The Amazing Spider-Man Review

You all know the story: Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, is left to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field), gets bitten by a genetically altered spider that gives him super strength, speed and agility - allowing him to attract the girl of his dreams, all while ridding the world from evil.

I was thrown when I heard they were rebooting this series, considering Spider-Man 3 (which was awful, btw) was released just over 5 years ago. Do we really need another Spider-Man movie? Probably not. So I saw this movie with a pinch of excitement and nothing more. I did not expect to fully enjoy this popcorn flick. But as it turns out an unnecessary movie - even one as profoundly unnecessary as this one - can still be pretty awesome. I was impressed right off the bat. Andrew Garfield knocks it out of the park. This is really his movie, with his shy, wicked grin and unexpected humor. Props to director Marc Webb (insert giggle), he truly knew what he was doing when casting this sexy Brit. His vision was flawless. For example, I love how he brings the audience in during Spider-Man's "Tarzan" moments, flying around Manhattan, offering us a taste of his delirious momentum, visuals that lacked in previous Spider-Man films. There were fantastic visual gems through out the entire film as well. Worth seeing in 3D? Not really. However, there are a few worth while 3D moments through out.

Everything just seemed a little cooler in this latest installment, from the cast, to the characters they played, to the killer fight scenes. The exhilarating web-slinging scenes themselves were definitely note worthy, all the way down to his revamped blue and red leotard. And even though Spidey now has mechanical web-shooters (just like in the original comics), everything else stays familiar - the development of Spidey’s costume, learning to swing from buildings, saving lives etc. Even the chemistry between Spider-Man and his leading lady, Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone) is increasingly richer. The two definitely brought passion to their game. It's no wonder Stone and Garfield are dating in real life.

Overall The Amazing Spider-Man is shy of "amazing," but it is still fun, truly exciting, thrilling, added spectacular special effects and yes, elements of surprise, namely how touching it ends up being. It'll have your heart in the palm of its hands by the end of the movie. So go see it! You just might surprise yourself at how much you enjoy it.

Rating: B-

What did you think?