Not bad, but not needed.

Rating: 6/10 (14 July 2012)

After the train wreck of Spider-Man 3, the powers that be decided it was time for a complete Spider-Man reboot. The vast majority of the audience asked the same question: "Why?"
Regardless, here we are, The Amazing Spider-Man. OK, you all know the story. Say it with me:
"When bitten by a genetically modified spider, a nerdy, shy, and awkward high school student gains spider-like abilities that he eventually must use to fight evil as a superhero after tragedy befalls his family..."
...and straight away we have the biggest problems with this movie.
Firstly, it's not clear who this movie is aimed at. Everyone who knows anything about Spider-Man knows spider bite + dead uncle = Spider-Man, but this movie really seems to drag it out anyway. It's a Spider-Man movie that will at times make Spider-Man fans hit the snooze button, but there's not much in it to attract a new audience either.
Secondly, they get the story wrong. I know, I know, Marvel has many universes, etc etc, but it still just feels... wrong...
Peter Parker isn't nerdy. He's a teenage Bart Simpson, complete with skateboard. Sure, he gets bullied and he understands science stuff, but he still comes across a little like an idiot who has managed to get hold of an answer sheet.
Then we have the new secret agent conspiracy surrounding his parents. This is the big new hook, the whole purpose of a reboot, the story arch that will keep us glued to the trilogy... but who cares?
Spider-Man should be about an ordinary kid, dealing with ordinary life while simultaneously realising that "With great power, comes great responsibility" (or the much less catchy paraphrasing used in this film). The parent conspiracy just takes away some of the purity of the character.
That said, it's not that bad a movie. And it does explain the mystery of why Spider-Man always seems to have somewhere to swing on (save the child of a crane driver and you're sorted for life).
But, as expected from a series that just didn't need another origin movie, it feels pointless.