The Amazing Spider-Man Review

Director: Marc Webb

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Dennis Leary, Sally Field

Running time: 136 minutes

Certificate: 12A

Synopsis: While investigating the mysterious disappearance of his parents, Peter Parker (Garfield) is bitten by a genetically modified spider. With new spider-like abilities, Parker turns to fighting crime, and discovers New York City is under threat from another genetically altered creature, a half man half lizard…

The second wave of superhero movies is already upon us – rebooting, re-imagining, and re-selling material barely a decade old. And of all the characters to be given a second chance on the big screen, Spider-Man was surely first choice. Forget the current Avengers fever: Spidey has long been Marvel’s most popular character and a major money-spinner. But it’s likely audiences would have accepted a new face, new director, and – more importantly – new story without completely starting over and retreading the character’s familiar origin story. It’s a creative decision that has prompted a crucial question amongst fanboys: is there actually a point to any of this?

Fortunately, comic book characters are reinvented constantly within their own pages, and with substantial and varied back-stories, filmmakers are able to draw diverse but credible interpretations. While taking an alternative approach to the previous movies, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN remains just as valid an adaptation. Including elements from the comics never fully realized by Sam Raimi – the high-school setting, Gwen Stacey, and the disappearance of Peter Parker’s parents – Marc Webb presents a convincing argument for returning to Spidey’s roots. There’s not only a wealth of untapped material, but THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is markedly different in tone than Raimi’s trilogy – darker, more realistic, and like most comic books, it’s just one chapter in a much larger story.

For the most part, Webb’s film succeeds, and the director excels in creating believable and emotionally engaging characters, led by the natural chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. It’s funny, touching, and during the initial action sequences, thoroughly exciting. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN even manages to distance itself from Raimi’s 2002 version, only once veering towards overly familiar territory. It feels like there’s genuinely new ground to cover, best demonstrated by the tweaked backstory that somehow connects Parker, his geneticist father, Dr Connors, and the mysterious Norman Osborn.

However good the first act may be, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN suffers from a number of significant problems. While the film’s early plot contrivances and clumsy telegraphing are forgiven due to the exciting pace and strong performances all round, by the time the giant cannibal mouse arrives, it’s clear the script has lost its way. Tonally, it becomes a very muddled affair, never sure if it’s ultra-real or ultra-comic book. This is further complicated by the arrival of Rhys Ifan’s Lizard –perhaps 2012’s poorest villain – let down by terrible CGI and cartoonish evildoing that continues to compromise any sense of reality. Summed up more precisely – once the plot gets going, the whole thing falls apart. Viewers will be left wondering if the film would be better off without the Lizard and everything that comes with him. As he takes centre stage, the script loses touch with the key relationships and intriguing narrative direction of the first hour.

The fact the Spider-Man reboot has come so soon after Sam Raimi’s trilogy has never been the issue. The franchise simply needed a good reason to wind all the way back to the beginning. And it does – Webb’s version at least tries to explore areas previously undeveloped. In fact, for the first 60 minutes, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is amongst the finest superhero films to date; in some ways the most faithful Spider-Man film yet, and in others courageous enough to interpret the character on its own terms. Disappointingly, it’s ruined by below standard (read lazy) scripting, the result of which is a confused and unremarkable start to the rebooted franchise. Even Stan Lee’s best-ever cameo (by quite some way) can’t save this from comic-book movie mediocrity.

 THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN arrives in UK cinemas 3rd July.