The Amazing Spider-Man: The ComicBook.com Review

Peter Parker and company have returned the multiplexes, as the midnight screenings of The Amazing Spider-Man have just wrapped around the country. The film, directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone at the head of a cast full of famous and talented faces, is at once a more fun-loving take on the character of Peter/Spidey than anything we saw from Sam Raimi’s trilogy of Spider-Man films and at the same time a darker, grittier film that’s reportedly inspired by Christopher Nolan’s Batman films.And for much of the film, Webb manages to balance those seemingly disparate points of view. There are times when the whole thing seems like it’s going to topple too far in one direction or another, but with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on as an executive producer, it seems as though Spider-Man is taking some cues from the Marvel Way of moviemaking, even if he’s not officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s humor and heart mixed in with all the big scenes of lizard men and stuff blowing up, and those elements are the ones that keep the film grounded and relatable.Being grounded and relatable is especially important because at times, Webb’s special effects are lacking. Much has been said about the filmmaker’s desire to create a more realistic environment by blending practical effects and stunts with the digital ones, and that’s admirable—but not only does it not always work, but sometimes effects of either type looked downright shoddy. From the flecks of window glass inexplicably suspended in mid-air to make the 3D seem more impressive to the cardboard “steel door” that The Lizard tears through in one of the least suspenseful scenes of suspense ever filmed, sometimes things just didn’t work out the way they seemed like they ought to.The Lizard himself is best when he’s moving quickly and not looking right into the camera, as there are a few shots where he’s just…silly-looking. Rhys Ifans’ voice acting doesn’t do much to offset that, either: He howls and grunts and screams and at times it’s difficult to really take him seriously because he sounds so much like the lovable loser he played in Notting Hill, doing it all for attention.