(WLTX) - It's time for more web-slinging and wall-crawling action with 3D POV! Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has returned in a fresh and faithful film adaptation. Now, people may think there hasn't been enough time to re-launch this franchise (and, normally, I'd agree) but - after viewing it - I'm wondering why they took so long!
Despite the fact that we've already covered Spidey's origin story, they manage construct it in such a way that is new, yet, still relevant to the comic. The same can also be said for the characters he encounters. Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson and Norman Osbourne are all denied introductions for now. However, Gwen Stacy and Dr. Curt Connors finally get the proper facetime they were neglected in previous movies.
Comic purists will appreciate the return to homemade webshooters and the hero's wisecracking demeanor. There's also further mystery involving the disappearance of Peter's parents. We discover bits and pieces - but get the idea that there's plenty more to come in future installations.
And, most importantly, Andrew Garfield has a solid understanding of the character. While I thought Tobey Maguire was good, he seemed to portray Peter Parker as a nerd, rather than just socially unpopular.
Have I mentioned the special-effects? At no point did anything look like it was lifted straight from a video game. Action is only impressive when it looks real...and that's what we got.
While I seem to be only comparing this new movie to previous incarnations, I assure you that's what the filmmakers were doing as well. And it looks like they improved on just about everything. Can't wait to see where it goes from here. Stick around for a hint during the credits. In the meantime, get out and see it yourself!
By Lee O. Smith, News19 Movie Reviewer