Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

The Amazing Spider-Man
2012
***
Director: Marc Webb
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, Martin Sheen, Sally Field

A mere ten years after Sam Raimi's massively successful Spider-Man, it is time for another origin story. Raimi and his cast have moved on, and the franchise reboots with Marc Webb at the helm and Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. Peter's late father's research takes the teenager to Oscorp, where the old man's ex-colleague attempts to regenerate amputated limbs. As Peter tries to deal with the effects of a bite from a genetically modified spider, he is drawn to his smart and attractive classmate Gwen Stacy. This is a thoroughly entertaining but somewhat pointless comic book movie. There is an unavoidable sense of déjà vu, even if Webb creates a very satisfying mix of action and sentiment. Andrew Garfield's strong lead performance helps immensely. Followed by The Amazing Spider-Man 2.