In terms of iconic figures, few rate as highly as Spider-Man. The wall-crawlers underdog persona, dramatic origin and gigantic rogues gallery of villains have made him a legend among people of all ages. It’s also led him to be one of the biggest figures of modern cinema. Few movies shaped the 21st century movie landscape like the original Spider-Man trilogy (I’d say only The Lord of The Rings and Pirates of The Caribbean movies join it in this regard). The way they portrayed Spider-Man was fantastic, and set the standard for comic book movies live up to this day. Among those movies that must live up to the trilogy is the reboot The Amazing Spider-Man. One of the more controversial movies made recently, TASM takes a new look at Spidey’s origin by adding grit, realism and Emma Stone. I was both intrigued and frightened by this new incarnation. How did it ultimately turn out?
Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is your average high school kid, nerdy, socially awkward and hapless in everyday situations. However, secrets from his missing parents (who left when he was 8 and are presumed dead) lead him to Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), a man with a missing arm and a need to improve not just himself, but also humanity. It is here that Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and inherits many of the arachnids abilities…and a series of events involving his love interest Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), Curt Connors’ fascination with reptile DNA and a personal murder shape Peter Parker to become the hero New York needs…and the hero Peter is destined to become.
Despite covering the exact same ground Spider-Man adapted in 2002, the different approach and fantastic writing made me not even realize I was watching the same story…by this point I was too sucked into this amazing world the creators had crafted. Spidey exists in a more realistic New York this time around and it is quite is a place. By the end of the movie, I was disappointed it was over and wanted to return immediately.
But no matter how nice the setting, if they had not recasted Spider-Man just right, the project would have fallen apart. Well, have no fear. Andrew Garfield stormed up something inside me I have only felt a few times at the movies. I had it when I saw Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Robert Downy Jr. as Iron Man…the feeling that these actors were born for the roles they were casted in. There is a sequence when Spider-Man is in a vehicle with a carjacker. Spider-Man cracks wise, shoots his webs at the criminal and flies off….I got goose bumps and I can guarantee any comic book nerd will as well. It’s like our dream vision of Spider-Man has finally come to life.
Similarly, The Lizard is something to behold. One of the greatest CGI characters ever committed to film. He looks fantastic, his scaly skin looking real enough to touch and his movements are chillingly lifelike. To boot, he’s an actually formidable foe, a predator to fear. While I felt he was a bit too intelligent in his Lizard form (it gets a bit ridiculous to hear full comprehendible sentences from a 9-foot tall creature) but he’s probably one of the best spider-Man baddies yet, though Doctor Octopus may be unbeatable in terms of emotion and depth put into a comic book antagonist.
Marc Webb directs with ease, handling both character moments and action sequences with finesse. It’s apparent he’s a big Spider-Man fan and it translates perfectly to the big screen. One problem, though, is that there are too many of these aforementioned character moments that feel extraneous. It’s a pity, as in small doses these moments could have had greater potency but they come in such numbers that they lose most of their intended emotion and the characters suffer occasionally. Still, the one thing that can be said for these character interactions is that they do make Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker a more realistic couple and their dialogue, of all things, is brilliant during their conversations. They’re probably the most realistic teenage couple in a long time, putting most modern day rom-coms to shame.
Even with a few too many slow character moments (though I’d rather have too many character development sequences than none at all), The Amazing Spider-Man is a wonderful reimagining of a legendary hero. Thanks to a mix of great writing, action and visuals, this is a winning summer blockbuster that does the impossible: reimagines a famous character and his origins for a new age. I can’t wait to see where the franchise goes from here, especially with such interesting characters and actors. It may not be perfect (several iconic lines like “With great power, comes great responsibility” are missing, quite a travesty), however, The Amazing Spider-Man lives up to its title as a new benchmark for not just superhero reboots, but superhero movies in general.
