Amazing Spider-Man

Rebooting movies is it good or bad? 

Thanks to the success of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, movie studios are thinking it is a great idea. Everything is getting reboot treatment. Warner Bros is already planning for the second Batman franchise reboot after Nolan wraps up his trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The Amazing Spider-Man is the latest reboot to be released. Many were not sure that the Spider-Man franchised needed a reboot. Spider-Man 3 was released 5 years ago. It was still very popular property for Columbia Pictures. So why retell the story?

Easy answer... to change the tone. The previous Spider-Man movies were humorous, exciting, and at moments campy. This new Spider-man is striving to be serious, emotionally intense, and suspenseful. ASM has a darker tone with a hint of realism. Comic book lovers no longer just want to see their beloved heroes live on the big screen. They also want a possibility that it could be part of reality. 

You will be surprised how far the movie markers will push their reality. These characters are not inside comic books. I am not going into it any more so not to spoil the movie if you haven't seen it yet. You understand what I mean when you see it.

I like Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. You will see a more modern view of "Midtown High's Professional Wallflower". Not just a geeky nerd, he is more of a loner that is into more than just science. He is a skateboarder, and a smart-ass. He walks around with his earbuds in his ears. He doesn't want to share his existence with his classmates, and he is ok with that. Maybe he speaks his mind at inappropriate times. Yet that is what makes him relatable.

Emma Stone was great as Gwen Stacy. She was cute and smart, yet I felt her character was passed over and not seen as much as was needed. Hoping her role expands as the foreseeable sequels are made.

I was really surprised by the Lizard. He wasn't just an uncontrollable monster. He was quick, smart, menacing, and at times slightly terrifying. I was relieved by this because I did have my fears that this character wasn't going to live up to his potential. Rhys Ifans did a great job as Curt Conners/The Lizard. His performance transforms along with his character, and that is great because he should be both characters not just the Dr. and the CGI.

The Amazing Spider-Man gets A - Awesome. It was darker, raw, gritty, and felt much different from the previous movies. The story was very condensed and a lot of questions were left answered. That is probably due to the fact this is meant to be a trilogy already in planning. Go see ASM!! Also if you have the option, see it in IMAX 3D. The web slinging and fight scenes are great in the 3D format. I usually hate 3D, but not with this movie.

I am a huge Spider-Man fan so some may think my opinion be a bit bias.  Maybe it is, but I also know good movies when I see them. If a movie sucks, I will concede to the fact even if I liked the film. So my review is not just fanboy praise. This movie will pave the way to bigger and even better Spider-Man films. I can't wait!!

'Nuf said!!