*** out of 4 Stars    

Many have questioned why Marvel has rebooted their most iconic character so soon. It’s been just 10 years since Sam Raimi brought the web slinging hero to the big screen. I guess Sony Pictures  needed an influx of cash. Sam Raimi’s trilogy, while ending poorly, set the standard for comic book adaptations. Raimi’s SPIDERMAN {2002} was enormously popular, he upped the ante with SPIDERMAN 2 , which is one of the two or three best super-hero films. Sam concluded with SPIDERMAN 3 {2007} which was cluttered and somewhat disappointing.

The AMAZING SPIDERMAN is good, sometimes it’s very good, but for the most part, is no more than a retelling of a story that we have we have recently seen. Director Marc Webb {appropriate name}, does a proficient job, but the film is not abundantly different from its predecessor. Webb actually sticks closer to the comic books than Raimi. Peter Parker is a much darker character here, hell bent on revenge. Andrew Garfield does a shrewd job of portraying a more troubled and more contemporary character. I still prefer Tobey Maguire’s depiction which was innocent and vulnerable, and thus easier to root for. Garfield’s Parker while soulful, is an angry, aggressive skateboarder, the type I would try to run over with my car in the parking lot.

As with all comic book adaptations, the villain is the key component, and this picture introduces Dr. Curt Connors aka The Lizard. He’s an adequate adversary, but not an exceptional one. He looks reptilian frightening, but there is little unique about him. The fight scenes are engaging though I wish there weren’t so many quick cuts, because it’s hard to keep track of exactly what is happening.

  The Amazing Spiderman is competent, but more of a remake than a reboot. An origin story is always going to feel repetitive, but once you get past the feeling that you’ve seen this before, it’s quite entertaining, sort of like a good cover of a classic song.  This version of Spidey is a requisite first installment, so now that Webb has performed the necessary exposition, on to the sequel, which should be truly amazing.