"This is going to be a major disappointment!" That's what I thought as my dad popped in the DVD of The Amazing Spider-Man. I had read some disappointing Christian reviews for it (not necessarily that it was immoral, but that it just was not as good as the previous Spiderman trilogy). After watching the film, I was a little disappointed, but I must admit it was a lot better than I was expecting. Marvel's newest "Spidey" film: The Amazing Spider-Man is, according to Wikipedia, the 48th highest-grossing film worldwide (and the seventh highest of 2012). On its own, it is a pretty good film, but when compared to the Spider-Man trilogy of the early 2000's, I think it paled. The film stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spiderman, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard.SUMMARY
Peter Parker is a science-obsessed high schooler. Only fellow student Gwen Stacy rivals him in knowledge of that area. But he is haunted by the absence of his parents, who dropped him off at his uncle and aunt's house one night...and never were seen again.
He begins to learn more and more about his parents. Soon, he discovers that his father's colleague, Dr. Curt Connors, is a leading scientist in cross-breed genetics. Peter sneaks into a tour, but unfortunately it is led by Gwen and she quickly catches on. She instructs him to stay out of her way and not to cause any trouble. 
What would he do but the exact opposite of that? Peter sneaks into a restricted area and finds millions of spiders climbing around. He is bitten by one and quickly leaves the building. Later, though, he begins to realize the new powers he has gained. He does not use them wisely, though.
It is only after the death of a loved one (because of his negligence) that he starts to protect the innocent and stop the wrongdoers. Spider-Man is born and must soon go after a vicious monster known as The Lizard.
CONTENT
The violence is about what you would expect from your typical Marvel superhero movie. It is no more violent than past films such as Thor or The Avengers. Not only is there the use of guns and knifes but also the use of chemicals. The Lizard uses a toxic gas to turn people into giant lizard-human creatures. On that note, the transformation of one of the characters into The Lizard will be frightening to younger viewers especially, though it is a good scene.
Peter begins a romantic relationship with Gwen Stacy, and there are at least two kissing scenes (perhaps three). You will find this in any superhero movie. There is also a brief scene of immodesty where Peter accidently gets his hand stuck on a woman's shirt with his new powers (which was completely unnecessary, in my opinion).
I cannot recall the specific inappropriate language, but I remember it being in there. I don't think it was as strong as many PG-13 movies, though it is definitely a part of the film.
As in the original Spider-Man movie, Peter Parker learns his lesson and turns from a prideful bully to a responsible superhero. Responsibility is a key theme in The Amazing Spider-Man. I also liked how Peter must learn to cope with the absence of his parents.
The acting was pretty good (I especially enjoyed Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors and Dennis Leary as Police Captain Stacy), but I found I preferred Toby Maguire's Spider-Man over Andrew Garfield's.
Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man is a good Marvel film, but with previous spectacular films to live up to (such as The Avengers), it could never make an "amazing" movie.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Length: 136 minutes
Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence)
Director: Marc Webb
Producers: Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach
Music: James Horner
Year of release: 2012
General audience: Teens, adults
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