Summer Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

   I was in Kansas City this last weekend and got the chance to see The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man), Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors, Denis Leary as Gwen Stacy's father and police chief of New York City, Martin Sheen as Peter Parker's guardian, Uncle Ben, and Sally Field as Peter Parker's other guardian, Aunt May. This movie was basically a chronicling of Peter Parker's early life and his beginnings as Spider-Man. When Peter was a little boy, he discovered his father's office in their house was robbed. Upon this, Peter's mother and father took him to live at his aunt and uncle's house. When his parents never returned or even called, Peter wondered what his aunt and uncle were keeping from him. He discovers his father's old file in the basement of his aunt and uncle's, and begins to investigate. In it, was a formula Peter's father and Dr. Curt Connors were working on together. Peter decides to google his father and when he does, he discovers that his mother and father were killed in a plane crash.

   Peter gets picked on at school and usually comes home a little beaten up, but one night, Peter comes home later than usual. His Uncle Ben lays into him. Peter then runs away just to get oput of the house for some time. His Uncle Ben comes to look for him when, out of nowhere, a man shoots him. Peter is devastated and is dteremined to find the man who did it. Later, Peter meets the mad scientist amputee, Dr. Curt Connors, who is working to develop a medicine that can regrow limbs, and ultimatley he would like to see a world "without weakness" as he puts it. Peter comes up with the formula to regrow limbs. It is tested on the lab rats and works, or so it seems. Dr. Connors is rushed to try to the medicine on humans, so he tries it on himself. He is elated by how well it works, but then, his newly-grown limb starts to mutate into something of a lizard and then his whole body turns into this lizard. Peter Parker has also been bitten by a radioactive spider a couple scenes early and learns to harnass his powers, and creates the famous gel that shoots webs from his hands. Gwen Stacy is caught in the middle as being the first person to know about Peter Parker's newfound identity. Her father, however, is less approving. Captain Stacy comes to find that Peter Parker is Spider-Man and sees that what he is trying to do is help rid the city of New York from evil. Captain Stacy helps Spider-Man take down the Lizard/Dr. Connors. In this venture, Captain Stacy ends up dying, which Peter knows is one of Gwen's biggest fears. Captain Stacy asks Peter to basically stop seeing Gwen, so as to keep her from harm. Because of his respect for Gwen's father, Peter promises. Gwen is distraught when Peter doesn't show up to her father's funeral, and soon finds out of her father's request of Peter. The bullies and everyone at school now knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man and loves him for it. Peter ends up beinglate for class where he sits behind Gwen. Peter promises the teacher he won't be late again and the teacher responds with, "Mr. Parker, don't make promises you can't keep", and so Peter says in Gwen's ear, "Yeah, but those are the best kind". Gwen smiles. Fade to black.

  This movie was full of humor and wit. Andrew Garfield perfectly embodies Peter Parker and his science genius mind. Emma Stone played a very comical and cute girl-in-love, Gwen Stacy. The movie was ful of love and science and bad guys. I give this movie eight out of ten stars because some of the action scenes where a little long, abd I was kind of wanting them to get to the point. Overall, though, the movie was fantastic. The Amazing Spider-Man is now in theatres.