The Amazing Spider-Man

The aptly named Marc Webb spins the latest tale of the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in a different style than the 2002, 2004, and 2007 incarnations by Sam Raimi. Let me start by saying I thought Andrew Garfield was a dubious pick to play the masked hero, but after about 20 minutes, it just seems right. He has the personality, the meek behavior, and the not-too-scrawny (but still pretty scrawny) physique that the deep and dark character demands.

Spider-Man, also known as Peter Parker is a tormented soul who deals with loss, secrecy, betrayal, self-doubt and guilt. Through it all, however, he chooses the path of helping others. This story scraps everything we have seen before and starts from square one; pre-Spider-man Peter Parker. Like a choose-your-own adventure, it finds its own path, free from the stigma from other renditions, but keeps the integrity of the comics at its core. Let me clarify; I'm not a comic guy, but like any 30-something guy, I know the basics.

This Peter is a little different however. He is given a gift through a spider bite, but his personality doesn't change. This is where Garfield succeeds where so many superheroes before him have failed. Heightened senses and strength allow him to do the improbable, but he's still Peter Parker at the end of the day. He still has his insecurities, still has his crush, and still has his sense of loyalty to family and community.

Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacy, who was shown in a small role in 2007's Spider-Man 3 by Bryce Dallas Howard. Mary Jane Watson is nowhere to be found, and thankfully, neither is Kirsten Dunst. Stone brings her cute, girl-next-door image and flirts with her real-life boyfriend, Garfield in a genuine and snappy way.

The villain of this one is of course a mad scientist who uses newly discovered experimental drugs on himself to gain super strength, but it goes horribly wrong. Nothing new here. Rhys Ifans plays the Lizard, and acting aside, the creature effects are stunning. Marc Webb lingers with his camera longer than most special effects action directors would dare, and we get good, long glances at his work. It's fearless for a director with just one feature film under his belt (500 Days of Summer). Supporting players Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Dennis Leary, and even C. Thomas Howell are well-cast and don't detract from the main three.

I must say that with the recent technological advancements, this is the one superhero who is made for the 3D IMAX screen. Swinging from the buildings, Webb did a nice job using some first-person camera sequences. this film lends itself to the next generation of film making, and it's what action films should look like.

Written by an impressive team of writers, including one of the men behind the Harry Potter adaptations, and a man who worked on the previous Spider-Man trilogy with Raimi, I have to say that this story was very cookie-cutter. The arc went exactly where you expected it to go, but it did leave a satisfied taste in my mouth. Two of the ends that needed to be tied off were done with great delicacy and tact.

I am a sucker for the heavy burden of the hero, and the city he's defending ultimately standing up to help him. It is most prevalent in the Spider-Man franchise compared with other superheroes, and although in this particular instance it's a bit overdone, it fits for this film nicely. The writers get the story right, start to finish. It's a commendable job by the production team.

The inevitable sequel that comes out in 2014 will be a huge success and the only real question is who will the villain be after 4 installments? Although the list is long and some are clearly better than others (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Spider-Man_enemies) my personal choices would be Hammerhead, Kingpin, Kraven, Silvermane, or Vulture. What the franchise needs to do is follow Chris Nolan's lead and introduce some characters that weren't genetically altered through a medical accident. We need some slightly realistic villains to battle the masked man.

The previews initially turned me off. The cast wasn't appealing and it seemed too soon after the Sam Raimi mega-blockbusters. As the trailers evolved, it seemed a bit more enticing, and after a viewing, it is certainly worth the price of admission. I can't speak for the 2D version, but 3D IMAX is a great ride worth the extra money. Unfortunately, and you may find this blasphemous, but I'm not a Spider-Man fan at heart. 8/10.