The Amazing Spider-Man - Film Review

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The new Spider-Man swings into town with this amazing freshened up version!

An amazing introduction to the freshly revamped Spider-Man franchise as a whole new cast assemble ready to take on the villains of the 'Big Apple'.



Straight from the opening sequences we see a difference from the 2002 version of the Spider-Man series. The filming technique is darker, which I believe is taken from Nolan's smash-hit Batman trilogy, the lead role of Spider-Man is better portrayed by Andrew Garfield and the movie has a more emotional feel to it unlike the previous three 'Spidey' features.

The narrative and script is surprisingly strong. It has been very well written and adapted from the Marvel comic books. The opening scenes are reminiscent of Peter Parker's childhood, then moving onto school life and finally his Spider-Man self. My only quibble would be, again like the others, the final scenes.

If we recall Spider-Man 2 back in 2004, that climaxed with Dr. Otto Octavius and Spider-Man ending their differences with Dr. Octavius scuppering his own evil plans in aid to save Peter Parker and New York City. Guess what happens here... it is agitating as it eliminates the good versus evil battle throughout the film.

The acting in this film is nearly incomparable to the 2002 version as it is that good. Garfield's acting is 'skyscraperingly' above Tobey Maguire's take on Peter Parker's character. He is more moody like a teenager, more emotional with his hormones and has great comedic timing in the rare amusing scenes. This new emotional and vulnerable side to Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is deployed to gain female viewership so it isn't just another masculine blockbuster.



If I had to point out one slight niggle with Andrew Garfield though it would be that he is just a bit too good looking to play a nerdy Peter Parker. He also dresses very cool with skinny jeans, a hoodie and a skateboard; other than that it's great casting.

Many scenes in this thrilling action movie, also in 3D, have great camera angles, fast paced cutting and colourful editing. The crane scene, which you have to see it to gain its full effect, is a beauty of a sequence as Spider-Man flies through the city spinning his web off each crane all the way to the Oscorp Tower.

The obvious fight scenes between 'Spidey' and Lizard are brilliant too with a great bout at the climax, a furious battle in the school grounds and my personal favourite on the metro with Peter Parker taking on a gang. The fights seem more violent in this version with more wounds being shown too. It's an all-over better finishing product than the previous.

The Verdict

A brilliant revamped version to begin a new era of the Spider-Man franchise. An amazing new Spider-Man actor in Andrew Garfield, plus a special mention for Emma Stone who in my opinion is a much better love interest than the mundane Mary Jane conveyed by Kirsten Dunst in 2002.

The whole new outlook and filming technique is a breath of fresh air to superhero movies. I say this loosely as the 'Spidey' director has followed suit with the Batman films in terms of filming, unlike The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, as they are too light hearted to be an epic superhero film.

The biggest contrast compared to the above movies is the emotion within the film. I believe the director took the idea from the Twilight Saga as this Spider-Man instalment is so dark and moody. It's not a bad theme to take as the Twilight series hasn't done too badly for itself. This film was always meant to be a hit anyway, especially with a director's name of Mark Webb at the helm.



Star Rating: 4/5

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