ten years ago), and the less creative battles in the movie. However, the former can be repaired by the more detailed additional plot points and polishes to the origin story. Otherwise, I enjoyed the film immensely. It had a great villain, fun comedic moments, exciting action sequences, and a strong love subplot. I would say that this reboot is probably better than the original, far better than the third, and on par with the second. And watch for that one scene after the credits start rolling.
Rating: 9/10
Final Verdict: "The Amazing Spider-Man" offers viewers an excellent reboot to one of the greatest Marvel franchises ever, thanks to Andrew Garfield's excellent performance, and director Marc Webb who has polished the origin story and crafted an action-packed, emotional, and funny superhero film.