It was a nice change from the dark and sinister world of Batman, to have a light and slightly comedic retelling of one of the most beloved superheroes. (not that I don't love the Batman trilogy)
The Amazing Spider-Man is a film that retells the origin of Spider-Man, setting a different tone from the Tobey Maguire films back in 2002-2007. We follow the adolescent life of Peter Parker (played by Andrew Garfield), a high school student desperate to uncover the past and discover the truth about his parents' sudden death. While trying to get close to an old work associate of his father's, he comes in contact with radioactive spiders.... well, I'm sure you can guess all the rest. The love interest is played by the lovely Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, a fellow high school student (no she's not Mary Jane, but in the comics Gwen Stacy actually comes in the picture first). Some of the other actors in this film are Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Rhys Ifans, and Denis Leary.
Andrew Garfield handled his role with all the respect and delicacy it required. He made the character his own, leaving little comparison between his interpretation and Maguire's interpretation. Garfield is an excellent actor who is able to convey the deepest emotions with the slightest of subtleties. His communication was more through the body than it was through the dialogue, something I find very interesting to watch. The chemistry between Andrew and Emma was evident in their romantic scenes. They played the excitement of a high school love - a first love - extremely well, never losing sight of that distinction. As the male lead, Garfield lived up to my expectations and in some cases, even exceeded them.
Now, even though my overall outlook on this film is positive, there were some negative aspects I can't overlook. Rhys Ifan as the Lizard was not a developed villain. In the last Spider-Man series, the Green Goblin was a dynamic character, where you felt the villain was still a person, and not just a 'bad guy'. In this adaptation, the motivation behind Rhys' actions did not seem sufficient for the extremes he begins to go to. As a result, you never fully connect yourself with his character and, therefore, you never feel that right amount of satisfaction when his character is stopped and brought to justice. I think it's just as important to make both the protagonist and the antagonist emotionally understood.
Other than that, I think they stayed true to the comics as much as they could and brought in new elements we haven't seen before. For that I give the film 8/10.
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