"Amazing" lives up to its name and is better than the original Sam Raimi trilogy.

Rating: 8/10 (15 November 2012)

Spider-Man is a comic book superhero that was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and is published by Marvel Comics in 1962. Stan Lee wanted to create a teenage superhero considering that most Marvel characters that he has created were mostly adults. Spider-Man didn't start out in his own comic book series, he actually made an appearance in the Amazing Fantasy #15 and from that point, that's when he had his own comic book series and Spider-Man comics are still being published to this day; he became of the most popular and spectacular superheroes around. If you want to see my other Spider-Man reviews, then go ahead because I actually have strong opinions on Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
After Spider-Man 3, I was praying for a reboot for the franchise and The Amazing Spider-Man pulled it off very well. Sure the moments where Peter Parker gets his powers and Uncle Ben getting shot still happened but it's done through a different sequence of events.
The plot of this film is Peter Parker discovers that his father's study has been broken in two. His father gathers up the hidden documents and Peter's parents take him to us Uncle Ben and Aunt May's house to keep him safe. Peter's parents leave and we cut to the present day where he finds the hidden documents in the basement. He learns that his father works with a scientist named Dr. Curt Connors at Oscorp; not mean to give anything away but Norman Osborn is dying in the film with an unknown illness and he is unseen. (I think that could've been explored a little better) Peter sneaks his way into Oscorp as a high school intern, he makes his way into a lab of genetically modified spiders and one bites him. After that, he discovers his new found abilities on his way back home. After that, Dr. Connors gets pressured by his superior Dr. Ratha to use The Lizard serum on the humans, Connors refuses and gets fired. Connors then uses the serum on his arm, it regenerates his arm but it has a serious side effect as it turns him into The Lizard. Peter Parker, after discovering the death of his Uncle and trying to find the killer, puts together his Spider suit create his own web shooters and become Spider-Man. He then later discovers Dr. Connors true intentions and must find a way to stop him.
Andrew Garfield, in my opinion is a believable Spider-Man, and that is the Spider-Man I love to see. He is smart, witty and responsible in most cases. People have been complaining how in this version of the movie that Peter Parker is an idiot and is acting a bit selfish he is but to be honest, that's how his character was in the comics, he acted this way in Amazing Fantasy #15 but as the comic book series goes on, he eventually becomes a well respected character. When he becomes Spider-Man, he actually brings in his smart and sarcastic sense of humor and I think that is what they should've done in the original trilogy.
Moreover, another thing that was great about this movie was Emma Stone. She played the smart and beautiful Gwen Stacy and I'm glad that they didn't decide to put Mary Jane this time because she appears later throughout the Spider-Man comic book series and her character in the original trilogy was just a bit wasted. However, Gwen Stacy is the complete opposite of that. She avoids being the damsel in distress. Finally, the chemistry between Andrew and Emma was perfect, it was really awkward, but romantic at the same time.
Rhys Ifans played Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard and he also did a good job of representing his character. The design of The Lizard looks exactly like the Steve Ditko design, it was more human like than Lizard like and I really like on how they went with the Steve Ditko design. The one minor issue though is that I wish that he can keep his lab coat because that's how it was in the comics and I wish the CGI on the monster was a bit better.
It was nice to watch Spider-Man and enjoy some action, but it's great to sit and watch The Amazing Spider-Man and enjoy a fulfilling tale of love and the cost of being a hero. They also managed to borrow a few elements from the original Amazing Spider-Man comic book series and actually managed to bring the material to life. Peter built a device to shoot webs. The spider bit not only gave him all the powers but the chemical knowledge to create webbing. The device he built to shoot it was a show of his own natural genius.
The flaws with this film however is that I liked the fact that they delve into the history of Peter's parents but the movie spends kind of a short time on it once he meets Dr. Curt Connors, it's like they're almost forgotten entirely. I think they're going to explore the history of Peter Parker's parents in the trilogy so I'll consider this a minor flaw.
But overall, I really enjoyed this film, they've chosen a really good cast. This is how you create a Spider-Man story. I really recommend this film, it managed to stay faithful to the original source material in the comic books, they've chosen a great cast, it had some memorable moments it had good action and the characters seem more likable. I think that this is really enjoyable for any Spider-Man, Marvel or even comic book fans out there! Watch this film! I think you would really enjoy it!
Final verdict for this film: 9/10