Peter Parker Peps Up & Gwen Stacy Dresses Down. The Amazing Spiderman Review.

My last cinema trip irked me. Deeply. I could have spent the £10 I used watching Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter on a double breast burger from Nandos, or 3 succulent Marylands, or 2 of Maccy D's finest Big Mac's...You get the picture.

It is safe to say as I left the warmth of the Cinema this week I was a lot more satisfied.

The journey started off in treacherous fashion, one of my compadre's had supplied me with an Orange Wednesday code via text and I smugly approached the desk thinking I had yet again beat the system (being on O2 myself).

"Two Orange Wednesday tickets for Spiderman please"

"Can I see your text?"

"913......"

"No can I actually see your text"

"......"

This is where the panic set in. I froze. I mumbled something unintelligible and then for some reason pressed the Orange Wednesday code and it attempted to call said number. I had been firmly rumbled. What a cock up. Anyway, after paying £6 pounds each we were in at the expense of my dignity.

The first thing that strikes you about The Amazing Spiderman is how comfortable Andrew Garfield looks in the role. Although he clearly isn't a pre-teen (he is in fact 28) he finds the right balance of nerd and cool which makes him a lighter, more likable Spiderman. This is one of the biggest differences between Webb's Spidey and Raimi's. Garfield is a breeze, whilst Maguire was always a little down trodden.

For this reason TAS Peter Parker feels a lot more relatable. He is no longer an awkward, socially estranged misfit; he is firmly within the New Wave of "Chic Geek"- a look compounded 20 minutes into the film with the addition of his father’s very up-to-date Rayban style glasses (they are the same prescription, what are the chances!). 

The transformation to cool urban dweller is then solidified with Spidey's skills on a skateboard- Tony Hawk take five pal. Webb uses our preconceptions of Skateboarders (cool, outsiders, clique-y) to add depth to Parker's pre Spidey persona. Until that red and blue spandex enters the fray Garfield seems more like the boy next door in a Rom-Com as opposed to the oppressed and isolated figure Maguire cut in the original series- which isn't to say it's a wholly positive thing.

For me this does two things:

1) It enables Spidey to be funny, witty and charming without it seeming forced (het hem, Spiderman 3 infamous bar scene).

2) It also makes Garfield’s Spiderman much more "family friendly".

I'm still unsure as of yet if number two detracts from Spidey's image. It makes our lycra clad hero feel slightly more universal, almost safer this time round.

However, a "family friendly" Spidey has his positives too though. Garfield’s mannerisms and comic timing draw consistent laughs from the audience and it is these qualities that are utilised to make up some of the film’s most memorable sequences. The part where he semi-accidentally beats up half the cast of Shameless on a train ride home is ace, as is the morning time duel with the bathroom following his transformation.

EMMA STONE, BLONDE BOMBSHELL.

The supporting cast members give solid performances and the origins of Peter and Gwen's relationship is handled smartly. The pair exchange some very slick dialogue that is rarely overdone or cringe worthy, a rare quality for a Marvel film. Webb knows how to portray great amounts of emotion within microscopic moments, allowing the audience to exert the meaning by themselves, as demonstrated in the final sequence. Whilst there are no iconic "love" scenes, a la upside down kiss, there is a steady flow of chemistry between the two lovesick puppies that is weaved like a fine tapestry throughout the whole picture- Garfield even pulls off a cheeky little one liner in the films penultimate scene (I won’t ruin it).

The villain.

I almost forgot to mention the secondary British presence in the film- actor Rhys Ifans who plays Dr. Curt Connors aka "The Lizard". This has little to do with his performance, more so the character he inherited. 

Ifans is entirely convincing both as a man who has dedicated his life to science and as a man who very much misses the bottom half of his right arm (nod to that cracking little moment where the Doctor wishfully rubs his hand down a window pane, providing the illusion of 2 fully functional arms). Sadly, as soon as Dr. Curt Connors morphs into  "The Lizard" I found myself less and less interested in his character. 

One of the strangest things about The Lizard is that the presence of a 15 foot lizard doesn't appear all that shocking to the rest of the cast? There is never really the feeling that this creature is going to reap havoc. Admittedly he takes several rounds from an elite firing squad pretty darn well but even then it seems a little half arsed. 

The Lizard seems more like a slimey inconvenience than worthy adversary.

To conclude- go and have a watch, you won’t be disappointed. 

At times it seems like a Rom-Com on steroids but it provides a refreshing new vision of Marvels most youthful Hero. Webb's TAS has a very different feel to it than the previous SM; it's not as serious, it's not as gritty but it is very light on the palette and is in my opinion the second best in the series (pipped by the classic SM2). As youth reinvents itself, so does Spiderman- so for those that are sceptic have no fears, it is a worthy addition to the Marvel family.

Rating: Highly enjoyable if less spectacular than Raimi's. Garfield and Stone provide great chemistry although the villain is utterly deflating. 4 Stars.