Self-conscious

Rating: 5/10 (21 October 2017)

The trouble with this film is that it knows we don't need it. It is all too aware that it is retelling a story that everybody already knows, not only because it is possibly the most famous of all superhero origin stories, but because of its proximity to the 2002 original. Because of this, it seems caught in two minds - should the origin story be told carefully, acknowledging that it is rehashing a familiar tale but making sure it does it convincingly and with better and slicker effects; or should it be skipped through as quickly as possible to get to the real meat of the story? The answer appears to be neither. The elements of the story are all there, and are solid enough, but it is almost as though they are set pieces, chapters to be ticked off. This over-careful stacking of elements creates a perfectly logical structure (though the jerky adjustments in scene and tone leave some parts over-padded and others underdeveloped), but it is one which is sadly uninteresting, providing little in the way of tension or co- ordinated escalation of drama. In a similar vein, characters don't develop, but suddenly - and I mean in a matter of moments - entirely change their motivations, allegiances, and even personalities to suit the direction of the story. It is a whirlwind, and it gives the impression that, perhaps because it believes that their familiarity will automatically win the audience over, it doesn't care about its characters.
This film has some good scenes, and is generally well acted (though Andrew Garfield just isn't dweeby enough to be believable as pre- bite Parker), but that's really all that can be said for it. It is just 'ok', and I don't think those who made it were really convinced it could be more.