Andrew Garfield swings and soars as the web-slinging Marvel superhero in this Spider-Man reboot.
Directed by Marc Webb, this re-imagination of the iconic superhero is earnest, fun and full of great performances. The film takes a slightly darker turn than the Tobey Maguire-led franchise, but also manages to insert wit and humor in it along the way. With plenty of stunning 3-D action sequences and a heart-felt love story, this Spider-Man certainly lives up to its title of being "amazing."
Andrew Garfield stars as the nerdy Peter Parker, who after being bitten by a spider develops spidey-senses of his own. He designs his own costume and web-shooters in this version, and also develops feelings for beautiful girl-next-door Gwen Stacy, played by the ever wonderful Emma Stone. The chemistry between the two leads were absolutely perfect, as the two managed to capture every bit of the experience of one's first love, making it both authentic and heart-felt. Further, Stone's Gwen Stacy proves to be a much stronger and less annoying female lead than that of Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane. Gwen Stacy is no damsel in distress, but rather a young woman with a strong moral conscience that compliments her love interest's.
The one fault in this film however, is its villain. Rhys Ifans portrays Dr. Curt Connors, the lab partner of Parker's father who is in pursuit of a DNA-based cross-species genetic serum. While the Lizard facing off against Spider-Man made for some intense fight sequences, the CGI creature made the action scenes feel more like a video game than a live-action movie. In a film that focused so much on presenting realistic human emotions and characteristics, a more realistic villain would have been a better choice to suit the film's narrative.
There is no doubt that Garfield was born to play the role of Peter Parker, and he flawlessly captures the very essence of what the young boy and his superhero alter-ego should be. The Amazing Spider-Man is a fun summer superhero flick that is not to be missed, if not for its two leads then for the familiarity of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, who has just proven himself to be worthy of a new franchise.
8.5/10
by Kyle
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