Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-man

Ten years ago (yes only ten years), Tobey Maguire graced the screen as Spiderman. Two movies later, the trilogy concluded with the actors moving on to new adventures. Now, Spiderman has been resurrected with a new cast and a slightly different story line. This new film, The Amazing Spider-man, sticks more to the original comic book versions of the characters. Once again we meet Peter Parker and watch as he transforms from a normal high school student to a superhero after being bitten by a radioactive spider in a science lab accident.

I thought all the acting was great and the characters were spot on. There were tons of great lines and intense emotions. The special effects were done well for the most part and nothing felt overly forced. The only thing I would change were a few parts which felt more like they were giving you a sneak peak of the next rollercoaster at Universal Studios than  moving the story line. As with all Marvel movies, you will see a cameo from the great Stan Lee. I think every comic book fan in the theater was cracking up this time. It's so obvious that unless you've been living in a rock, you'll spot him.

While I understand that Maguire was too old to still play the character, perhaps they could have done something in the fashion of James Bond, by just replacing the actor with no back story, or Doctor Who, by using some kind of supernatural twist to change his appearance and mannerisms. I thought Andrew Garfield did a wonderful job as Peter Parker but I think I would have preferred a continuation of the previous movies rather than starting from the beginning of the comic book world again.  If I had to vote between Maguire and Garfield, I would pick Garfield. In my opinion, he really fits the role better.

My personal opinion of this film is that it was too soon to completely revamp the series. I would have preferred that Peter Parker already had his abilities for a while and went straight into action, rather than watch him experiment with climbing walls and swinging again. These scenes were extremely funny, but unnecessary when the old franchise is still so fresh in our minds.

The version of the film I saw was the 3D IMAX but I'm not sure it would be worth the extra money. The 3D felt overdone, again referring to my earlier comment regarding a possible sneak peak at a new ride. I think this film would be just as entertaining in 2D or in 3D at a normal theater.

I do feel that fans of superhero movies will enjoy this new take on Spiderman. If you're not a fan of the comic books, or are unaware of the backstory, this film does start from the beginning so you don't need any background knowledge to enjoy.

One final note regarding the film is that there is an additional scene after the credits begin. I stayed until the screen went blank and the lights came up so I can safely say there is only the one scene during the credits.

The Amazing Spider-man will be released nation wide on July 3, 2012. During the month of July, you can get a free $2 Amazon MP3 credit when you buy tickets on Fandango. Check your local theater's Facebook pages for possible coupons towards popcorn and concessions.

Movie Rating for The Amazing Spider-man

The passes for this pre-screening were through a trade on Cinemit's message board. Making friends with other movie lovers is a great way to find out about local screenings. Check out my information post for more information about free movie screenings.