New 'Spider-Man' leaves fans satisfied but divided

There isn't a single friend that I have that is not aware of the fact that I am an unabashedly avid "Spider-Man" fan. I've seen every film, watched every cartoon, and probably read every comic book publication of Peter Parker's life and adventures from timid high school science nerd to confident married high school science teacher more times than I would care to admit. If any readers have read my previous opinion piece on my disdain for Hollywood reboots, I cited the "Spider-Man" film franchise as a prime example of rebooting too soon. The zero hour has finally been reached and while I strongly stand by the notion that this film could have done better had it come about two years later at least, I cannot deny that the product that we have ultimately received in the form of "The Amazing Spider-Man" may go down as one of the most fascinating superhero films of all time despite its laundry list of flaws.

The origin story of "Spider-Man" has become heavily ingrained into our pop culture; puny and weak science nerd Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive or genetically altered (depending on the story) spider that gives him super powers that he dedicates towards helping and protecting the innocent as a redemption for apathetically allowing a robber that he could have stopped get away, who would ultimately go on to kill his uncle. What sets this film apart from the others however is the reinvention of Peter Parker, the role made famous as portrayed by Tobey Maguire in the trilogy directed by Sam Raimi, played this time by Andrew Garfield.

Emma Stone plays Peter's original love interest from the comics, Gwen Stacy, as the film focuses heavily on the factors that go into Peter's decision to ultimately become Spider-Man, drawing on the relationship with his newfound girlfriend, his surrogate father in the form of Uncle Ben -played by Martin Sheen- and the connection that Dr. Curt Connors -Rhys Ifans- had with his father, using their genetics work in a failed attempt to regenerate his lost arm, resulting in his mutation into The Lizard.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" focuses on the more tragic aspects of Peter Parker's history that are rarely touched upon. Director Marc Webb's background in indy filmmaking provides him with the perfect sensibilities needed to tell a more human drama with an emotional resonance significantly greater than that of its predecessors in the "Spider-Man" franchise. Garfield's portrayal of Peter Parker as a very typical but bright teenager subconsciously angry at the parents that apparently abandoned him for unknown reasons is a far cry from Maguire's wimpy and subservient take on the character. He feels much more human this time around and as such, he contains a number of character flaws that get him into trouble. The film is much more about examining his growth into the role of a hero than simply being a hero in such a way that few superhero movies ever truly touch on. Parker is much darker in this film than he is typically portrayed to be within the franchise but this darkness is balanced out by a fair amount of complexity that Garfield brings to the role while never losing his desire to be optimistic.

His supporting cast plays a large part in making this admittedly clunky script actually hold together. Martin Sheen's performance as Uncle Ben serving the role of the father figure that Peter desperately needs in his life transcends how little the actual writing truly uses him. His presence as both a loving father and a disciplinarian leave so much impact in the few scenes that he has that you almost forget how little attention the script actually pays his death despite being the catalyst for everything that happens in the second and third acts of the film. Denis Leary as Gwen Stacy's father and NYPD Captain George Stacy furthers what little material he had to work with, nailing the position of an intentionally awkward force in Peter's life as his girlfriend's father that doesn't like him as a civilian and a cop bound by duty to bring down Spider-Man for being a vigilante. Sally Field gets in some memorable moments as Aunt May despite once again being given very little to actually do.

The screenplay manages to build itself around Spider-Man's credo of "with great power, there must also come great responsibility," allowing for Peter's development to occur far more subtly than the original trilogy's aggressive and consistent reminder of the fact by using the phrase word for word. Unfortunately, where the screenplay assists the plot in Peter's growth as a character, the script actively attempts to hinder almost everybody else. While the performances along with Webb's direction save the bulk of the cast, Ifans easily takes the biggest hit of the entire cast.

Ifans' debut scene as Curt Connors is undoubtedly solid and his view of Peter as a somewhat surrogate family member that he attempts to make amends for is where all the good things about him end. Try as he does, he just can't fight how little presence the film gives him or the laughably bad special effect job done in rendering his alter ego, making nearly all of his scenes as The Lizard unintentionally hilarious. The lack of a strong central villain or antagonist has the unfortunate effect of dragging down the impact of the rest of the film as a result, making the final action set piece less satisfying than it should have been considering how much effort went into coordinating it.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is far from a perfect film. The clunky script and lacking antagonist, as well as questionable costuming for Spider-Man himself, in addition to the radically different, yet faithful, interpretation of its central character holds the film back from achieving everything that it has the potential to be and the humanistic approach to the storytelling of such a ludicrous premise to begin with is sure to confuse more than a few moviegoers. This film is more than likely destined to become a love it or hate it type of feature. Fortunately, through solid direction and pacing, as well as good performances and fantastic action, "The Amazing Spider-Man"  does show more than enough potential for growth in the future to warrant its establishment as a franchise and easily delivers on everything you could want from a summer popcorn movie. All flaws aside, I'd be lying if I said I was disappointed despite expecting a bit more.

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