Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

Promised a friend I would do this one even though it's a bit old so, here I go. Another Spider-Man movie. Awesome. I'd been looking
forward to this for a while, and when we finally got it, I was ecstatic. But did it live up to my expectations? Read on to find out.



Do I... have to present the story here I mean... it's Spider-Man, if you don't know the story I don't know why you want to see this movie. The biggest twist is that the hunt is on to understand Peter's past, and the death of his parents. Something I thought, was great. That being said, this review WILL contain spoilers. I wouldn't read on if you have not seen the film, but hey, do what you want.

First of all, wow, what a cast. I was really impressed by the casting in this movie, in fact, that was probably what impressed me the most. Each actor/actress was perfect in their role. They COULD NOT have been any better in my opinion. Honestly, Emma Stone, who played Gwen Stacy, made this movie. I've just about had it up to here with high school movies with that same old plot. Boy meets girl, boy gets powers, girl falls for boy, boy and girl live happily ever after. No. This movie made it work, and I honestly believe that it was Emma Stone's amazing acting that made it work. I could go into detail about each character, but that would take forever. Andrew Garfield did a just as amazing job. I'm not sure his portrayal of Peter Parker was exactly accurate to the comics, but honestly, this is a new time. The original Peter Parker just wouldn't have felt right in this movie. Other great actors in this movie Were Martin Sheen and Denis Leary. Martin Sheen was the perfect Uncle Ben. And while I have a very special place in my heart for Cliff Robertson, I believe Sheen was just as good. Captain Stacy was one of my favorite characters in this movie. He was hilarious, and just a very likable and cool character.

They really focused on the origin of Spider-Man. I mean, it's literally more than an hour before we see him swing into action for the first time. While kids may not find this so appealing, I do. The way Marc Webb develops his characters is just beautiful. Even characters that have very little screen time seem to go beyond the screen. Not sure how he does it, but he does. Webb's direction coupled with this films great writing make it incredible to watch. One scene I loved, was the scene that Peter is with his parents. I was left wanting more. That scene was confusing and full of chaos, just as it should be. As if it was seen through the eyes of a child. Well done, Webb. Well done.

As a huge Spidey fan because of the comics, and the Raimi movies, I was naturally comparing all three
throughout this movie. Because this was a new take on Spidey, I wasn't going to even begin to nag at the differences between movies, but there were a few discrepancies that bothered me in regard to the comic. One thing I liked, though, was the going back to web shooters. Those are essential to Spidey's character, and to show his ingenuity. However, I didn't care for the way Uncle Ben was killed. I'm not sure why, it just didn't feel right. I also didn't like Curt Connors. At all. He was honestly kind of annoying. Rhys Ifans honestly seemed like a bad guy, even when Curt Connors. I felt no sympathy for him whatsoever. When he was actually the lizard, he wasn't so bad. But I didn't care for Curt Connors. And the half Curt half lizard was just annoying. And they didn't get Spidey's quick witted humor down perfectly, but they did a better job than the Raimi films. It was decent, but not perfect. I think part of that is that they didn't have enough time to fully showcase it. We'll find out for sure in the next movie.

The emotion and the romance was real and believable in this movie. The chemistry between Garfield and

Stone in this movie was uncanny. No one can deny that they did an excellent job together. And I felt I could really relate to Spider-Man in this movie. He acts like a kid, he doesn't just go out and start saving the world with his powers, he does what anyone would do, and tries to get revenge. Nice. Of course, as time goes on he begins to understand the things that his Uncle Ben taught him, and fights for what's right by the end of the movie. That... is character development done right.


The big ending though, how do I feel about that? He promised he would keep Gwen out of it, then broke that promise. Seems to me that's the perfect way to create emotional pain for Spidey if they kill off her
character. Emma Stone was one of the best leading ladies I've seen in a while. I will be extremely disappointed if this does lead to her death. It was relieving to hear her say "He made you promise, didn't he?" I like that they solved her mystery. Another sub-plot of Peter just shoving her away... eh. But the very end of the movie... I mean, did he learn nothing? All of the character development leading to his understanding of responsibility, something Spidey is known for, and he just throws it away? Not sure yet how I really feel about that. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't extremely fond of it either, honestly.

We keep the spirit of Spider-Man, but still see something new. I think, that is a win. Even though I had a few nit-picks, mainly with the Lizard, I'm able to look past them because of the Incredible cast, writing, directing, action, humor and just over all awesomeness. This is a great time, and a great movie, that I personally loved.
Yeah, it's a reboot, but if that's what it takes to get Spidey on the big screen again, I'll take it. Gladly. I did, and I was not disappointed. A solid 4.5/5 for me. But what did you think? And what's your favorite Spidey movie to date? Let me know in the comments. See you in my next review!