Review: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

‘The Amazing Spider-Man, shot in 3D and directed by Mark Webb (500 Days Of Summer) is an edgy, emotional, action-packed, at times, boring movie.  Yes I did use the ‘b’ word.

In this version, which is definitely in my opinion, an improvement over all the preceding ‘Spider-Man films, we meet Peter Parker (Max Charles) as a young boy.

His father (Campbell Scott), a renowned scientist and his mother, fearing that they’re in danger, leave their young son in the care of his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field).

We flash forward years later where Peter (Andrew Garfield) is now a skateboarder/science nerd/photographer filled with major teenage angst.  He’s an outcast in school and is constantly getting picked on by the jocks.  His only friend is the gorgeous Gwen (Emma Stone), so you can’t feel too sorry for the guy.

But Peter’s life is about to change…Just in case there’s still a few of you unfamiliar with Parker’s story…He finds one of his dad’s old research papers, which sends him to the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), Parker Sr’s former partner. Connors has been trying for years to find a way to grow body parts, performing some really weird experiments that could prove hazardous to humans.  You can’t really blame him since, the dude has only one and a half arms.

At the lab, Peter gets bitten by a genetically altered spider and well, the rest is history.

Watching Peter getting use to his powers is actually one of the more entertaining aspects of the film…That is, until he meets his nemesis…Not wanting to spoil anything, I’ll just call him…A VERY BIG ANGRY GREEN LIZARD MAN…

Unfortunately, the action doesn’t come until the last 40 minutes of the film and watching Peter’s awkwardness with Gwen, becomes grating after a while.

But having said that, if you are a fan of this genre, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is definitely a ‘must see’ for you.

The special effects are great and I liked Andrew Garfield quite a lot as the high-flying/jumping/crime fighting/flawed super hero.

It’s for that reason I gave ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ which opens in theatres, Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012…4 bagels out of 5.

Check out our video for John’s rating and more of our bantering.  Oh, and to meet Noodle, our Diva Japanese Chin..