The Amazing Spiderman - A Review

A new series of the web-slinging superhero is here. Some say a reboot after mere 5 years is too early, some are just happy to see spidey in action again. I just wanted to see what Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and most of all what Marc Webb would do with this very old and very popular superhero.

Its a new story, we come to know about the childhood of Peter Parker. There is no more Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy replaces as his love interest. Peter is still the nerdy kid who gets beaten around by the school bully, and he is still good at science.

The story is weak in parts, for instance, Uncle Ben and Aunt May are meatless characters instead of being strong persons in Peter's life to help him through his various teenage life crisis. The death of Uncle Ben actually isn't the pivotal part that switches Spiderman into a superhero, instead it make him into a revenge seeking out of control highschool kid with superpowers trying to avenge his Uncle's death.

There aren't many comical reliefs either where you can see Spiderman dishing out one-liners while kicking some villain ass. And it also lacks the trade mark monologs by Peter Parker that have been an inseparable part of the superhero whether in comics or animation series or in the previous movies.

There are a few high points in the movie, for once, it is good to see the crackling chemistry between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, something which clearly was lacking previously between Peter and Mary Jane. The action sequences and special effects are average, with nothing that would bring you to the edge of your seat. Add to that a super-villian who isn't exactly very scary, and by scary I do not mean looks, by scary I mean one who is almost manic and possessed by an evil obsession, some one like the Green Goblin who looked evil and malign even when he wasn't behind his mask.

It is not your friendly neighborhood either. This Peter Parker is an exaggerated American teenager who lives life by his own terms and half of his decisions are hormonal surge driven, he isn't the self-sacrificing Peter Parker, the eternally good boy who will suffer endlessly but still keep promises and be a good son to his aunt. No, this is a Peter who does what he likes.

All in all an average movie with some good scenes and some bad. If you aren't a hardcore spidey fan you may even enjoy it. For those of you Spiderman fans, there will be many places where you will be tempted to cry "FOUL" and come out of the theater seething in anger.

But by all means, go watch it once if you have nothing better to do, the story and characters may be weak at some parts, but the acting of majority of the actors are pretty good, and Emma Stone is par excellence.