The Amazing Spider-Man Review

      The Amazing Spider-Man was released in 2012. It is directed by Marc Webb and stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, and Denis Leary. It tells the origin story of Spider-Man (Grafield), a nerdy teenager who is bit by a radioactive spider and receives superpowers. You all know the rest of the story at this point.

     I used to think The Amazing Spider-Man was a pretty solid reboot. It stuck closer to the comics then the Raimi films in certain areas and generally improved on some of those films weaknesses. Five years later my view has changed. Looking at this film purely on its own merits and without the context of the comics or the Raimi films really hurts it. While I appreciate the fact that the writers try to give Peter a longer learning curve after Uncle Ben's death (he initially seeks vengeance instead of learning the lesson about responsibility immediately after his uncle dies) as this gives them the opportunity to give Peter a longer and potentially richer character arc, they unfortunately miss this opportunity.

     When Peter's uncle is murdered he decides to use his new powers to pursue the killer. He's racked with anguish and guilt because he had an opportunity to apprehend the criminal before he shot Ben. He transfers these negative feelings onto the killer, ignoring his Aunt's grief and shirking his responsibilities. Its only when he is confronted by Captain Stacy, a man he seems to look up to, that he reconsiders what he is doing. He realizes that, although he has apprehended many criminals in his quest for vengeance, perhaps this has actually hindered the police's ability to fight crime rather than helped. Then the Lizard, a creature he helped to create, attacks innocent people on the Williamsburg Bridge and Peter decides, for the first time, to try and use his powers to help people instead of for selfish reasons. This Peter Parker doesn't become a superhero because he is haunted by his uncle's death, which is something I originally just took for granted when watching this film. Rather, he is a person who has let go of his desire for vengeance to pursue a greater good. The arc is still there but it's not as resonant or powerful.

     This is my main issue with this movie but it's not the only one. There is an entire subplot dedicated to the disappearance of Peter's parents and his obsession with this. It's this obsession which leads him to Oscorp, where he gets his powers. But an incredibly contrived set of circumstances take place to get him there. By trying to tie Peter's origin to his past and make it the result of his own choices rather than a random accident, this film unnecessarily complicates what was a pretty compelling story in the original comics and the plot is rather contrived as a result. The villain of the film, on the other hand, feels rather simplistic and one-dimensional. Curt Conners is pressured by his superiors at Oscorp to test his regenerative formula on himself, which turns him into the Lizard and drives him insane. Though he's not really a bad guy, Connors lacks the sympathetic nature of his comic-book counterpart, who was made more sympathetic by his wife and son's dismay at his change. Nor is he someone who has paid the price for a reckless science experiment, as this decision was forced on him. He basically just a victim, someone who was turned into a monster against his will. Finally, the film's climax is really generic, with the Lizard trying to turn everyone in New York into lizard creatures via a giant sky beam.

     There are a lot of things about this film that I like. As I said, I can appreciate the fact that the writers were trying to create a more grounded and complex origin, even if they ultimately failed. I also think the film is cast really well. I really like Andrew Garfield in this movie. He sells the nerdiness and awkwardness of Peter Parker and the cockiness of Spider-Man really well. He also has a limber and sinewy physique that resembles Steve Ditko's early renditions of the character. Emma Stone is also really great as Gwen Stacy, imbuing the character with a lot of natural spunk and intelligence. She and Garfield have great chemistry together. I also like Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. They feel like a real couple and its easy to understand why Peter is so socially awkward as they are both a little old fashion and clearly weren't prepared to have Peter thrust on them. Yet their love for each other and for Peter is always apparent.

     The score, by the late, great James Horner, is quite good. It's more of a traditional, orchestral kind of score than is typical for modern superhero films. The main theme is really stirring  and the music accompanying Uncle Ben and Captain Stacy's death add the appropriate amount of dramatic heft to those scenes. The film itself, despite its darker, grittier exterior, has some of really inspiring moments, and generally feels more old school in its approach to superheroes, which I appreciate. There is one scene in particular, where Peter takes his mask off and gives it to a young boy he's rescuing in order to give him courage, that may be one of my favorite scenes in any Spider-Man movie. I only wish it was surrounded by a better film.

     In the end, The Amazing Spider-Man strengths are not enough to overcome its flimsy plot and the mishandling of Peter's motives for being Spider-Man takes away too much from the emotional weight of his hero's journey for me to really forgive.

Score: 6/10