The Amazing Spider-Man

How do you convince audiences they need another Spider-Man origin story just five years after Spider-Man 3? That was the enormous challenge facing The Amazing Spider-Man. Sam Raimi’s trilogy was still fresh in people’s minds, Tobey Maguire was still Peter Parker to an entire generation and now we were being asked to watch another teenager get bitten by a spider and become New York’s web-slinging hero. With that in mind, I think this movie is completely polarising because, on one side, it gets so much right, but on the other, it leaves a lot to be desired. Being a reboot of such a beloved trilogy meant it had a huge amount riding on its shoulders, but there is plenty here that deserves praise. So, let’s get the positives out of the way first.

Andrew Garfield is amazing as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Without any doubt, he is my favourite live-action Spider-Man, which is a strange thing to say considering he has less screen time as the character overall than any of the other major live-action versions. Garfield clearly has a genuine love for Spider-Man, though, and it shows.

This version puts much more emphasis on Peter’s intellect, something I always felt was missing from Tobey Maguire’s interpretation, and I love seeing him actually create his web shooters and demonstrate why Peter Parker is supposed to be incredibly intelligent. Once the mask goes on, Garfield gets even better. He is playful, sarcastic and constantly quipping with criminals, while his slim frame and incredibly agile movement make him genuinely move like a spider. Garfield is also such a terrific actor that he can be effortlessly charming one minute before delivering some of the movie’s strongest emotional moments the next.

Martin Sheen deserves plenty of credit as Uncle Ben too, and his relationship with Peter plays an important part in Garfield’s character arc. Sheen brings warmth and authority to the role without ever feeling like he is simply trying to recreate what came before. What I particularly like is that Peter doesn’t immediately become Spider-Man because he understands the responsibility that comes with his powers. After Ben’s death, he is angry, guilty and obsessed with finding the man responsible. He initially hunts criminals for personal revenge rather than because he wants to protect New York. Over time that motivation begins to change, and Peter slowly understands what Ben had been trying to teach him. It makes his journey towards genuinely becoming Spider-Man feel earned rather than instantaneous.

Sally Field is also good as Aunt May and shares some lovely moments with Garfield, particularly as she begins to realise that Peter is hiding something from her. There is a tenderness to their relationship that works really well, but I don’t think this version of Aunt May has anywhere near the same impact as Rosemary Harris did throughout Raimi’s movies. Harris was such an important emotional presence in those films, whereas Field isn’t given enough material here to leave the same impression. That isn’t necessarily a criticism of her performance because she is excellent with what she is given. I just wish the movie had allowed her to play a bigger part in Peter’s journey, especially following Ben’s death.

Emma Stone, however, is wonderful as Gwen Stacy and the perfect pairing for Garfield’s Peter. In fact, they are probably my favourite onscreen romance in any superhero movie. Their relationship has awkwardness, humour and genuine affection without ever feeling forced. Of course, it probably helped that Stone and Garfield started dating in real life because you can absolutely feel their natural chemistry coming through on screen. Gwen is also intelligent and capable in her own right rather than simply existing as Peter’s love interest. The little glances and awkward conversations between them feel incredibly natural, and Stone and Garfield quickly become the beating heart of the movie.

Rhys Ifans is another strong addition as Dr Curt Connors. Although the character had appeared briefly in one of Raimi’s movies, it was awesome finally watching The Lizard brought to the big screen. Ifans gives Connors enough humanity that you understand his desperation to regenerate his missing arm, and the CGI used to create The Lizard still looks great. Unfortunately, the character becomes less interesting once the movie reaches his ultimate plan. Wanting to release a chemical cloud across New York that transforms everyone into lizard creatures feels incredibly generic compared with the more personal story surrounding Connors beforehand. There is a tragic and interesting villain here, but his eventual master plan feels like something pulled from a completely different character.

The action throughout the movie is great, and Marc Webb does a brilliant job capturing Spider-Man’s unique movement. One of the standout sequences is the bridge rescue, particularly when Spider-Man tries to save the young boy trapped inside the car. Peter removes his mask and gives it to the terrified child, telling him that wearing it will make him strong enough to climb. I love that moment because underneath all the powers and spectacle, that is Spider-Man. Peter isn’t punching a villain or trying to look heroic. He is comforting a frightened child and giving him the courage to save himself. It is also an important moment in Peter’s development because you can see him beginning to understand that being Spider-Man should be about helping people rather than getting revenge.

That rescue also makes my favourite scene in the entire movie even better. Before the final battle, Spider-Man is injured and desperately trying to reach Oscorp when the construction workers of New York rally together and angle their cranes across the street to give him a clear path. The man organising them is the father of the boy Peter saved on the bridge, meaning Spider-Man’s earlier act of heroism is now being repaid when he needs the city’s help most. Is it cheesy? Absolutely. Do I care? Not even slightly. It is such a triumphant moment, and watching Spider-Man launch himself between the cranes before swinging through New York towards Oscorp is fantastic. Seeing Spider-Man swing through the streets of New York will simply never get old, and the final battle on top of Oscorp is another excellent sequence that genuinely gave me a little bit of vertigo on the big screen.

I also think the story is interesting enough to justify revisiting Spider-Man’s origin. Rather than simply retelling Uncle Ben’s death and Peter learning about responsibility, the movie introduces the mystery surrounding Peter’s parents, their disappearance and their connection to Oscorp. It gives this version of the character its own identity and creates a larger story that continues into the sequel. However, it is also something of a double-edged sword because the movie raises far more questions than it actually answers. Who exactly were Richard and Mary Parker working with? Why did they disappear? What does Oscorp know? There are moments where the mystery feels genuinely intriguing, but others where it feels like the movie is deliberately holding information back simply to set up future instalments. I wanted to know more, which is obviously the intention, but I also think this movie could have given us a few more answers of its own.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem I have with The Amazing Spider-Man is its tone. The movie is simply too dark. You can argue that this was partly because of the enormous success of The Dark Knight, after which seemingly every superhero movie wanted to become darker and more grounded, but Spider-Man needs more brightness. Peter’s life can absolutely contain tragedy, but Spider-Man himself should bring colour, humour and energy. There are flashes of that here, particularly whenever Garfield is underneath the mask, but visually the movie can feel incredibly gloomy. Thankfully, this was something the sequel would address. I’m also not overly keen on the suit. I understand the practicality behind it and it genuinely looks like something Peter could have made himself, but for me it remains one of the ugliest Spider-Man suits we have seen on the big screen. Once again, the sequel would completely fix that problem.

The score also struggles because it has an almost impossible act to follow. James Horner’s music isn’t bad at all, and there are some beautiful pieces throughout the movie, but it never gives me the same feeling as Danny Elfman’s work on Raimi’s trilogy. Elfman absolutely cooked with those movies. That Spider-Man theme lives rent-free in my head and the second I hear it, I immediately picture Spider-Man swinging through New York. Horner’s score simply doesn’t have that same instantly recognisable identity for me, and when you are rebooting a franchise with such iconic music, that comparison is difficult to escape.

Overall, I think The Amazing Spider-Man did what it needed to do. It introduced an exciting new interpretation of the character, gave comic book fans a more playful and agile Spider-Man and immediately made Andrew Garfield my definitive live-action version of the web-slinger. Garfield and Stone’s relationship is one of the movie’s biggest strengths, the action is fantastic and Peter’s journey from an angry teenager looking for revenge into someone beginning to understand what being Spider-Man truly means gives the movie more emotional weight than it sometimes gets credit for. The darker tone, underdeveloped Aunt May, The Lizard’s disappointing endgame and unanswered questions surrounding Peter’s parents prevent it from reaching the heights of the very best Spider-Man movies, but there is still so much here that works. It is certainly not my favourite Spider-Man movie, but it doesn’t deserve anywhere near the negativity it has received over the years. When The Amazing Spider-Man gets Spider-Man right, it gets him really right, and Andrew Garfield is the biggest reason why.