A few years back, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios decided to drop Spider-Man 4 and instead reboot the Spider-Man franchise. I was in shock. I did not believe that any reboot could top director Sam Raimi’s version of the classic superhero story. And who was ready to let go of Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst? But after I saw director Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man in theaters, I was, no pun intended, amazed. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) plays Spider-Man/Peter Parker much better than Maguire. Spider-Man is known for constantly having conflicts over his duties as sweet Peter Parker and as New York City’s heroine. Garfield portrays this internal struggle perfectly. And although love interest Mary Jane Watson is replaced with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone, The Help), the switch was for the better. The chemistry between Spidey and Gwen is mesmerizing. Additionally, the special effects are out of this world. So if you have been reluctant about watching the Spider-Man reboot, go to your nearest RedBox or log onto Netflix immediately. Maguire and Dunst will forgive you!
That was my schpiel for The Amazing Spider-Man franchise. Now for those of you who already fell in love with the Garfield and Stone duo in the first movie, bring your tissues to the second installment. With her soulful eyes and passionate acting, Stone effortlessly wins the heart of Garfield and of every single movie-goer. The newest villain that Spider-Man faces is Electro (Jaime Foxx, Django Unchained), otherwise known as Oscorp engineer Maxwell Dillon. Foxx plays his troubled character flawlessly, and frankly is one of the highlights of the film. Also, Harry Osborn (played by James Franco in the original trilogy) returns! Although there is definitely more depth to Harry’s character (Dane DeHaan, The Chronicle) in this reboot, I actually prefer Franco in the original. Therefore, whether you are a superhero fanatic or not, this movie is action-packed, tear-jerking, and just overall, amazing.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars