The Amazing Spider-Man

I consider myself a rather devout Spider-Man fan. Spidey was my flagship comic book growing up, and though I bought other titles, It was the (at the time) three Spider-Man titles that really got me excited about literature and reading.

Prior to Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man," I was more or less satisfied with the big-screen version of the characters from my childhood. Tobey Maguire was a decent enough Spidey, and Sam Raimi's take was fine for its time, certain narrative choices notwithstanding.

After seeing Webb's new take on Spider-Man several times now, I remain convinced that he has, to date, the definitive take on Peter Parker. After watching some of the bonus features, I'm also convinced they could have (hell, they did) do better.

Let me explain: This rebooted version presents a much more complex and wounded Peter Parker, played to great effect by Andrew Garfield. He's a little taller and lankier, a more believable outcast (Maguire's Parker was nerdy but also a touch more vacuous and single-minded at times), and has a little more conflict with his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen, who nails the role even more than Cliff Robertson before him) and Aunt May (Sally Field, who made a believer out of this skeptic, white hair or not).

Parker's home life is stable but not optimal, as evidenced by the absence of his parents (Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz in a brief prologue), whose disappearance was sold as a major part of this film series but in fact plays more of a background role.

At school, he's more or less ignored, a brilliant student who doesn't know he has the attention of the popular, pretty and smart Gwen Stacy (a remarkably pitch-perfect Emma Stone), who isn't twice but thrice the love interest Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson was. I read somewhere that Dunst's MJ was in love with Spider-Man while Stone's Gwen loves Peter, and a more apt insight I could only deign to offer.

But I digress. Our villain is the Lizard, played by Rhys Ifans, which, though the Lizard is a formidable foe, is the film's largest misstep. In the comics, Connors is a mentor to Peter, and his condition is a tragic consequence of science gone bad. When he's the Lizard, he's out of control and murderous; when he's Connors, he's full of guilt for his alter ego and strives to cure himself.

Here, he's still a product of science's unintended consquences, but much of his relationship with Peter ended up on the cutting room floor, leaving Connors something of an acquaintance. They only get a scene or two of connection before the Lizard rears his scaly head and the action starts.

Parker's crusty editor, J. Jonah Jameson, is nowhere to be found this go-round (though the Daily Bugle is referenced), but the spot is filled by NYPD police Captain Stacy (Denis Leary), whose character arc is filled more or less the way it was intended. But for Parker, a guy sorely lacking in father figures, it is unfortunate that we didn't get two key relationships in his life developed as well as they could have been. Leary is fine in the role, bringing a touch of his trademark annoyed humor with a sprinkling of disapproving father.

Webb and Sony were in a bit of a tight spot in rebooting the franchise. They produced a condensed version of Parker's transformation into a tights-wearing hero, but still, the movie ran long. Personally I would have welcomed a three-hour cut containing some of the footage that appears on the Blu-ray as deleted scenes because it significantly develops the Peter/Connors relationship and the mystery behind Parker's parents.

A brief aside to those who object to said reboot: I would paraphrase Don Cheadle as the recast James Rhodes in "Iron Man 2": "It's here, it's Spidey. Deal with it. Let's move on." Reboots and remakes are a way of life these days, and grousing over whether they're necessary or not is kind of pointless now. Besides, new comic book artists present new takes on characters all the time; why not movie versions?

For those who have not yet seen Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man," the action, once it starts, is hot and heavy, big-stakes stuff, though the Lizard's ultimate diabolical plan to turn the entire city into a society of lizard-people is a little silly and unnecessary in the end. Why not simply be a big nasty monster that the police want to kill but Spider-Man wants to save?

But the action is spectacular, and the mechanical webshooters add a layer to the character that Raimi apparently could not have foreseen. His webs are an integral part of Spidey's fighting style, and he uses them to much greater effect than the previous Parker did.There's also a more dynamic style to Spider-Man's fights and chases altogether. Heck, you could call him Peter Parkour, which is a natural, really.

The ultimate legacy of Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man" is, like Raimi's films, a good take with a somewhat less-than-perfect result. The difference is that Webb improved on Raimi's baseline on the material; hopefully, in what are sure to be several sequels, Webb is able to make the films he wants to.

Blu-ray extras are pretty plentiful; in addition to a commentary from Webb and producer Avi Arad, there are a slew of mostly outstanding deleted scenes and some great start-to-finish making-of featurettes spanning 90 minutes, as well as pre-viz sequences and image progression reels.

Film: 4 Yaps Extras: 4.5 Yaps