On Tuesday my family and I went to see a movie I was eagerly anticipating since I first heard of the news that it was being made; The Amazing Spider-Man. From the moment the news came out about a re0-imagining of the Spider-Man movie franchise, there's been some negative buzz from all sides, reviewers and "comic book websites" and I don't really understand why. Maybe it's because of the love people have for the Sam Raimi films or maybe it's because the costume has been re-designed or maybe the Lizard doesn't look exactly like the comics; or maybe it's a combination of all. In my humble opinion this new imagining is just as good as the original Raimi films, and in some aspects, even better! 
   Director Marc Webb did an excellent job with this movie, showing us a new version of Peter Parker that is "geeky" or "nerdy" but by today's standards of what a "geek" should look or act like. The relationship between Dr. Connors and Peter, as brief as it was, works perfectly and establishes that Dr. Connors admires that Peter is a really smart kid, even by his standards. That, along with the mistery about Peter Parker's parent's death opens the door for infinite possibilities and many more movies to come I'm sure.

   Andrew Garfield, who portrayed Peter Parker, stole the show in this movie and is even more dead on as Peter than Toby Maguire ever was. From his funny comments while battling random thugs or the Lizard, to his "clumsy" everyday life, Garfield embodies what Peter Parker is all about. The moment Andrew comes on screen for the first time you know that he's been a Spider-Man fan for a long time because he doesn't just play Peter Parker;  he IS Peter Parker!  Another highlight of this movie was Emma Stone's portrayal of Gwen Stacy. As soon as you see her, if you've read a Spider-man comic book before, you feel like John Romita's art came to life. Her performance was amazing! Another important aspect of this movie was the chemistry between Garfield and Stone, which felt as natural as it can possibly be without it being real. You felt that these two characters liked each other, care for each other and it felt real.

   One thing this movie does that the Raimi films didn't is being funny without being "cheesy", and that works for me and a lot of people I think. On a personal note, I went to see this movie with my mom, who isn't a comic book fan or a sci-fi fan at all, my 16 year old brother, who isn't a comic book fan either, my wife, who isn't that much into comic books and/or comic book movies and my 2 year old. And guess what? They all loved it! That, in my opinion, speaks volume. If you haven't seen this movie yet, GO SEE IT TODAY!!!