fajrdrako | The Amazing Spider-Man...

I was not a fan of the Sam Rami Spider-Man movies. I thought Tobey Maguire was all wrong; Kirsten Dunst was not in the least like Mary Jane Watson - even the colour of her hair was off. The only characters I thought they got right were Aunt May and J. Jonah Jameson.

I was disappointed, because I love, truly love, Peter Parker - one of the greatest characters ever created in comics, and Stan Lee's best masterpiece.

So I approached this Spider-Man movie with trepidation. I'd seen the trailer, and though I thought Andrew Garfield looked much more like Peter Parker should than Tobey Maguire, he wasn't what I picture when I read the comic. He's more Ditko than Romita, and it's the John Romita Sr. Peter who is most firmly in my head.

So... I went to the movie yesterday. And I surprised myself by loving it. I kept getting sniffly over it, not because of what was actually happening, but because I've loved these characters for so long, they meant something to me.

A few specifics...

Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben was just about perfect.
Sally Field as Aunt May: the first depiction of May Parker I have ever seen in which she did not have white hair. An interesting reinterpretation; flawed by her rather constant anxiety, but redeemed by her obvious love for Peter. I thought the movie implied that she had figured out that Peter was Spider-Man, and worried about him for that reason.
I found that just seeing Peter's parents was extremely moving - and I'm not entirely sure why, but this was a good thing. I linked the link between Peter and his father and science. I loved it that - reversing the imagery of the comic - Peter discarded his contact lenses and started wearing his father's glasses.
Rhys Ifans as the Lizard was magnificent. He's my favourite of the Spider-Man villains; the best of the Jeckyll-Hyde scenarios for my money. Maybe because he appeared in one of the first Spider-Man comics I ever read, #6. The Lizard breaks my heart.
I really liked Chris Zylka as Flash Thompson, though it was odd to see a Flash Thompson that didn't seem to have Liz Allan in his life. That's okay - he was just what he needed to be: a bully who picks on Peter Parker and gets his comeuppance, and one of Spider-Man's best and earliest fans.
The Spider-Man costume was an odd texture, but looked good. I was happiest when Spidey was wearing the costume. His joy in webswinging was clear and delightful.
Is the mysterious villain who talked to the Lizard actually Norman Osborn? I am suspecting a trilogy here, with, at some point, a grand tragic climax for the death of Gwen Stacey.
Loved the scene with Stan Lee as school librarian. That reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer somehow.
I loved it that the father of the kid Spider-Man saved on the bridge was able to repay the favour by calling in his buddies with the big cranes when Spider needed the help. That sort of developing karma is, to my mind, a lot of what Spider-Man is all about.
No J. Jonah Jameson. No Mary Jane Watson. But it's early days.
An iconic Spider-Man moment I have loved since I first saw it: Peter Parker, alone in his bedroom, hand-sewing his very first Spider-Man costume.
So scenes of Spidey in the ring, but an interesting use of wrestler's costumes in the poster inspiring Spidey's designs.