The Amazing Spider-Man

Watched The Amazing Spider-Man, the franchise’s reboot with Andrew Garfield instead of Tobey Maguire. It’s been criticised as unnecessary, but reboots are fashionable and it was certainly a different enough angle from the other series to work. It was also by far the best of the bunch, and Garfield is a far, far better Parker than Maguire, if a little too old to play him as a teen. He’s likeable even when he’s making terrible choices or being a jerk, can pull off both the vulnerable geeky Parker and the wise-cracking Spiderman, and fills out that costume very nicely with his skinny but muscular frame. All can agree he’s cute.

This version of the story has Parker very much searching for the truth about his father despite how lovely Uncle Ben and Aunt May are. It actually makes for a much neater storyline, because it means that the superhero’s rise and the appearance of the supervillain are linked rather than coincidental. The main story opens with that familiar staple of Western culture: how utterly horrific the American high school experience must be, with good ole Flash in bully mode again. The radioactive spider bite comes from Oscorp labs, where Peter is looking for information about his father, which is better than just going on a school trip. The radioactive spiders are also the source of his webbing, which is another way the story is neatened.

Spider Man doesn’t yet love Mary Jane, so here we get Gwen Stacy instead (no ‘oh snap’ jokes, please). George Stacy is given an interesting role as a father who is at first combative and scary, but is won over and eventually provides some of the most significant emotional points of the film after what happens to Uncle Ben – also meaning there is no need for a JJJ yet. Meanwhile, the antagonist is Curt Connors, here given an extra link to Parker’s past, and a potentially goofy villain made mostly believable and compelling. Everything has just been written in a much tighter and slicker way – Parker has just the right balance of being a selfish teenage jerk at the start (forgetting his obligations, disobeying teachers, picking fights) and being full of remorse later on, as well as revelling in being behind a mask. The plot is generally very tight, with only one real objection from me (Connors comes up with a master plan, but decides to go after Parker at his school first, allowing him the lead he needs to find him and clues to his plan), and Garfield’s charm really helps with a character difficult to get just right.

I’m glad The Social Network seems to have propelled him to major stardom. I’m actually looking forward to the sequels more than to any continuation of the Avengers storylines except perhaps Iron Man. Who was the shadowy figure in the stinger?