Completely unnecessary but still entertaining enough

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2014)

Going back a few years when Sam Raimi's Spiderman released it was jaw dropping. It was sort of the spring board for the current excess of superhero films we see now. Most of us were definitively disappointed in Spiderman 3 but disappointed enough that we thought it should end the franchise and encourage a reboot only TWO years later? Fortunately for them the reboot isn't so bad and actually very entertaining and spidey fans won't be disappointed. I don't think its nearly as good as the original Raimi's Spiderman but then at that time it was new and fresh and captivating to see a live action, non-campy superhero on screen. The Amazing Spiderman does manage to make itself different enough to make you not feel like you're watching something you've seen a dozen times over. Its a different spin on the Spiderman story while still keeping key elements firmly in place (maybe Marc Webb should give Zack Snyder a few tips.) They also establish enough back story to make this a lucrative franchise for at least three films if they don't screw it up some way and get it scrapped like they did the first time around. At the same time of being different enough it isn't really that far fetched from Raimi's trilogy. It still has the same feel and intensity and solid special effects. As someone who despises CGI I didn't find it silly or overused (though its clearly used a lot) its done very well including The Lizard who is complete CGI.
If they absolutely had to do this then Andrew Garfield was a great choice for the role of Peter Parker and Spiderman to a lesser extent. Its funny because I always thought Tobey Maguire made a great Spiderman but lacked as Peter Parker and Andrew Garfield makes a great, awkward, angsty teen Peter Parker but lacks something significant as Spiderman. I don't know what it is...but its something. Still he is at least good in both roles. Emma Stone is terrific as Gwen Stacy. Her chemistry with Garfield is perfect (though again not quite as good as Dunst and Maguire) and she shows once again why she's one of the best young talents in Hollywood. Stone outdoes herself in her role. Rhys Ifans is also perfectly suited as our villain Kurt Connors/The Lizard. Playing a villain (especially a giant Lizard) is extremely difficult to not make campy but Ifans plays it very seriously and is a very viable enemy. He absolutely brings the comic villain genius to life. Denis Leary is a great addition to as Gwen's father and Police Captain who is also somewhat of a nemesis for Spiderman and Peter Parker. His character adds a certain layer of depth to the story and he plays it very seriously even when he's being sarcastic and angry. It wouldn't even be fathomable for me to mention Martin Sheen and Sally Field, two absolute legends of Hollywood playing Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Sadly they are very underused and only have a few good scenes in the beginning of the film but I wanted to see more of them because of who they are as actors.
Part of the issue I had with The Amazing Spiderman was perhaps the lack of emotional depth, the human side that we miss out on. The connection between Peter and his Uncle and Aunt isn't quite felt as well as it should have been. I wasn't moved enough when Uncle Ben was killed. However, this film gets definitively and absolutely better as it goes on. The end of the film is superior to the first part in every way. Its intense, emotional, action packed and jaw dropping. If the entire film was at the quality of the latter half it might have been a ten. The High School Spiderman/Lizard fight is legendary (especially with one of Stan Lee's best cameos), the scenes between Garfield and Leary and the final battle all make this an absolute must see. Marc Webb did an excellent job of creating something that could have and almost should have been a disaster into a viable and watchable franchise. I wanted to complain about how incredibly cheesy and melodramatic the "crane" scene was during the last scene but darned if it didn't make me get goosebumps and feel all warm and squishy. One thing is for certain, there isn't a Spiderman fan out there that can't say this isn't well done and very entertaining. There is some terrific Spiderman imagery (again especially towards the end.) Let's hope Marc Webb can hold this together throughout the franchise's life. Its greatest feat was to overcome was being far too soon for it to be made and it does overcome that. 8.5/10