The Amazing Spider-Man Review

The aptly named Marc Webb brings the rhythm honed in his career directing music videos, as well as the indie sensibility he perfected with (500) Days of Summer, to The Amazing Spider-Man, a thrilling reboot for the beloved superhero that was run into the emo-dancing ground by Sam Raimi in the horrifically misguided Spider-Man 3.  Many thought it was strange when the re-launch was announced, coming only five years after James Franco and Kirsten Dunst doing the Twist in the kitchen, and while it's hard to argue that The Amazing Spider-Man is necessary (how many movies can claim such a thing?), it's impossible not to argue that it is certainly welcome.

The Amazing Spider-Man is another stab at the character's origin story, and while it may feel regressive to go over the familiar tale of power and responsibility, epitomized in high schooler Peter Parker's inadvertent part in his Uncle Ben's murder, Webb's film makes the whole thing fresh.  There are some subtle nods to the way things happened in Tobey Maguire's first outing (Peter finds his inspiration for a mask in a dust-covered wrestling ring), and even knowing what's about to happen, the film's first act is gripping.

It's nice, too, to have so much time with Uncle Ben before his untimely demise.  Martin Sheen makes the character a warm, humorous mentor to his nephew, and when he dies, it isn't a mere plot point, but rather a shattering, character-defining moment that rips a hole in Peter which echoes throughout the film in an unexpectedly visceral way.  Indeed, I was shocked to find how emotionally charged The Amazing Spider-Man is, whether it's the family dynamics between Peter and his guardians, the hollowness left by the mysterious disappearance of Richard and Mary Parker, or the joyous glow of young love.  There's a thrill, a rush of discovery, a blossom of comic book bliss as Peter navigates the highs and lows of becoming a superhero - and becoming a man.

A least some of this electric energy comes from the movie's overarching youthfulness.  Even in the original Raimi film, Maguire never felt like a high schooler.  He looked a bit too old and carried his baggage a little too heavily; there was something old about the character's soul, not enough innocence to be lost.  With Andrew Garfield filling Peter's shoes this time around, the character looks and acts his age, as Garfield makes him a bumbling, grinning, impossibly charming hero, one who revels his abilities once he masters them, using them to augment his skateboarding prowess and tossing one-liners simply because it seems so cool to do so.  It's clear that Garfield had a lot of fun slipping into Peter's skin, at least as much fun as Peter has as he becomes Spider-Man.

And when Garfield shares the screen with Emma Stone, there's such chemistry it makes me smile just to think about it.  The two are powerhouse young actors in their own rights, having delivered consistently stellar performances over the past few years, and they ably carry The Amazing Spider-Man on their shoulders.  Stone is one of the most comedically talented actresses out there, and she gets a chance to stretch those muscles here, as well as delving into darker territory, exploring the wistfulness and worry that comes with watching your loved ones barrel headlong into danger.  As love blossoms between Peter and Gwen, Garfield and Stone achieve a perfectly synchronized giddiness, an infectious something new for the genre.  Webb's experience handling the intricacies and hesitations of hip young love is put to good use, giving The Amazing Spider-Man the sensation of being a probing indie romance wrapped in a popcorn movie.

And what a popcorn movie it is.  The special effects are stunning, with Spidey's web-swinging having never looked better.  Especially effective (and stomach-flipping) are the first-person sequences that put the audience behind the mask, dashing and diving across the New York skyline.  The sense of momentum and rhythm are beautifully realized in these scenes, and the action scenes match the style and excitement, whether Spider-Man is facing off with a common car thief during his search for Uncle Ben's elusive killer or doing battle with the Lizard, whom Rhys Ifans brings to scaly, slightly underwhelming life.  The design of the Lizard is solid, and the voice is a bit unsettling but ultimately works, but the character's motivation is lacking in its familiarity.

Despite the villain's flaws, the battles between Spider-Man and the Lizard are still thrilling, plunging through the sewers or atop the Oscorp tower.  But the best parts of The Amazing Spider-Man are when our hero isn't so super.  Part of being a masked superhero is being separate, a burden that often works its way into the genre's thematic underpinnings (or, in the case of Iron Man, makes for a great comedic kicker).  It's certainly at work here, as Peter tries to defend Spider-Man to Gwen's police officer father (Denis Leary, who looks a lot like Willem Defoe, which could spark some interesting fan fiction) without being able to say why his convictions are so strong, but the more interesting element at work in this film is how human this Peter Parker is.  When attempting to save a kid from a dangling, burning car, Spider-Man takes off his mask to show that he's just a normal guy trying to do some good, and in that moment of compassion, of lowering himself and giving the kid a jolt of mask-inspired confidence, it's clear why Peter (especially as played by Garfield) is such a hero.

With a poorly-executed mid-credits scene and announcements already made, there's more of the new Spider-Man on the not-too-distant horizon, and if the cast and crew manage to keep this perfect balance going throughout the planned trilogy, we're in for a treat.  Marc Webb has saved Spider-Man from the brink of cinematic irrelevance, and it's clear that he's handling this power very responsibly.