The Amazing Spider-Man will immediately draw comparisons to its predecessor. Fortunately, director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) sets a different tone with his movie compared to Sam Raimi’s Trilogy. Using roughly the same backstory, Webb reboots the origin story of Peter Parker’s (Andrew Garfield) transformation into the web-slinging hero that we know and love. Although the plot is pretty thin, the central characters are mostly well developed, leaving a solid foundation for any potential sequels, which are already in development by the studio.
The origin story of Spider-Man is common knowledge by this point. Director Webb (what a great name for this franchise) elects to make Peter a renegade outsider. This comes from his primary motivation: what happened to his dad (Campbell Scott), who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. As a result, Peter was left with his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). From the start, Peter displays his father’s aptitude toward science, which draws the attention of two: Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), Peter’s crush, and Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father’s former partner at OsCorp who researches inter-species genetic mutation in order to help regenerate his lost arm. In the midst of all these issues, Peter is bitten by a genetically engineered Spider, which gives him superhuman abilities. Dr. Connors also inadvertently develops superhuman abilities, which transforms him into the Lizard.
As you can see, most of the story is pretty much the same. However, the director’s choices gives the story a different feel. The first Spider-Man was more content to show off the cool CGI effects that this superhero could experience. The Amazing Spider-Man is more focused on the mysterious upbringing of Peter and his family, as well as the relationship between Peter and Gwen. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however, it does change the expectations during the story. For example, because the driving force for Peter is not primarily his uncle’s death, the death of the character does not carry as much weight. Also, the relationship with Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy in this Spider-Man is much more nuanced than the Peter Parker-Mary Jane relationship, which gives more emotional heft to the central characters than in the previous movie. Also, there are little changes to the powers of the character. The web shooters are now a mechanical device Spider-Man uses (I feel like this might get over used as a plot device, but holds more true to the comics), and the Spider Sense is more of a reflex action instead of an excuse to use a funny CGI gimmick like in the Raimi movies.
The origin part of the story is not quite as rewarding as in the first film. Because we have seen the exploration of the powers before, this time it is explored just to keep the story moving. The focus on Peter’s bully is a good idea: most teenagers would show off their powers. However, it does not match the fun of the wrestling match in the first Spider-Man.
The CGI elements are pretty similar, if more refined than the original trilogy. Since CGI has gotten better, the awe factor is minimalized compared to the earlier Spidey entries. There are some great shots and new angles. Webb takes a page from David Fincher, and gives a first person view of Spiderman when he is flying through the air. The images can be a bit uneasy, like a Tilt-a-Whirl ride at an amusement park. Fortunately, they are used minimally and give the audience a peek at what it actually feels like to be Spider-Man. One exception is the Lizard, who gets too much screen time and would be best used in smaller shots. Most importantly though, the CGI works as a service to the story, and is not the main attraction. It helps give grandeur to the superpowers and substance to how the characters use them.
The acting varies across the board. Andrew Garfield is solid as Peter Parker. He understands the motivations of the character better than Tobey Maguire, and he does a great job of conveying his awkward side to the audience. The character transformation from revenge to service is much more subtle in the Amazing Spider-Man, and Garfield mostly pulls it off. His relationship with Emma Stone is the strongest part of the story, and gives a solid start the franchise. I can easily see a fun love triangle with Peter, Gwen, and whoever plays Mary Jane down the road. Stone provides a perky more modern female lead in Gwen. She is no damsel in distress, and is equally as smart and brave as Peter. Stone makes it easy for Garfield: she radiates when she is on screen (although there is not great kiss like in the first Spider-Man). Rhys Ifans is not bad early on as Dr. Connors: there is a touch of optimism mixed with melancholy in most of his lines. However, his transformation into the Lizard is rushed, and not properly explored to justify some of the characters actions. Martin Sheen provides enough wisdom and understanding to be a good Uncle Ben, but Sally Field is misused and probably miscast as Aunt May. She comes off more shrill than helpful. The rest of the cast is unremarkable, except for Dennis Leary, who does a really good job with the role of Gwen’s dad, the police chief of New York.
Rebooting a franchise is hard: you have to honor the original while trying to say something new. For the most part, the tweaks to the back story give an interesting new direction for the Spider-Man franchise to go. With two engaging leads with a complicated relationship, the Amazing Spider-Man accomplishes its difficult reboot. I have high hopes Marc Webb can weave a fun little tapestry of stories with this particular Spider-Man.