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Sunday 15 July 2012

The Amazing Spiderman

Less peppy and annoying than his predecessor, Andrew Garfiled makes a great new Spiderman in an equally great re-boot.

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen & Sally Field
Dir: Marc Webb
Writers: James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent & Steve Kloves







What's it all about?
When Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) was a young boy, his sceintist father was working on super-secret spider technology that unfortunately led to his house being ramsacked and Mr and Mrs Parker having to go on the run, leaving young Peter with his Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen). Years later, Peter is in high school, on the nerds: on the debate team and never without his camera. What sets him apart though, is his apparent bravery as he stands up to the school bullies: much to the admiration of the girl of his dreams, Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone). One day, a flooded basement leads Peter to a hidden satchel of his father's, containing the top-secret information his house was invaded for all those years ago. This leads him to track down his father's old sceince partner, the charasmatic one-armed Dr Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), and also stumble upon some genetically engineered spiders, one in particular which gives a nasty bite. As the spider's venom flows through his body, Peter finds himself genetically strengthened too, and much like Toby Maguire before him, he finds that with great power comes great responsibility as he becomes the masked vigilante that is, Spiderman. Unfortunately though, his assistance to Dr Connors proves fatal as we discover that ambitions, genetic mutation and crazy scientists just don't mix.

Worth a watch?
I had enjoyed watching Garfield in The Social Network and The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, but after this film I am sure he is going to become a household name, as he really shone through in his performance. He is instantly more likeable than Maguire, far less peppy and annoying, and he comes across as endearing, yet enigmatic and still able to deliver some comedic punchlines. He also has great chemisty with Stone, who has grown up into a beautiful young woman - it's easy to see why the two are now an off-screen as well as on-screen couple. The drama that unfolds between the young lovers is truly moving towards the end of the film, with Garfiled also playing out his realtionship with his aunt and uncle with real heart, even if slightly melodramatic. The film as a whole was aesthetically gritter than the colourful 2002 reboot, without veering into the dark Chris Nolan comic book territory, as it had some comedy to lighten the mood, and the 3D webslinging made it good fun.


Give it a miss?
Whilst on the whole the scenery and effects were very good, certain scenes did remind me of a ride I once went on at Disneyland: it's all a little too perfect and in any scenes of Spiderman gliding through the skyline, the camera angles seem to play off the 3D element too much. I feel that watching it on DVD at home just wouldn't have the same effect. Much like most comic-book adaptations, the plot was extremely predictable, but I suppose that's part of it's charm. Another slight criticism would be of the student Peter and Gwen, who look far older than their supposed 17 years, but, hey, it's not abnormal these days to have a 30 year old playing a teenager.

So overall....
It's a comic book film with heart and takes a serious look at the story and emotions of it's characters rather than just focussing on web-slinging, but don't worry, there is still plenty of action in there with some laughs thrown in for good measure. I was apprehensive about a re-boot so soon after the recent Spiderman installments, but The Amazing Spiderman is very different, and in my opinion, better.

  • Lives up to expectation  2/2
  • Scenery/Effects 2/3
  • Eye Candy 2/2
  • Quality of Acting 2/3
  • Plot 3/5
  • Quality of film within it's genre: Superheroes & Comic book 5/5 Drama 4/5
80%


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