Review - The Amazing Spider-Man

*Possible spoilers ahead

The Amazing Spider-Man has officially swung into theaters and initial reports are that it is a hit. However, is this just the outcry from Spidey fans excited to see him on the big screen again or does the film actually stand up to it’s hype? Spider-Man fans, whether new or old, will have been happy that they have seen this movie. The movie does a great job at delivering all the necessary items on the Spider-Man check list.

As I just saw the movie a lot of it is still sinking in, but let’s take a closer look.
  
Andrew Garfield perfectly portrays the character of Peter Parker. Not only does this 28 year old pull off the look and awkwardness of a high school student but he breathes comic life into the character that wasn’t fully there with Toby Maguire. From his body type to the messy, spiky hair, Garfield looks like he was pulled straight from the comics. I also found that Garfield’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man is much more relatable than Toby Maguire’s. There is more true emotion to him as well. Peter is allowed to feel his anger/sorrow in a more natural way in this film. To be fair, the casting across the board for this film as a whole was spot on. Emma Stone shines as Gwen Stacy and the connection between her and Garfield for their love story is done so well. Even high school classmate Flash Thompson is improved in this film as he stands out as more than just a parody of a high school bully. Throughout the film you actually see different levels of his character which I thought was a nice touch. Denis Leary is a great Captain Stacy even though his character isn’t as developed as some fans would have hoped. However, it should be noted that the film still does a great job at showing the character’s support for Spidey that he had in the comics. Rhys Ifans does a great job as Dr. Conners / The Lizard showing the familiar “misguided scientist” persona. The CGI used to create the Lizard was nicely done. I was worried that the Lizard would look horrible but on the whole it looked good. Yes, he could have looked a little bit better but that is just a small nit-pick. I liked that they allowed Dr. Conners' lab coat to make an appearance on the Lizard in one scene as a nod to the comics but it is tossed aside quickly.

The character of Spider-Man is nicely handled. One thing that I thought was a little over the top, however, was the bathroom scene where Peter is trying to adjust to his new super strength. The scene ends with a good laugh though so most people will let it slide. The sarcastic humor that Spidey has is definitely present throughout the film which will have you laughing. Spider-Man’s movements and web slinging are handled beautifully in this film. With a more realistic look and feel, it appears that Peter has become a parkour runner at times but given that this is Spider-Man it has a welcomed feel to it. I would imagine at close range, that is exactly the style that Spidey would use to fight. The web slinging has a more realistic fluid rhythm to it than we have seen in the past. This combined with the fact that Spider-Man nails some truly iconic poses during his web slinging, will truly excite fans. The poses that Garfield brings to the screen are incredible. Then you have the costume which is handled very nicely as well. Fans get a little more insight as to what influenced the costume than we did in the original Spider-Man and although feeling may be mixed on this, I appreciated the fact that it actually looked like he was wearing a suit. It wasn’t skin tight or anything. I thought this was a very nice touch. It is true that in this film Spidey gets beat up quite a lot but when going against super villains, he always does. It is his ability to take the beating and remain in the fight that people love about this character. He overcomes the obstacles. Fans will notice that Spidey carries around his backpack a lot through the film but I thought this was a fantastic detail from the comics to add to the film. Nicely done! The one thing that I can already hear fans argue about is how much Peter takes his mask off. I let this slide for one reason. When these scenes occur he is not surrounded by the public. He is with someone who knows his identity or by himself. What you have to remember is that when these instances occur Peter has not yet learned the all too important lesson of how a secret identity can keep your loved ones safe. A lesson that he will learn much later in the movie.

The story of this movie is where it shines nicely. The Amazing Spider-Man has captured the story of Peter Parker brilliantly and walks you through his transformation from high school geek to super hero. The love story is integrated smoothly and does not feel forced. Even though there is a lot of high points to this film there are some spots that make you ask yourself, “What just happened?” In one particular Lizard scene the music is flowing smoothly until two anvils are dropped on pianos during a particularly quite scene. The choice of slamming piano keys as music here is questionable at best. Also, though the obstacle of not have web shooters sort of presents itself when they are crushed, I would have liked to have seen a fight scene where Peter runs out of webbing fluid. I felt this was a missed opportunity that would have been a great comic addition to the film. In the scene where the web shooters get crushed the fight is basically over and it is not really an issue. The pacing of the film felt a bit rushed in some points but I feel that this is because they took their time developing others scenes such as Peter’s emotional aspect or Peter and Gwen’s love story. A little more balance though could have helped a lot.

In the end, even with some faults here and there, The Amazing Spider-Man is truly an incredible movie that stands above its predecessor. Character development for Peter Parker/Spider-Man is done perfectly and the action sequences will definitely excite fans. This is a movie that I would highly recommend seeing.

Rating: 9 out of 10