Amazing Spider-Man is the story of... well, let's face it. Between the character that has three films released already and the obvious geek status of everyone that bothered to click the link here, you should know the story by now. Kid gets bitten by radioactive spider. Learns about power and responsibility the hard way. Profit.
So my first gripe is a nitpicky but necessary one. As a reboot, the movie has to take you through the origin of the hero. This isn't so terrible. Honestly, it's been over a decade since the Raimi movie took us there. Still, the part of me that knows this story, that has seen it a dozen times in a dozen different formats, does tire of having to travel that path again.
Still, it tells a very tight, compelling version of that origin.
Next on my list: character issues. Okay, one character in particular. I like Andrew Garfield, even if I can't get past the fact that he seems to have a certain... Tennant-y quality to him. And I like what his character does in the film. But (and I openly admit that this is really a personal issue of mine) I've never been a fan of Peter being a character with an attitude problem. I get it, he gets picked on, he pushes back. But that's never seemed to be the way I remember him.
Likewise, Spider-Man comes off at times as being a little too crazy. Again, this is my personal taste showing here. There are quite a few writers that write Spider-Man as silly, bordering on insane, and having an issue with authority. Brian Michael Bendis, I'm looking in your general direction.
But for me, there's a fine line between finding Spidey's comic side and making him into something that he isn't. Remember that regardless of whether the police or the press try to villainize him, he still has to appeal to the general public. So yeah, there are a few parts where I think they went a little too silly.
Now, having said that, here's where I say the most important part: I really liked this movie, and you should go see it.
Yeah, you can reread that, because I'm sure that isn't the way that it felt like this review was going. But here's a few things to keep in mind.
One, despite the origin hangups, it's still very solid storytelling. Yes, some plot points get forced a little faster than I'd like, but I'm willing to accept that conceit if it keeps me from having to wait 2-3 years for certain things to happen. I've never been a big fan of story decompression anyway.
And two, I did enjoy almost every character in this story. There are a few noted absences, but they hardly detract from the movie's story (and may well have derailed parts of it trying to squeeze them in). Lizard made for a wonderfully compelling villain all on his own, and each of the other characters had their own little moments that helped highlight just exactly what their characters were all about.
And even though I had my own minor issues with Garfield's portrayal not being my Peter Parker, he does a solid job of portraying a Peter Parker. If this is what the revamped, retooled version of Peter has to be, then I'll take it over any other train wreck it could be.
And of course visually, it was stunning at times. Granted, a huge chunk of the action was CGI madness, but it was neat, clean CGI madness. And for a film that had a ton of night scenes, the visuals managed to stay crisp and bright. (And a big nod to whoever buried the shaky-cam before shooting this one; good call, bro...)
My only other real issue with the film involves the ending. I won't spoil anything that happened except to say that people familiar with the history of Spider-Man may find the conclusion a little foreboding. Well written and appropriate, yes, but perhaps a little more depressing than was intended.
Aside from that, I heartily recommend giving it a watch. Once you get past the "been there, done that" moments, there is a really solid, witty action-adventure flick to be seen.
Rating: 8/10 (A few spotty character issues don't detract from solid performances and a well told story.)
