Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

2012 is perhaps not the best year to launch a reboot of the wildly successful Spider-Man franchise, halfway between The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Both films have or will have their respective groups of fans making cases they're the best superhero movies ever made. This year sees the release of numerous other comic or comic-related films, Chronicle, Ghost Rider, John Carter, Dark Shadows, Prometheus, the aforementioned Avengers and Dark Knight, and today, The Amazing Spider-Man.

We may one day look on this as the golden year of comic movies, though one must admit it has been hit (Avengers) or miss (Ghost Rider). Director Marc Webb's (500 Days of Summer) The Amazing Spider-Man falls somewhere in the middle of the pack.

While in my mind the movie is a marked improvement from the near franchise-killer of an entry (Spider-Man 3) Sam Raimi wrote and directed in 2007, the competition this year is stiff. And so, I join the chorus of critics who have problems with this film.

Let's start with the length. The Amazing Spider-Man is 136 minutes co-scripted by the screenwriter of Zodiac, James Vanderbilt (along with Steve Kloves and previous Spider-Man scripter Alvin Sargent). It is full of lengthy, repeat LENGTHY conversations, which include more technobabble than the average season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. There are a couple of stretches later in the film where one begins to lose interest because of this frequency and type of dialogue.

There are elements of the story which frankly make no sense. For instance, Peter is able to track the villian, The Lizard, by following thousands of smaller lizards which appear throughout the city for no particular reason. Their presence is never noted by any other characters, nor explained by any hint of dialogue.

Moving on, my strongest complaint is the derivative feel of many elements in the film. The basic facts of Spider-Man's origin are so well known, almost anyone can recite the story like a modern nursery rhyme. And they were covered 10 years ago in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movie. So when writing a reboot, do you stick with the facts or concoct a new story, keeping most of the important elements but including details that make it feel like a cross between the Superman and Batman origins? This is owing in no small part to the influence of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy on comic adaptations, but there are other examples to point out.

Visually, the design of The Lizard's face as well as his voice feels like it was pulled from Sean Connery's performance as the dragon Draco in Dragonheart. There is a warehouse scene where Parker, learning to use his powers, swings from chains that calls forth memories of the angry-dance scene in Footloose. Even James Horner's score includes numerous cues that sound like they were unused tracks from Titanic.

The Amazing Spider-Man is not all bad, however. First, Andrew Garfield's performance as Peter Parker is more age-appropriate to the character than Tobey Maguire's take on the role. Garfield is a fine actor with the range and breadth to play both the brooding teen and the budding hero. His character traits are more on display, namely his scientific and technical prowess. That doesn't just include his design of the web shooters; he shows brilliant problem-solving under intense situations.

Another standout, Emma Stone is not just a great physical match to the Gwen Stacy in the comics. Her character is also heavily involved in the story, much more than Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane ever was. This is a very good thing, to have her be much more than just window dressing. Likewise, Martin Sheen's stern presence as Uncle Ben has a strong influence on Parker that is actually demonstrated in the film.

The best thing The Amazing Spider-Man has going for it is the action, specifically in terms of fight choreography. Big-budget filmmakers are constantly under pressure to up the intensity of action, and Webb's team delivers. The fights are slow to come, but when they do, they are spectacular. The phrase that comes to mind is "Peter Parkour," and the choice to shoot all the fights with actual actors and stunt-men vs CGI paid off with believable shots that look great but also appear to obey the laws of physics. Amid the complaints, this film must be noted for its outstanding action work.

So, critics are stomping on this, fans will love it, or hate it, and the general audience will flock to it as long as they're willing to forgive Spider-Man 3. Only one question remains: Are Spidey's webs biodegradable? He sure leaves a lot of them hanging from buildings around the city.

Austin connections: Co-writer Steve Kloves (who also adapted several of the Harry Potter screenplays) is from Austin.