The Amazing Spider-Man

At the end of Spider-Man 3, most people left the film in one of two states: anger, or fierce disappointment. What had been hyped up to be the biggest Spider-Man film yet turned out to be a mediocre film, and a rather large middle finger to Spidey fans.

A few years later, about 2010 I believe, the talks for a fourth Spider-Man film began to surface, with the head villain being none other than the Lizard, and fans of ol’ webhead celebrated, for it seemed like Sony Pictures was trying to make up for the big mistake that was SM3.

However, things took a massive turn for the worse. The Lizard was dropped as the villain, and a lesser known villain, the Vulture, was primed to be the main villain. To add to the obscurity, an even lesser known villain(one that even *I* hadn’t heard of), the Vulturess was named to be yet another villain.
Fans of Spider-Man began to panic. A fourth film was needed to fix the damage that SM3 had dealt, but Sony seemed intent on making an even bigger mistake.
Eventually, things got so bad for SM4 that the project was dropped, and fans got pissed. No more Spider-Man?
Wrong. Not long after the cancellation of SM4, a brand new Spider-Man series was announced, with a brand new cast and a clean slate, plenty of opportunity to create a whole new Spider-Man.
The news of a reboot was met with mixed reactions; Spider-Man 3 had only been released in 2007, was a brand new Spider-Man series really necessary? Cries against Hollywood for lack of originality began to flow in, and plenty of Spidey fans thought the series was going to be a disaster.
But things began to brighten up when the Lizard was announced as the film’s first villain. To add to the good news, Andrew Garfield was cast as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and -even better news for long-time Spider-Man fans- rising Actress Emma Stone was cast as the lovely Gwen Stacy, a long-time favorite romantic interest of Peter Parker.
So, on July 3, 2012, the Amazing Spider-Man was released in theaters, garnering positive review after positive review, and thus a brand new Spider-Man was born.
So just what are my thoughts on the film? Check it out below:

　
　
The Pros

Great acting from the primary cast: Andrew Garfield has the look -and speech- of a nerd, nailing a goofy but likeable Peter Parker.
Emma Stone, without a doubt the shining star of the film in terms of acting skill, plays a wonderful Gwen Stacy, portraying a tough, yet gentle young lady.
Sally Fields\, a veteran actress in a crowd of new faces, plays a rather fierce Aunt May, bringing a bit of grit to the role. Usually, Aunt May is a rather quiet, timid character, but Field brings much needed fire to the role.

One freaky-looking Lizard: I heard so many long-time Spidey fans complain about the Lizard’s design, but I felt the designers nailed him perfectly. In the film, you recognize the Lizard as monster organism, yet at the same time you see a human expression on his face, as if Connors hasn’t fully transformed into a beast. While perhaps a completely faithful look, it makes for a unique one.

Peter’s parents: Seriously, this might be the best part of the film. For the first time in my memory, Parker’s parents play a vital role in the plot and development of the film, and obviously will play a bigger role in future Spider-Man films.

Setup for a great sequel: The film is part of a series, a fact that is easily recognized. Certain plot points are left unfinished, and it’s easy to see they’re meant to be resolved in a later film. Big things are coming for Spider-Man.

Fun Plot: While not the most original plot, the film certainly tells an enjoyable one. It may not be a masterpiece of a plot, but it certainly entertains.

More faithful to the comics: Spider-Man’s webbing was never organic, you hear me, Sam Raimi Spider-Man fans? It doesn’t come from his body, he makes it himself. In this film, he instead buys it from Oscorp. Not to mention Peter’s still in High School, which will make for a fun diversion in later films.
Parker’s character is well-developed: As the films keeps rolling, you see change after change in Parker, as he changes from goofy nerd to super-powered punk to actual hero. The changes are handled well and seem realistic to the viewer.

Stan Lee: As usual, Stan Lee makes a cameo in a Marvel film. Greatest...cameo...ever.
　
　
The Cons:

Poorly developed villain: I loved the Lizard from the Spider-Man comics. One of my favorite comic book bad guys ever. But in this...Connors simply becomes the bad guy for the sake of the plot, or atleast it seems that way to me. At one moment he’s a good guy, then next he’s trying to kill people. What gives?

Uncle Ben’s death was poorly handled: Man, was this scene rushed! It literally occurs in about five minutes, little to no effort put into it. Sure, the whole Uncle Ben thing has been done a lot, but it’s a key point in Parker’s life, atleast try a little, why don’t you!

Parker’s too...trendy: I get the whole photography thing, that’s cool. But why give Peter a skateboard?

Poor romantic setup between Peter and Gwen: Maybe it’s just me being a writer, but a romantic plot needs time to develop, and it seemed to happen in the film so quickly. But then again, it could be I’m just stupid...or something like that.

Not enough one-liners for Spider-Man: One thing that made Spider-Man different from other super-heroes was his constant taunting of his enemies, often driving them to distraction. Sure, he delivers some fantastic ones in this film, but I could’ve used a couple more.
　
　
The Last Word:

This film is just a setup. The film-makers deliberately held back, in the opinion of this critic. While a darn fun film, the real juicy part of Spider-Man will be coming from its sequels, and this was just merely a taste to whet our appetites.
I definitely had a good time with this film, but I find myself waiting in great anticipation for the next Spider-Man film. THAT’S where the great stuff’s gonna be.

Score: 8.7/10