2012
12A
Directed by Marc Webb (apt surname..)
Starring Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield and Rhys Ifans
Rebooted, reinvented, rewritten. Just a selection of synonyms used by director Marc Webb while trying to avoid the taboo word in cinema: remake. But let’s face it, The Amazing Spider-Man is precisely a remake of Sam Raimi’s film from 2002. Many critics have claimed that it is simply too soon to reinvent the franchise already, and part of Amateur Reviews agrees with that. However, from a Sony point of view, it makes perfect sense. To freshen up one of the only Marvel superheroes missing from Avengers Assemble before embarking on a sequel seems like excellent timing.
The plot shares the main back bone with Raimi’s previous
offering: nerdy school boy who lives with his Uncle and Aunt gets bitten by a
spider and develops web slinging talent. The difference being that Webb has
tried to focus more on the individual characters and look further into Peter
Parker’s back story. Trouble is, a lot of these extra plot threads which seem
to make The Amazing Spider-Man different to your generic superhero movie seem
to be lost by the final explosive act. But credit to Webb, he has incorporated
some of the quirk from (500) Days of Summer and the exchanges between Parker
and his love interest, Gwen Stacy, really capture the awkwardness of youth.
Our two leads are superb. Andrew Garfield is great, given
the fact he’s a lot older than a 17 year old, he is extremely convincing in his
mannerisms and posture. We all knew his was a fair actor after The Social
Network, but Spider-Man has cemented him as one of the most talented youngsters
currently working in Hollywood. As far as comparing to Toby McGuire’s
portrayal, Garfield’s Parker is a lot edgier with better hair and mad skate
boarding skills: but the same character spirit remains. Emma Stone stars as
Gwen Stacy, daughter of NYPD policeman who is hunting down her beau. Stone
concocts her signature balance between sex appeal and goof ball, terrifically
endearing. Rhys Ifans is the villain of the piece, and it’s hard to hate him,
as he only goes off the rails as he is so driven to do good. Still, he’s
nonetheless impressive and different enough from the Green Goblin to be
original.
The Amazing-Spiderman, as a stand alone film, is cracking. Except the
issue is it’s not stand alone. Every other week it seems a new superhero movie
is released. The Avengers was one tough act to follow, and The Amazing
Spider-Man was not dramatically better than its predecessor, not to mention
Iron Man, Thor and Captain America. The Amazing Spider-Man lacks what Nolan’s
Dark Knight had by the bucket load: character acting, breath taking action sequences,
darkness and a complexly intricate plot. Even so, this is a quality summer
block buster, with good acting and some striking visuals, it’s good fun and so
very worth a watch.
Rating: 7
