THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (PG-13)
When: Now showing
Where: On general release
BARELY five years after Sam Raimi’s disappointing third and final flop in the noughties’ Spider-Man trilogy, loathed by fan boys and the popcorn public alike, it’s hard not to go into new director Marc Webb’s (seriously?) reboot without a healthy chunk of cynicism.
To his credit, Webb delivers a fresh take on the teen web-slinger’s origins that feels true to Marvel’s teen hero while updating his well-worn and convoluted history.
Andrew Garfield is an endearing Peter Parker; intelligent, awkward and far from cool, he excels as the bullied lad who never misses a quip, instantly wiping memories of Tobey Maguire’s performance.
Fans will be the first to tell you Mary Jane Watson wasn’t the first girl on Parker’s radar. Emma Stone plays first love Gwen Stacy with the requisite spunk, and their real-life romance delivers believable on-screen chemistry.
Denis Leary is also great as Stacy’s gruff police captain dad and shares a gloriously funny scene with Stone as she hides Parker in her room using girl troubles to throw him off the scent.
Michael Sheen is a much more engaging uncle Ben, forming the solid emotional core of the movie as he attempts to guide a young Parker struggling to cope with the mysterious disappearance of his parents. Sally Field isn’t quite as convincing as aunt May.
Lesser-known Spidey villain the Lizard, aka Dr Curt Connors, is a damaged scientist messing with reptilian DNA in an effort to regain his lost arm, tied in nicely to the rebooted spider-bite origin. But Rhys Ifans doesn’t command the same level of pathos as Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock in Raimi’s second Spidey outing.
The computer graphics are impressive when the Lizard gets his green meanie on and his testosterone-fuelled battles with Spider-Man are jaw-dropping, as are the gravity-defying swoops through the NYC skyline.
A little overlong, the gung-ho script nevertheless delivers the necessary heroics, with a healthy dose of teen angst, wit and far more soul than the recent Avengers. We can only hope Sony and Marvel get in bed soon so Spidey can swing into the line-up.
