I guess some embargo has been lifted somewhere, as the very first (official) reviews for The Amazing Spider-Man have appeared. So far early Twitter reactions to the premiere in London last night have been positive, but by no means overwhelmingly so. The general consensus seemed to be that while all of the performances were spot on, the movie fell a bit flat in some other areas, and that seems to be reflected in Empire's 3 star review which you can read some excerpts from below..
..It takes the high school bit of Raimi’s flick, expands it to three acts, then sutures in a scientist/green alter-ego thread, this time in the shape of Rhys Ifans’ Curt Connors/The Lizard. The result is a mixed bag, beset by muddy plotting and decent (not jaw-dropping) action set-pieces but enlivened by a focus on people and strong performances, especially from Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.
This is solid rather than spectacular blockbuster filmmaking. When Parker finally suits up, we get a return to the irreverent wisecracking of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko absent from Raimi: this is your sarcastic, neighbourhood Spider-Man (“Oooh, my weakness is small knives”), nonchalantly sneezing webbing to apprehend villains or beating up street hoods — to use Andy Townsend parlance — for fun.
Graced with great performances from Garfield and Stone, The Amazing Spider-Man is a rare comic-book flick that is better at examining relationships than superheroism. If it doesn’t approach the current benchmark of Avengers Assemble, it still delivers a different enough, enjoyable origin story to live comfortably alongside the Raimi era.
Of course this is only one review, more are now beginning to appear.
Total Film award the movie 4 stars, and in summing up say -
"It isn’t perfect but this reboot’s wins outweigh its wobbles. The leads charm, the action crackles and the grooves are well-laid for part two. Untold story? Next time, then.".
Similarly,
The Guardian Writes - "
Marc Webb's successful synthesis of action and emotion, together with a terrific performance by Andrew Garfield, means that this Spider-Man is as enjoyable as it is impressive".
The Telegraph writes -
While Raimi got fanboys drooling with Kirsten Dunst in a rain-soaked vest top, Webb’s leading lady remains clothed and dry. Instead, the camera ogles Garfield, whose enviable glutes are showcased quite magnificently in his skin-tight bodysuit. Raimi’s films were for the teenage boys who used to dress up in Spider-Man pyjamas; Webb’s is for girls whose other halves may soon be dressing up in Spider-Man pyjamas for their benefit.
Pretty positive overall then, if not quite the enthusiastic response many were hoping for. Of course the only reviews that matters come from CBM, and you can check out what our own Josh Wilding has to say about
The Amazing Spider-Man a little later on.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.