This is a strange one to review.
Like many people, I'm a huge fan of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films. So when The Amazing Spider-Man was announced, my first reaction wasn't excitement.
It was:
"Really? Already?"
It felt like Spider-Man had barely finished swinging away before Hollywood decided it was time to start all over again.
The surprising thing is...
It works.
In fact, it works really well.
The film has everything you'd want from a Spider-Man movie. Action, adventure, humour and plenty of web-slinging. Andrew Garfield brings a different energy to Peter Parker, making him feel a little more awkward, a little more rebellious and a lot more like the teenager he's supposed to be.
I found myself completely invested in the story, and by the final act I was far more emotionally involved than I expected to be. Watching the people of New York rally behind Spider-Man genuinely got to me.
The story is quite different from the previous films, which helped it feel fresh rather than simply being another retelling of the same story.
One thing I really enjoyed was the extra focus on Peter's parents. It's an area that the previous films barely touched on, and it added another layer to Peter's journey.
Martin Sheen and Sally Field were superb as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. In fact, they felt so natural in the roles that it was impossible not to care about them.
That said, there was one thing I missed.
The Daily Bugle.
Peter Parker and the Daily Bugle go together like Batman and Gotham or Doc Brown and the DeLorean. Seeing Peter behind a camera without J. Jonah Jameson shouting at him from the other side of the office felt a little strange.
I also missed seeing the Flatiron Building standing in as Bugle HQ.
No matter how good the reboot was, part of me kept waiting for somebody to yell:
"Parker!"
Unfortunately, it never came.
Still, that's a very small complaint in what is otherwise an excellent Spider-Man film.
A lot of reboots feel unnecessary.
This one earned its place.
Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man still had a few new tricks up his sleeve.
5/5
