The Amazing Spiderman

I'll hold my hands up. I did grumble when I heard they were rebooting the Spiderman series. A Sam Raimi fan I really didn't know how they were going to top the first film.

Then I heard they'd signed Andrew Garfield up. Light glimmers at the end of a tunnel. 

Then I heard Emma Stone was signed up. Light flickers into a flame. 

Then I heard Rhys Ifans was going to be a the bad guy. Flame burns bright.

I knew it would be set in Parker's school days, something that is all too quickly glossed over in Raimi's films, the expansion of which I was looking forward to. 

Garfield and Stone are outstanding in their central roles, and with their relationship in real life, it's no wonder their electric chemistry is showing throughout this film. Ifans is a good but gross Lizardy mess. 

Its good to know more back story on Parker's parents and the ties it has to the storyline. It didn't make me any less or more sad this time round when Ben is shot and killed. The spider bite wasn't so cartoon like, with less emphasis  put on it this time round, but I imagine the scenes before with the hundreds of spiders would be pretty horrible to watch if you have arachnophobia. The fight with Flash is a million time better and something we see the dark side of Parker in, albeit instantly fighting the inner turmoil at his loss of temper and disapproval from Uncle Ben. 

I love that; spiderman is back to the wisecracking boy of yore, that the web shooters are back to their origin, rather than being biological. Oh and Aunt May is now fantastically played by Sally Field, which gives us a stronger, younger not as pathetic woman for Parker to look up to.

Overall: A really good reboot, something I'm eating my words about. The beginning of a new spidey is promising, and with this being pretty much back story with a mutating lizard thrown in, I'm really, really looking forward to when the really bad guys come a calling!

4 out of 5, watch-able, fun, a great performance from Stone and Garfield (plus Garfield's butt looks like the amazing spiderbutt)