THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN CAUGHT ME! by Pamela Powell

I will be the first to admit this:  I am not a superhero or comic book kind of person.  I'm going to go out on a limb here, risk being sexist and say that this stuff is primarily geared toward males.  Having said that, I am going to say that I really liked this movie; especially for being a comic book based superhero movie!  Well-done on Mark Webb's (is that just a coincidence?) and the screenwriters' part for making this a story that appeals to both men and women, boys and girls with no swearing and no sex!  How ever did they do that?  One other thing that I must admit is that I really don't remember much of the other three Spider-Man movies.  I guess they didn't make much of an impact on me!  This one did.  I was afraid that it was going to be a continuation of whatever the other Spider-Man movies did, but in fact it was a re-do of the entire story from childhood to current day.  This was again, a good choice!

The Amazing Spider-Man starred Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.  Garfield, known in my mind for The Social Network, was perfectly cast as the high school loner and nerd counter to Emma Stone's classically independent and self-assured personality.  (Why couldn't I have been like that in high school?  Ok, maybe even in college.  Ok, how about NOW?)  I remember reading an article in "Entertainment Weekly", possibly a year ago, that interviewed Andrew Garfield.  It turns out that he was quite the Spider-Man fan as a child and his dress-up childhood photo is something that possibly played a role in landing the part.  Thank goodness it did because Garfield seemed to become Peter Parker without question.   The rest of the cast was complete with talented actors which, I think, gave this movie the credibility it needed.  Martin Sheen and Sallie Field played Parker's aunt and uncle and Rhys Ifans played The Lizard/Dr. Curt Connors.  For playing characters out of a comic book, these actors made them come to life.  It was as believable as a comic book could possibly be.  In addition, 3D was the viewing of choice only because of timing constraints, but this time, I'm really glad I did!  It was one of the first movies in over a year that I have seen that made it pleasant and not bothersome to see in 3D!

The movie starts out with Peter Parker as a little guy, about 4 or 5, who flees his home with his parents due to an apparent break-in.  He is left with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben.  Max Charles plays the younger version of Peter Parker and is an adorable actor to watch.  We then see Peter, now played by Andrew Garfield, who has grown up into a high schooler still living at his aunt and uncles' home.  The first half of the movie was really a story which gave wonderful depth to who Peter Parker is and what he has gone through.   There was great story development until the point of meeting his new nemisis Dr. Curt Conners.  At this point, the movie's pace picks up with the addition of special effects and stunts.  The 3D aspect also kicks in to a higher gear, but not in a visually irritating way.  The stunts were great as were the special effects.  The main story line continued to weave a tangled web of regret and love between Parker and various important people in his life.

The familiar stories of bullying and retaliation in high school,  love interests, meeting parents, and struggling with identity were all aspects addressed in this movie.  Oh, yeah, and then the whole good vs. evil thing.  This was a story.  Even though it was a superhero comic book story, I really enjoyed it!  This movie is going to entertain and appeal to both male and female and every age-group.

7.5 REELS