The Amazing Spider-Man

Even though the general public seems to have shifted their comic book allegiances to Iron Man and Batman, we can’t forget that Spider-Man has always been one of the more intriguing and close to home characters from the Marvel and DC catalogues. But Tobey Maguire’s days as Peter Parker, which broke the bank with huge box office amounts, are done. So enter Andrew Garfield and The Amazing Spider-Man, the slightly darker, more grounded take on Spidey. The film reintroduces Peter Parker, a smart but geeky teen who gains super powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider.

It probably would have been safe to abbreviate the origin aspect of the story since most fans already know about Uncle Ben, the radioactive spider and Peter’s shift from bullied to the strongest guy in school. But it’s in there, so at least the reboot made the best of it. Everything is just slightly more down to Earth this time around. That is except for the larger than life Lizard, played by Rhys Ifans, who terrorizes the city. The dynamic between Peter and the Lizard’s human form, Dr. Curt Connors, comes across very much like the Dr. Octopus arch of Spider-Man 2. So here’s another instance of a chance for this new story to distance itself from the predecessor and it just didn’t happen.

It isn’t entirely fair to judge The Amazing Spider-Man by other Spidey flicks, but it’s bound to happen. Overall, this film is a more insightful look at Peter Parker and how his personal life influences him as a superhero. Introducing Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone, builds a different story since the inherent danger of being with Spider-Man mirrors what she’s already experienced with a police officer father. Garfield’s performance as a Peter who is likeable but awkward without the mask and confident and funny with the mask on, is an accurate take on who the comic book Spider-Man is. The Amazing Spider-Man can very clearly coexist with the last decade’s Spider-Man trilogy because the characters have such depth that there are tons of stories left to tell.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.