by This article was written by our friend, Dimitri A.C. Ly, over at TheDreamersEdge.com.
Don’t forget to check out Dimitri’s original posting over at TheDreamersEdge.com.
Personally, I’m excited that we’re getting a fresh take on our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, complete with a new supporting cast.
As a fellow nerd, Gwen Stacy has always struck me as a more believable love interest than supermodel Mary-Jane Watson, and Emma Stone has proven herself a powerhouse when it comes to onscreen lovableness. I also like Peter’s tense relationship with his girlfriend’s father, Captain George Stacy, though I do wonder whether Dennis Leary made a conscious decision after 9/11 to only play cops and firemen. Anyway, these neglected characters from the comic book lore seem considerably less whiny than those in the Sam Raimi trilogy, and that’s just what the franchise needs right now.
Mind you, I’m betting we’ll still get a fair bit of angst. From the looks of it, Andrew Garfield is portraying a much angrier version of Spider-Man. Take, for example, the scene in which young Peter slams a bully against the lockers. The image feels as old as the very concept of teenagehood, but it remains evocative. Also consider our hero’s retort when a crook asks whether he’s a cop, the way his trademark 
wit seems to channel pent-up teen aggression instead of heroic liberation. That strikes me as a very promising interpretation. After all, a boy can be an outcast in high school without coming across like his testicles never dropped. Yeah, I’m looking at you, Tobey Maguire!
My only reservation stems from the shot of Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen), which I’m hoping is just a flashback. I feel we’ve already dealt with Spidey’s origin ad nauseam. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) did a great job bringing the story to the big screen, and Spider-Man 3 (2007) ruined it all by revisiting the material, adding layers of stupid and convoluted to an otherwise perfect tragedy. More to the point, if people want to see how Peter Parker lost his uncle, they can always get the 2002 flick on home video. Better yet, they should watch its first sequel, Spider-Man 2 (2004), for no other reason than because it’s awesome.
At any rate, I want The Amazing Spider-Man to deliver a different angle on the character, something we’ve never seen before. Filmmakers shouldn’t expect to amaze us with recycled tropes and pummeled horse carcasses, you know? That’s what I dig most about the trailer: it hints at new possibilities. Of course, it’s a bit too early to tell, but I’m all jazzed up just the same. How about you?
This review was written by our friend, Dimitri A.C. Ly, over at TheDreamersEdge.com.
Stay Connected