By: Katie Ma

The world of Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man is universe where teenage boys are bitten by radioactive spiders and mad scientists turn themselves into giant lizards. It’s a strange place! In the Amazing Spider-Man, the protagonist Peter Parker played by Andrew Garfield, is bitten by a genetically engineered spider. He gains superpowers, and becomes Spider-Man. This movie, written in the stereotypical superhero style, has several glaring flaws–ranging from the frustrating plot to the rushed relationship between the main couple.

The film opens with a scene of a little boy being sent to his aunt and uncle’s house by his frantic looking parents. Later, the viewer learns that the boy’s parents died in a car crash and that the boy now lives with his aunt and uncle. Set in Queens, New York in the early 2010s, Peter Parker is an ordinary high school student. To learn more about his parents, he decides to sneak into Oscorp, a company run by his father’s former work partner, Curt Connors. At the same time, we see Peter’s relationship with Gwen Stacy grow as his relationship with his uncle deteriorates.

Later Peter’s uncle dies in shooting. Peter is overcome with guilt because he feels responsible for the death. This tragic event inspires Peter to become Spider-Man and dedicate himself to finding his uncle’s killer. In a turn of events, Peter meets the police chief of Queens and learns that the police dislike Spider-Man’s antics. Later in the film, he faces many challenges as Spider-Man, including facing a giant reptile, eventually saving Queens.

Towards the middle of the movie, Peter does many ridiculous things to keep the plot moving. In an attempt to find the identity of the lizard terrorizing Queens, he sneaks into a sewer where his suspect is hiding with his camera that is labeled “Property of Peter Parker”. To no one’s surprise, he leaves the camera in the villain’s evil lair and reveals his identity.

This move is so out of character for Peter, who has proven himself many times throughout the film to be resourceful and clever. He managed to hide his superpowers from his aunt. She immediately suspected something strange was going on with him after he was bitten by the spider. He had to come up with a cover story on the spot when she confronted him. Several times throughout the movie, it felt like the writers ran out of ideas and resorted to lazy plot-drivers to keep the storyline moving.

Another example of this is the scene where Uncle Ben dies. At the beginning of the movie, it’s clear that Peter has a strong moral compass. He stands up for a kid that is being bullied, and in return gets beaten up. However, he was perfectly fine with letting a random man with a gun rob a store and stood by when the store owner yelled for him to help. This scene is, once again, out of character for Peter. It feels like it’s only included in the movie to keep the plot of the movie moving forward.

If you overlook the fact that there is no real buildup to their relationship, Gwen and Peter make a perfect couple. From the beginning, the audience can see that Peter has a crush on Gwen. He stumbles over his words, trips over his feet, and exhibits an awkward, “I’m trying to act cool, but I am so in love with you” energy. Mr. Garfield and Ms. Stone have great chemistry, and it’s a shame that the movie rushed their characters’ relationship. One day they are strangers and the next Peter’s sneaking in through her window. Although the director Marc Webb previously directed 500 Days of Summer, a romantic comedy, Peter and Gwen’s relationship does not feel special like the romances in his other films. It’s a shame that Gwen’s character is used to aid Peter with his superhero shenanigans. Compared to other love interests in superhero movies, Gwen is a well-rounded character. She’s wickedly smart, even more than Peter. She stands up for herself and doesn’t blindly follow him. Overall, her character had a lot of wasted potential.

Although Peter Bradshow, a film critic from The Guardian, says that the movie is “smarter, leaner, and [a] more interesting ‘origin’ storyline”, I believe that the plot of The Amazing Spider-Man is predictable, and the characters are two-dimensional. Peter and Gwen’s rushed relationship makes the movie less interesting as well. At the end of the day, I would only recommend this film to people who enjoy stereotypical and tasteless movies.