Dir: Marc Webb
Starring:Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans
Synopsis: A full reboot of the Spiderman franchise, this film chronicles a new storyline of the red and blue webslinger, including new origin story, new girlfriend and new enemies. High School student Peter Parker (Garfield) is bitten by a genetically modified spider that gives him super-powers, and must fight the lizard (Ifans) in order to save New York.
Verdict: Reboots are a Marmite film industry; some like them, some don't. Likewise, some reboots work, others don't. The second live action incarnation of Spiderman is, to me, a good reboot, and opens a new perspective on the story - one which focuses on Peter's family and the relationship they have to him and Oscorp.
The decision by Webb to introduce the other woman in Parker's life, Gwen Stacy, is a good move to distance the new film from the original trilogy, but you do get the feeling that Mary Jane is going to be needed at some point to introduce the love triangle that is prevalent in the comics. The twisting of the Lizards character though is an odd combination of the Jekyll and Hyde Lizard from the comics and the Green Goblin, where the Lizard's separate psyche over-runs the human side.
First on the agenda for the review is, inevitably, the special effects. And, having seen it in 3D, I am pleased to report that the 3D works! There were few, barely noticeable hiccoughs, but the vast majority of the effect was crisp and worked well. The only times there were noticeable bumps in the road were in some of the point of view shots, and one shot which flies directly over the Oscorp Tower lightning rod.
The special effects themselves are also really good, from the CGI used for the swinging sequences to the lizard himself - special mention does have to be made in relation to the effect used for the loss of Connors' (Ifans) arm. The use of real-world effects tie in well with the CG as well: the use of scaled skin textures on Ifans and the suit worn by Garfield work well when combined with the CG counterparts.
The casting has also been done well in respects to the film. Garfield is a very convincing Parker - he has the look of a teenager, and his attitude and humour both in and out of the suit is typical of a 17 year old who has a lot on his plate.
Ifans is proving himself in a move away from comedy films with his portrayal of the Lizard. The sense of the 'schizophrenia' that is reflected from the Green Goblin of the first on the original trilogy is good, although clichéd by this fact: the way it affects him both as a general character and a villain is impressive.
Then there's Stone as Gwen, the new girl to replace Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane. She plays her role really well - her relationship with Parker, her emotions throughout the film, they all create a rounded character that, while not standing out as much as Garfield and Ifans she is still does a better job than Dunst's MJ.
With a good soundtrack adding to the experience of the film, the reboot is definitely an improvement on the original films and copies the style of the comic books which have various variations of the characters.
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