To put it in the shortest way possible, the answer to those questions is, "yes."
So, about six months ago, Sony dropped a bombshell that would send fans into rages of denial, anger, and hatred. Instead of going forward with “Spider-Man 4” with Raimi and Maguire on board,they scrapped that film and set a reboot in motion. Not only that, but the press releases stated that the reboot would take Peter back to his roots in high school. It would take direct influence from Brian Michael Bendis' revamp titled “Ultimate Spider-Man.” You can see why people would be divided, I'm sure. However, ever since the reboot was announced, I would say that I have remained one of its stalwart defenders. Countless times, I have defended it against those who trash it and I still defend it with my optimism. Why am I so optimistic about the reboot? Well, here's why:
I'll start with an analysis of what we would have likely seen if Sony continued forward with Raimi et.al. There was a supposed plot description of the film that was released around the time of the reboot's announcement (I can't remember if it was before or after, though). Apparently, the Vulture was set to be one of the villains in the film. Felicia Hardy was receiving a character change in the form of a switch from Black Cat to the daughter of the Vulture who seeking revenge on Spidey for killing her father. She becomes the Vulturess. First of all, the Vulture is, one of Spider-Man's lamest villains. He's an old man in a bird suit. That very concept of the character sounds stupid to me. He's just a lackluster villain, especially when compared to the plethora of other great Spidey villains. And changing the Black Cat to Vulturess is just laughable. Can you honestly tell me or anyone that would have been a good idea? It's totally unnecessary, unfaithful, and stupid. I would take the reboot any day over that.
Now, what about the Ultimate influence? Well, I am a fan of the “Ultimate Spider-Man” series. It was a good revamp that handled the balance between Peter's super heroics with his love life, family, school, etc. and the effects each side has on the other very well. The wise cracks and humor were spot on. I liked most of the characters, and I didn't even mind some of the changes made, such as Eddie Brock's past history with Peter. I get the vibe from some people (*ahem*) that despite saying that Ultimate Spidey is "crap!" and "FAIL!" they haven't read it or given it a chance. If you have, then all the power to you. I personally liked it, and think it would transition quite well onto the big screen. However a 100% adaptation wouldn't, and neither would a 100% adaptation of the 616 comics. Besides, Sony has never said that the reboot will be exactly like the Ultimate comics, only that it will be influenced by it. I am perfectly okay with that, because, again, Ult. Spidey was a great showcase of the humor, drama, and angst that is Spider-Man's history. If the reboot uses Ultimate SM as a reference for those qualities, then that's great. Speaking of angst, it seems to worry some people into thinking that the reboot will be "Twilight High School Musical crap!" I would like to direct you to ReillyParker's great editorial in which he describes that angst can be a good thing and fits right into Spider-Man's character. Here's the link:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/reillyparker/news/?a=18181
He and I, more or less, share the same high points and low points of Ultimate Spidey. I forgave a couple of the low points on his list, such as the mutant hate referenced in the books. But I do agree with his analysis on the villains and storylines of the Ultimate books. They handled Norman Osborn excellently, and I hope they take huge notes on the way he is characterized, though the Hulk-Goblin is a no-no.
I'd like to address the Eddie Brock storyline from the Ultimate comics though. See, I played Ultimate Spider-Man the video game before I read the Ultimate comics, and I absolutely loved that game. It is my absolute favorite Spidey game and one of my all time favorite games. That inspired me to read the comics, because I just loved the story in the game. I loved how Eddie has a history with Peter, how Eddie's dad worked closely with Peter's dad, and that lead to the birth of Venom. I think it would provide a sequel that has Brock in it with some pathos for Peter as he faces a close friend. However, I would not include Peter and Eddie's fathers creating the symbiote itself as a scientific breakthrough. Instead I would combine the extraterrestrial origins of the symbiote with the Ultimate angle. I would have the symbiote discovered by astronauts and brought to Earth. Then Peter and Eddie's fathers are part of the company that takes the symbiote for scientific study, and they are tasked with the "Symbiote Project." It's then mostly the Ultimate story from that point on in that arc.
On to Marc Webb, the man who will helm the reboot. I think he's a good choice. He's only directed one movie, “500 Days of Summer,” but I found that film to be a really great. I hate to take another page out of ReillyParker's book, but it was a great coming of age tale about a young man facing the complexities of life and romance. The story of Peter Parker is a coming of age story as he does have to accept this huge responsibility and grow up to face the harsh world around him. I think Webb would be more than able to handle this aspect of Spidey's character, and I can see his pulling off the moral dilemmas Peter must face. That is a huge part of any good Spider-Man film. Sure, he hasn't proven that he can direct action, but Jon Favreau didn't prove he could do a big blockbuster before “Iron Man.” Look how that turned out. We should just give him a chance to prove himself, THEN bash him if he sucks People also bash the reboot for having a relatively low budget (I think it's around 80 million or something), but does anyone remember “District 9?” Amazing, amazing movie with great action, and it cost 30 million. Keep that in the back of your mind.
And finally, we have our Spider-Man: Andrew Garfield. I am very satisfied with this choice, even though I admittedly have not seen him act. On many accounts, this kid can freaking act. Hell, our very own RorMachine called him "astonishing." He won a BAFTA for his acclaimed performance in “Boy A.” I'm very confident that he will pull off Peter in a way that is both faithful to the comics but unique from Tobey's portrayal. He also looks very much like Peter facially. He's tall and lanky, a build which fits Spidey more than Tobey's shorter, stockier body. He may be older than expected, but A) that may be addressed as rumor has it that the setting of the reboot may change from high school to college, and B) I'll take a great actor who is older than ideal but will deliver a great performance. I'll do my best to try and watch “Boy A” and “Red Riding,” as those two seem to be the most frequent examples of Garfield's talent, but until then, he has my support.
So yeah, that's my take on this whole thing. Can things go wrong from here? Yes. Could the reboot turn out as a bad movie? Yes. Can it turn out as a good movie? Yes. We don't know for sure how it will turn out. So stop with the "This movie's going to be crap! I know everything so I'm right and you're wrong!" Let's wait until we have more to criticize before we start predicting the future, all right? And if you disagree with me, fine, but all I ask is that you back it up with more than just "[frick] the reboot!" and "FAIL!" Let's be civil about this.