The Amazing Spider-Man lives up to its name

June 29th, 2012

Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Dennis Leary, Sally Field, Martin Sheen, Chris Zylka
Original Story: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

After three films with Toby Maguire as New York City’s most acrobatic vigilante, the Spider-Man suit has been passed on to British actor Andrew Garfield, who fits the spandex to a T. With an entirely new crew both in front of and behind the camera for The Amazing Spider-Man, Garfield, along with an impeccably selected group of actors, bring to life director Marc Webb’s vision of Spider-Man.

Based on Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s comic book, Webb, along with writers James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves, adapted the beloved story to breed a new type of comic book movie that keeps the visuals, sense of adventure, heroism and romance true to the genre, while eliminating the camp-ness of similar comic book films.

In the film, opening July 3, Peter Parker, played to perfection by Andrew Garfield, is a less nerdy version of Maguire’s high school Parker, who lives with his Aunt Mae (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen). After his parents die during his childhood, Peter, raised by his aunt and uncle, discovers a briefcase owned by his father, containing a valuable equation that led to his parents disappearance.

Parker connects with his father’s old OsCorp colleague Dr. Curt Connors, played by the surprisingly villainous Rhys Ifans, and the two put the elder Parker’s equation into effect, thus transforming Connors into the film’s villain. Along the way, Peter romances Gwen Stacy, played with effortless charm by Emma Stone, and the two see their relationship tested when Gwen’s father Captain Stacy (Denis Leary) clashes with Peter over their views on Spider-Man.

What’s most striking about the latest adaptation of Spider-Man is that is manages to break out of the comic book film genre and stand alone as a solid film, full of romance, comedy and drama. Relatively new director Marc Webb, whose biggest directing credit is the cult hit rom com 500 Days of Summer, seamlessly blends stunning visual effects and action scenes with a dramatic storyline, especially between Peter and his aunt and uncle. Webb’s background in romantic films comes through the screen with a tangible chemistry between Garfield and Stone, who’s status as a real-life couple is evident in each scene they share. Cinematic and artistic moments aren’t lost among the big-budget effects, with one shot in particular involving Stone’s character and a row of umbrellas looking like an homage to the stunning visuals of the original comic book.

While director Sam Raimi’s version of Spider-Man’s origins story may be too fresh in some fans memories for a remake (the film is only ten years old), Garfield’s Spider-Man offers a new cocky and confident superhero that possess enough differences from Maguire’s dorky and bumbling Parker to breathe a different life into the story. With a follow-up to the film already set for 2014, movie and comic book fans will surely be able to reunite once again for a movie that entertains all viewers.

Rating: 8.5 / 10

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Tags: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Movies, reviews, The Amazing Spider-Man