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FLICKS: The Amazing Spider-Man

Posted on 12 July 2012 by LeslieM

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Ten years ago, Sam Raimi wrote and directed Spider- Man, with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, which became the No. 1 Box Office Champion for 2002.

Five years ago, the same team produced Spider-Man 3, which disappointed many.

So there was little enthusiasm when Columbia Pictures announced The Amazing Spider- Man, a reboot of the comic book myth.

While we could have avoided another origin story involving the shooting of Uncle Ben (this time, Martin Sheen), The Amazing Spider- Man does work as a comic book recreation with a vivid color palette. Director Marc Webb’s palette is film noir, much influenced by the Dark Knight Returns and Sin City short story collections.

In the pre-credit sequence, we learn a little why a young Peter Parker came under the care of Uncle Ben and Aunt May (Sally Field). In High School, Peter (Andrew Garfield) falls under the spell of Gwen Stacy (Emma “The Help” Stone), the daughter of tough Police Commissioner Stacy (Denis Leary).

Gwen works for Dr. Connors (Rhys Ifans), an amputee with a connection to the disappearance of Peter Parker’s parents. As Peter investigates this link, he is bitten by a spider and undergoes a transformation. In his zeal to re-grow his amputated arm, Dr. Connors injects himself with an untested serum and terrorizes Manhattan as the notorious Lizard.

While most of the action scenes occur at night, Director Webb manages to create vivid battles between Spider- Man and the Lizard. It is special effects whiz bang, but manages to capture the smart aleck wit of Stan Lee’s original creation. (Lee’s cameo brought forth a round of applause at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery IMAX Theater).

With last weekend’s record-breaking box office gross, Columbia Pictures has announced that The Amazing Spider-Man is the first of a planned trilogy that should conclude during the 2016 Presidential election season.

The Amazing Spider-Man is a complete story within itself, a visual treat and very entertaining. The opening narrative grabs you from the very beginning. What more can you ask from a big budget summer blockbuster?

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