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REVIEW: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’



Director: Marc Webb

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans and Denis Leary

What is it about:
The high school nerd, Peter Parker (Garfield) was an outcast until he was bitten by a radioactive spider, giving him superhuman strength and turning him into a spandex-wearing masked hero called Spider-Man. While he discovers who (or what) he really is, he realised that, yes, with great power indeed comes great responsibilities as he is torn between defeating the villainous The Lizard (Ifans) and protecting the girl he loves, Gwen Stacy (Stone).

The good: I’ll start off with a bombshell: Andrew Garfield is a much better Spider-Man than Tobey Maguire. He embodies the character so well that it’s convincing, something I didn’t really find in Tobey. He makes you feel the pain and struggle he’s going through. Emma Stone was fantastic as Gwen Stacy too, turning her from a damsel in distress in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 3’ into a smart, unbelievably sexy thing. When it comes to the lovey dovey scenes, you can actually see and feel the chemistry between the pair. The movie has a really nice pace to it as it starts off by explaining why Peter Parker’s parents left him, then how he discovered and learn to use his powers before he finds his calling as a superhero. But what ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is, is that it’s an emotional rollercoaster ride: in that two hours you spend in the cinema, you’ll find yourself laughing thanks to Spidey’s hilarious quips; the next minute, you’ll find yourself shedding tears because director Marc Webb did such an amazing job building the characters and making you feel so emotionally connected to them; and right after, you’ll be gripping your seat and holding your breath as your jaw drops from all the cool action scenes. But what I really like about ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is that it’s realistic: Peter Parker bleeds when he gets punched in the face, he made his costume out of every day material and he is not invincible to gunshots. Oh, and the occasional first-person view of Spidey swinging from rooftops is friggin’ awesome!

The bad:
Die-hard Spidey fans would definitely argue that Webb’s version of Peter Parker is slightly different than in the comics. Peter was supposed to be a nerd; timid, shy and awkward, something like Tobey Maguire’s version in the previous movies. This Peter, however, is more like a cocky, arrogant rebel. Also, manly men would find the whole Peter-Gwen romance a little bit too cheesy because, well, what do you expect from the guy who directed ‘(500) Days of Summer’?

Final words:
If you loved the first three ‘Spider-Man’ movies, you’ll love this one. ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is darker, grittier and more realistic than the previous movies. And yes, it is way better than all three movies – combined! Was it too soon for a ‘Spider-Man’ re-boot? Maybe, but I’m glad they did because this is the direction I want future Spidey movies to go. Go watch. In 3D!