The Amazing Spider-Man wasn’t really all that amazing; but it was good. The film opens with Peter Parker as a child going into his father’s office and staring at a broken window. The broken window is seen by Peter’s father Richard and he takes Peter to live with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben.
No reason is given why Richard Parker and his wife needed to leave Peter, but one can assume that someone wanted the science research that Richard was working on. Because Peter’s parents never return, he feels abandoned and alone.
Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), now in high school, is a bullied shy geek who takes photos for the school newspaper. He is supported by his love interest Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) and throughout the film their connection grows.
While cleaning out Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben’s (Martin Sheen) basement, Peter finds his father’s briefcase that contains old notes from cross species experiments performed at Oscorp. Peter learns of a man named Curtis Connors (Rhys Ifans) who worked with his father on the cross species regeneration of limbs. This discovery leads Peter into sneaking into Oscorp, where he is bitten by a radioactive spider.
Uncle Ben is murdered while Peter is adjusting to his powers and Peter becomes consumed with capturing the criminal who killed his uncle. Meanwhile, Dr. Connors doses himself with a cross species regeneration chemical that transforms him into the violent creature known as The Lizard. Spider-Man and The Lizard eventually fight for the city and Peter comes to terms with the fact that with great power comes great responsibility.
The Amazing Spider-Man could have been better if the action was less frantic and more frequent. I think director Marc Webb was right to focus on Peter’s relationships with other people, but I would have enjoyed a scene or two where Peter recounted memories of his parents to underline the sadness of such a heroic comic book character.
The relationship that I enjoyed the most was Peter’s relationship with Uncle Ben. I loved how understanding Uncle Ben is of Peter being such a loner. He understands fundamentally that Peter is hurting because he’s having to grow up without his parents. Ben knows that Peter needs love and is willing to give him the space he needs.
The relationship between Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker seems genuine, but I think it will take another film to truly believe their romantic connection.
In terms of the performances, Andrew Garfield brings to Spider-Man the quick-witted humor that seemed to be missing from the original Spider-Man trilogy. Garfield brings across the hurt and loneliness he feels in a very subdued manner and it works because it allows us to feel pity for Peter, but also encourages us to root for him to grow as a person as he adjusts to becoming Spider-Man. Emma Stone works best as Gwen Stacy when she is encouraging Peter to keep being a good person. The sparks of love she feels for Peter are played with an intense awkwardness that would only work if both actors were younger. Rhys Ifrans as Dr. Connors is fine as a character who is supportive of Peter’s goals in science, but there is nothing unique in his performance.
The defining negative point of my Spider-Man experience is that I never fully became invested in Peter Parker’s journey. Peter becomes a better person than he was at the start of the film, but that change in him seems glossed over, with the exception of a scene involving the Lizard knocking cars over one of New York’s most famous bridges.
As a film, The Amazing Spider-Man is solid, but I did not get entangled in this superhero’s web as much as I would have liked to have been.
3/5 stars
The Amazing Spiderman is now playing at Goodrich Savoy 16 Theater and Carmike Beverly Cinema 18.