Movie Review – The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
I’ll admit that I was very skeptical when first learning about the reboot of the already popular Spider-Man franchise. Spider-Man 3 had some issues, but I thought that Sam Raimi did a good job with the first two Spider-Man movies.
I mean, is it too early to reboot a movie series? Then again, it has been ten years now since the release of the first Spider-Man (2002) movie.
After watching The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, it feels like there’s a night and day difference between the two Spider-Man series. This newer telling of the familiar tale is pretty darn awesome. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is doing to the Spider-Man series what Batman Begins did to the Batman series. It’s that good of a movie.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man begins with Peter Parker as a young child. One day he’s playing a game of hide-and-seek when he discovers that somebody broke into his dad’s office. His dad rummages around and finds a secret folder that the thief missed. Realizing that their son is in danger, Parker’s parents leave him in the care of his Uncle Ben (played by Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (played by Sally Field). His dad says goodbye to young Peter, and he doesn’t see them again.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man jumps ahead to what we assume to be Peter Parker’s (played by Andrew Garfield) senior year of high school. He’s an avid photographer for his school, has a passion for science, and has the guts to stand up to Flash Thompson, one of the bullies in his class. One day he stands up to Flash and gets a pounding from the bully. His beating wasn’t a complete loss though as it caught the attention of fellow classmate, Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone).
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
One day at home the basement is being flooded from a problem with the air conditioner, and while rescuing some boxes from the water, Peter Parker discovers an old briefcase that his dad asked Uncle Ben to keep safe. He takes the briefcase to his room, discovers a secret compartment, and discovers his dad’s secret formula involving genetic research and cross-species genetic splicing. He also learns that his partner at OsCorp is Dr. Curt Connors (played by Rhys Ifans).
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Wanting to meet Dr. Connors, Peter Parker visits OsCorp and sneaks into the building disguised as a new intern. He’s surprised to see that his fellow classmate, Gwen Stacy, is head of the interns at OsCorp. She leads the group of students through the building, and it isn’t long before Peter briefly meets Dr. Connors. After Dr. Connors is called away, Peter wanders away from the group and finds his way into a restricted area with genetically enhanced spiders. One of the spiders ends up biting him in the process. While leaving the building, Gwen confronts him and takes away his stolen intern badge.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
On the way home, Peter is asleep on the subway. Some punks start picking on him, and Peter quickly realizes that he has increased strength and quicker reflexes. On top of that, he’s able to cling to the top of the subway car. Peter easily defeats the street punks and makes his way home. Once there, he further explores his new set of skills.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
After studying more of his father’s research, Peter visits Dr. Connors at his home. Dr. Connors is ready to kick him out until Peter reveals that his dad is Richard Parker, Dr. Connors’ former partner. The two of them then discuss more of the genetic research, and Peter presents his dad’s secret formula to Dr. Connors. If it works, then it’s possible to splice human and animal genetics. For Dr. Connors, that may be the solution to him re-growing his amputated right arm. It also means a continuation of his job at OsCorp. Dr. Connors is under pressure by his boss, Dr. Ratha, to find a cure for Norman Osborn, the dying (and unseen in this movie) head of OsCorp.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
A few days later in school, Peter Parker uses his new skills to get some revenge on Flash Thompson. He humiliates and makes a fool of the former bully in front of his friends. His actions, however, earn him a trip to the principal’s office. Uncle Ben is upset that Peter sought revenge along with the fact that he had to switch shifts at work to meet him at school. He makes Peter promise that he’ll pick up Aunt May after work that evening.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
That afternoon, Peter Parker visits Dr. Connors at OsCorp, and then two of them continue work on the formula. They find a solution and inject it into a mouse that’s missing a leg. Parker returns home late only to catch heat from Uncle Ben. Peter forgot to pick up his aunt, and she was forced to walk unescorted through a dark city to a deserted subway station. Peter and his uncle get into an argument, and Peter storms out of the house. Uncle Ben follows and tries to find him.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Peter stops at a deli to grab a drink. He doesn’t have enough money, so he has to leave the shop. While doing so, the next customer causes a distraction and robs the store. When leaving, the store’s clerk yells for help. Peter Parker just stands and watches as the criminal runs away. Uncle Ben spots the criminal and he gets into a struggle for the criminal’s gun. Uncle Ben loses the fight and is shot and killed. Peter runs to his uncle’s aid while the criminal flees the scene.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Using a police sketch of the suspect, Peter beings hunting for the murderer and seeking his personal revenge. He finds him in an alley, but the murderer has a criminal gang that attacks Peter. Peter fights them off and flees, running through allies and across the top of buildings. At one point he falls and lands in an abandoned gymnasium. An old wrestling poster on a wall inspires him to make a mask and create an alternate identity. Peter orders spandex and quickly makes himself a flexible and durable suit. He also constructs a device that shoots ultra strong webbing from his wrists.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
And Spider-Man is born.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
But that’s just a small part of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Dr. Connors tries the experimental serum on himself and ultimately becomes the Lizard, a powerful and deadly mutant. He uses the serum a few times, each time becoming stronger and more powerful. Dr. Connors hatches a plan to spread the serum in the form of a cloud and effectively mutate a great deal of New York City’s population, thus creating a race of “perfect” people.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
Along the way Peter Parker ultimately dates Gwen Stacy and meets her father, Captain George Stacy (played by Denis Leary) of the New York City Police Department. Captain Stacy is convinced that Spider-Man is interfering with real law enforcement officers and not saving people as he claims. His opinion on Spider-Man changes during a critical moment in the movie, and he becomes a powerful ally.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
And of course, Spider-Man kicks a lot of ass throughout the movie. This new vision of the masked superhero is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – (c) Columbia Pictures
So is The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man any good?
Yes, very much so.
Whatever skepticism I had at the start of the movie was completely erased by the halfway point. From the story to the characters to the action scenes to great music (written by James Horner) to the very lifelike CGI, this movie is fantastic. The 2D version of The Amazing Spider-Man is well worth the cost of the movie ticket.
My only minor issues with the movie dealt with Peter Parker’s character. For starters, he needs to comb his hair and ditch the skateboard. I get it that he’s a dorky science nerd, but the skateboard part just doesn’t seem right for him. Andrew Garfield also looks a little bit old to be playing a high school student. However, he should look the part better for the sequels when Peter Parker continues to age.
Aside from looking a little too old to be a high school student, Andrew Garfield did a great job playing the roles of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Emma Stone did a fantastic job as his love interest and fellow science lover, Gwen Stacy. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of her character in the sequel(s).
As it was stated earlier, I thought the previous Spider-Man movies were pretty good, especially the first two. The thing here is that while the previous telling of Spider-Man was more colorful, lighthearted and generally cheerful, this newer version is darker and more serious. With a running time of 136 minutes, sit back and get comfortable because this movie is going to entertain you for quite some time.
What also makes this version more interesting is that this is a different Spider-Man than the previous versions. There are times that he voluntarily shows his face to people, and he voluntarily tells Gwen Stacy his secret identity. His spider webs are shot from devices on his wrist, and not created from his own body in the previous series. He also uses a slightly different fighting style and even creates a giant web in the sewers to try to track the Lizard. In the end, this newer version of the Spider-Man character is pretty darn cool.
The Amazing Spider-Man is an absolute must-see if you love the superhero movies and action movies in general. This is a fantastic new telling of the classic Spider-Man story. I certainly hope this team creates a few sequels to continue telling the stories involving Spider-Man.
Yes, Stan Lee does make a cameo appearance in the movie. Look for him stamping books in the high school’s library while Spider-Man and the Lizard fight each other in the background. It’s a hilarious scene.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – movie trailer
Why are you still reading this review? Go out there and watch the new Spider-Man movie!
Police Captain George Stacy [at a press conference] – “I’m issuing an arrest warrant for the masked vigilante known as Spider-Man!”