The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Review

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012)

Director: Marc Webb (A guy named Webb directing a Spiderman movie? It's a conspiracy, man!!)

Writers: James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, Steve Kloves (based off comic books by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko)

Producers: Michael Grillo, Stan Lee, Avi Arad, Matthew Tolmach, and Laura Ziskin

Editors: Alan Edward Bell, Michael McCusker, and Pietro Scalia

Music: James Horner

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, and Martin Sheen

Runtime: 2 hours 16 minutes

Rating: PG-13 (sequences of action and violence)

Genre: Superhero, Action/Adventure

Release Date: July 3, 2012

Intro: I'm kind of drawing a blank as to what a good opening sentence for this thing should be, so I'll just use this. I think it works good enough, am I right? Anyway, I'm not exactly sure why Marvel decided to reboot the Spiderman franchise only 10 years after it began and only 5 years after the last movie (Actually, I do. It involves money, money, and more money), but apparently someone thought it was a good idea. But is the movie any good? Yes. While the story is very formulaic, predictable and unsure of its emphasis, The Amazing Spider-Man's effects, acting, and directing make up for it and make the movie enjoyable to watch if nothing else.

Plot: Peter Parker, when he is a young boy, is left suddenly by his parents one night and placed in the care of his Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Sheen). Now Peter is in his late teens and has not seen his parents since. He is kind of an outcast at school and has fallen in love with one of his classmates, Gwen Stacy. He also has to deal with his overprotective aunt and uncle. One night, he finds a briefcase that belonged to his father in his uncle's basement and starts to look through it in hopes that he can find out what happened to his parents. While searching, he finds out that his father was working on trans-species research with a Dr. Curt Connors who works at the large Oscorp corporation. He goes to visit Dr. Connors one day and while poking around, the "famous accident" happens and Peter gains his powers. He now must learn to control his powers and become a vigilante while trying to get closer to Gwen Stacy and keep the NYPD and the increasingly desperate Dr. Connors at bay.

Things people may find “objectionable”: The only real objectionable thing in the movie (and why it got rated PG-13) is the violence, which you'll find in any superhero movie. 

Ratings:

     -Directing/Cinematography: 9/10. Seriously. How can a guy who's last name is Webb not do a good job directing a Spiderman movie? Regardless of the name, the movie's directing is well-done.

     -Acting: 10/10. The actors all do a good job with their respective roles. I'm impressed at how well Andrew Garfield, a British actor, pulls off an American accent. I've only seen Garfield in one other movie, The Social Network, but in seeing both, I can tell he's a great actor.

     -Writing: 6.5/10.

          -Story: 5/10. The story got pretty cliché and formulaic and was pretty predictable. Also, some of the themes were inconsistent, as it sometimes felt like the writers had a hard time focusing on one. For a while, it focused on Peter finding out what happened to his parents, and then it shifted to Peter trying to learn his powers. The story kind of meandered from one theme to the other throughout, unsure of which one it wanted to focus on. Still, the filmmakers make it work, albeit barely.

          -Script: 8/10. The script was well-written and for the most part, the lines were pretty good. 

     -Special Effects: 10/10. Like anything Marvel does, the special effects are top-notch. This is true for any superhero movie. No matter how bad the story is, at least the effects will be good. It's kind of like martial arts movies: the plot, writing, and characters might be crap, but at least the fight scenes will be good.

     -Music/Score: 7/10. Pretty good score that fits in with the movie pretty well. It's solid, but nothing special.

     -Power/Emotion: 8/10. Some of the things that happen to Peter and Gwen during the movie are horrible and you really start to feel for them after a while.

     -Adrenaline: 9/10. The intent of an action movie is to thrill you, and since this is an action movie, it serves its purpose pretty well.

     -Mind-Bendingness: 5/10. Since it's not a sci-fi movie, there's not a real emphasis on this, but the experiments being done at the Oscorp lab under Dr. Conners can be pretty mind-bending. The trans-species experiments and the concepts behind them provide the mind-bendingness in the movie.

     -Humor: 4/10. There were definitely some funny moments in the movie, but humor was clearly not the emphasis of the movie.

     -Final Score: The Amazing Spider-Man is not at all a perfect movie, but it is still a fun summer blockbuster. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes superhero movies or anyone who just wants to see a fun summer blockbuster. To fit its quality, the movie should be retitled The Pretty Good Spider-Man.