We've all been part of the Hollywood franchise scene in the past with the likes of Batman, James Bond, Planet of the Apes, even American Pie which seem to go on forever depending on how much money they pull in at the box office. Well, this summer is no different in that we have soon, "The Dark Knight Rises" and also now we have "The Amazing Spider-Man".Like most teenagers, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is now. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), and together, they struggle with love, secrets and commitments. As Peter discovers a briefcase that belonged to his father, Richard (Campbell Scott), which he found in his home which is his aunt and uncle's (Sally Field and Martin Sheen) house. At this point, he begins to question his parent's disappearance that leads him on a quest which leads him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father's partner.
As Spider-Man (Parker) is set on a collision course with Connors' alter ego, The Lizard, Peter will have to make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.
Others to round out the cast are Denis Leary as Captain Stacy, Gwen's dad, Irrfan Khan as Rajit Ratha, the financial backer of Connors' cross genetic experiments, Embeth Davidtz as Mary Parker, Peter's mom, Chris Zylka as Flash Thompson, a bully of Peter at high school, Max Charles as Peter Parker (age 4), C.Thomas Howell as Jack's dad, and Jake Ryan Keiffer as Jack. Garfield simply rocks as Parker. He almost acts and appears 'spider-like' when the scene calls.
This was frenetically and intensely directed by Marc Webb who has done a ton of TV, so he is a virtual newbie when it comes to feature films. Undoubtedly he will be offered more work. In fact this is so-o set up for a sequel, so Webb will get more work. Considering all the writers of this, it actually had a interesting storyline. It was written by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, and Steve Kloves based on a story by Vanderbilt which was based on a Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
The visual effects predominantly designed and created by SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) were, as with the past Spider-Man movies, absolutely seamless. In fact, if anything, possibly better. It's amazing what a few years difference can make in the computer generated imagery or CGI field.
This being presented in both IMAX and 3D versions, you've got to see this on the large screen, lest it will lose everything on a DVD. This is not without flaws, but this new revamped version of the franchise is definitely an improvement that all will enjoy for years to come.
Out of 4 stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 136min.
Hey Gary, I really liked this version over the one with Toby McGuire. Garfield really convinced me he was an adolescent really stumbling around trying to figure himself out. He was endearing as a person and so it worked better for me when he decided to become spiderman. It's such a teenage sort of idealism that is convincing.
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