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The Amazing Spider-Man 
Review: The Amazing Spider-Man
3/4 stars

Ever since Sony announced that Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy was going to be rebooted, the Spidey-fans around the globe were either excited, horrified, or mid-line, eager to see what director Marc Webb will do with the series and what directions he is going to take. I was mid-line with this reboot thing. For the most part, I liked Raimi's Spider-Man films. I really liked the first one, I really, really liked the second one, and the third one... let's not get started on that. So I was intrigued to see what will go on here. Now that I've finally seen the film, I'm happy to say that I'm satisfied with the outcome.

Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) plays Peter Parker, and he portrays the character very well. Infact, it's a pretty fantastic portrayal. Garfield adds so much more to Parker that wasn't seen in Raimi's films, especially the sarcastic and awesome Spidey when he battles it out against his foes. It's done well here and it'll remind you of the animated series. Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacey and, well, it's Emma Stone! She's funny and lovable, and I thought she brought those mannerisms to her character. The supporting cast consists of Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, Sally Field as Aunt May, and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors/The Lizard who all do a good job, as well.

The first hour of the film is mainly Spidey's origin story. For the most part, it's well executed. Director Marc Webb (director of the great film, 500 Days of Summer) clearly understands this story quite well, and he develops the characters to the good point where the audience feels for them and roots for them when they're in danger. Screenwriters Steve Kloves, James Vanderbilt, and Alvin Sargent give the characters meaningful dialogue in the development of them. The tone of the film is kind of edgy, which I didn't quite like because I feel that Peter Parker's story is more lively then it is dark and dramatic. But, in any case, it is still done well, with style and sure-handed direction.

I thought Dr. Connors' story as The Lizard was fascinating. The CGI creature looked bad-ass, but I thought it looked a bit cheesy when he spoke. I'm sorry, but whenever The Lizard started talking, I just couldn't help but laugh. Rhys Ifans did a terrific job playing Dr. Connors, both verbally as a human and physically as The Lizard through the use of motion-capture technology.

Every time Spider-Man was on screen, it was pretty great. Unlike Sam Raimi's films, a lot of the wall-crawling and web-slinging was done with practical effects, which I was happy with. It looked more realistic. I liked that the camera moved a lot with Spider-Man, following him around as he flew through the air, which was a fun watch. The action sequences were enthralling: beautifully filmed, well staged, visually fantastic, and riveting. Some of the action scenes were actually very tense, one in particular where Spider-Man had to rescue a boy from a burning car.

The Amazing Spider-Man is both a fantastic origin story and a fun summer cinematic experience. It features breakthrough direction by Marc Webb and a terrific performance by Andrew Garfield. It will please the fans and the audiences hungry for something visually exciting. I'll tell you this, it will definitely make you forget that pile of crap that was Spider-Man 3.

3/4 (See it)

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