Meanwhile the appropriately named director Marc Webb came off his directorial-debut '(500) Days of Summer'. Sony saw something in this newcomer and handed the reigns of the would-be blockbuster to Webb. Filling the way too tight spandex suit this time is Andrew Garfield from 'The Social Network', also an up-and-comer.
I'm not a superhero kind a guy, really. My interests
don't reach much further than the Batman movies so I wasn't bugged by the
liberties this film takes with the original story. From the start I genuinely
liked what I was seeing in the trailers for 'The Amazing Spider-Man'. Garfield seemed way more
likeable than goody two-shoes Maguire and the tone of the film appeared to be
slightly less goofy than Raimi's films. But still I was curious if audiences
would take to a different version of the same story.
Now that I've seen it can I say that I liked this
version a lot more. Sam Raimi's films, especially 'Spider-Man 2', are good but
this is better. Supported by a sympathetic cast, Marc Webb succeeds in
bringing us one of the most entertaining summer blockbusters yet. Even though
Spider-Man's origins have already been well-explored this latest incarnation
manages to make it feel fresh and involving. It also scores points by aiming at
the emotional core of the characters.
I was especially surprised by the touching scenes
involving Garfield 's
Peter Parker and his aunt and uncle, played by Sally Field and Martin Sheen. It's
been a while since we've seen such heartfelt moments in an action flick like
this. It's apparent that Webb's focus lay on this element of the film and the
action scenes suffer visibly. The editing in these adrenaline-fueled sequences
is often too quick making it hard to follow exactly what's going on.
Of course, every superhero needs a baddie. In 'The
Amazing Spider-Man' we get the one-armed scientist Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), a
former collegue of Peter's lost father. When an experiment to regenerate his
arm goes awry Connors turns into a huge humanoid lizard. This rather fantastic
element clashes with the quite down-to-earth tone of the movie's first half. Luckily,
it never seriously derails the movie and the confrontations between Spidey and
the Lizard, especially the one taking place in Peter's high school, are very
entertaining.
'The Amazing Spider-Man' also benefits from its score.
Veteran film composer James Horner creates a memorable musical identity for our
hero. It's great to hear some good thematic music in a major blockbuster
instead of the bland industrial works of Hans Zimmer and his cronies.
So did Marc Webb succesfully reboot a series which
didn't really need to be rebooted? Yes, he did. Here's to hoping Webb's new
series won't be cut short like Sam Raimi's.
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