The Amazing Spider-Man Review

I was probably the first person to object at Andrew Garfield being casted as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. In my eyes, none of his performances had been respectable enough to obtain the role of THE Peter Parker. On the other hand, despite what anybody says, I did enjoy watching Tobey Maguire play Peter. I won’t deny that, as it seems that a lot of people began doing that after this movie release.

I sat in my seat without any expectations. My rage at Garfield had died down, and I respect both Sally Fields and Emma Stone enough to know that they wouldn’t have signed up for a bad movie. Here’s my verdict even before I get down to the review: it had been a while since a movie captured me ilk this one. I felt like a five-year old, staring at the screen like it was the New York City skyline, waiting for the masked vigilante to swing by and save the day. I recently became a comic book reader and though I may not be able to recite Spider-Man’s history, I always root for those who stick to the original creation. That reason alone makes me appreciate Mark Webb (Director) even more (and you might too).

We had two other super-hero movies come out this season: The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. They each cater to a different type of crowd. In my opinion, The Avengers borderlined on silly while The Dark Knight Rises is heavy-duty serious stuff. The Amazing Spider-man was made for all audiences, and it takes on so many scenarios and themes that everybody relates at some point: family, love, romance, duty, responsibility, extraordinary circumstances, tragedy, you name it.

If you’ve read any of my other reviews, you’ll see there is nothing I appreciate more than a story about normal people tossed into extraordinary circumstances. Why? Because it allows me to visualize myself in them. I had never seen a more human performance than Garfield’s Peter Parker in any superhero movie ever. I saw myself in Peter. Granted that Peter is more of an average guy than Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne, but he was still able to charm you even if he had no grace and didn’t carry himself very well.

While I never heard any complaints on Peter, I did hear a lot of “it was all great until the giant lizard came along.” Doctor Connors is probably the first villain in any Spider-Man film to truly demonstrate genuine reasoning. Doc Ock, Venom, and the Green Goblin all had motives but not genuine enough to force New York City into ruins. Connors did, as did the Sandman. Unlike the Sam Raimi trilogy, Oscorp wasn’t just some super hi-tech corporation. You can see the relationship between Peter and Oscorp, and it makes his closeness and motivation to help Connors more realistic.

Aside from the big picture, all the little details deserve credit. James Horner (Titanic) composed the score for the movie. It is beautifully composed. Every detail in every piece fits every detail in every scene. The recurring melodies fit each theme in the movie. The soundtrack is worth buying and listening to on repeat.  When it comes to sets, costuming, locations, it meets all your expectations. They help keep you on the edge of your seat in suspenseful scenes. On the other hand, scenes seem to have minimum stunt doubles which is great.

If you haven’t been impressed with any summer movie so far, this is your opportunity. It’ll break your heart, inspire you, you name it. You’ll want to revisit your childhood hero more than ever before.