Only five years after its last installment, the Spider-Man franchise has rebooted. The reason is simple: The studio did it for the money. Fans wanted it because Spider-Man 3 was an over-the-top mess.

Director Marc Webb and star Andrew Garfield thought they could make a better Spider-Man film – and they were right.

It began last year at San Diego’s Comic-Con. Garfield won fans over with a surprise, heartfelt intro to “The Amazing Spider-Man” panel. He revealed that he was a childhood fan living out his dream, previewing his shy but cheeky incarnation of the classic Marvel superhero.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” treads much of the same ground as Sam Raimi’s 2002 film. But the story distances itself from its predecessor with a fresh tone and riveting lead performances. Webb introduces an eye-popping 3-D first-person view, “Spidey Vision,” which puts viewers behind the mask as Spider-Man leaps and swings around Manhattan.

The familiar story follows Peter Parker (Garfield), a social outcast and high school punching bag. But this film focuses more on the mysterious disappearance of Parker’s parents. Parker finds an old briefcase of his father’s, leading him to pharmaceutical company Oscorp and his father’s old partner, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans).

Parker wanders off on a lab tour, and gets bitten by a genetically altered spider.

You know the rest.

Spurred by the tragic murder of his uncle Ben (Martin Sheen), Parker starts fighting crime with his newfound powers. He also cozies up to the smart and spunky Gwen Stacy, (Emma Stone). When Connors turns himself into a giant, rampaging lizard, there’s only one man for the job.

Garfield embodies the titular hero with a quiet energy and endearing nervousness that Tobey Maguire never quite had. As Parker, he is constantly tongue-tied, stammering and grinning his way through awkwardly cute conversations with Stacy. In a memorable scene atop Stacy’s apartment building, Parker stumbles through a confession of his true identity. As Stacy walks away, he pulls her back with a web, spinning her around into a kiss.

The sparks between Garfield and Stone jump off the screen, and for good reason: the two are a couple in real life. Webb, whose only other directorial effort was “(500) Days of Summer,” succeeds in making the romantic storyline even more captivating than the superhero nonsense.

Instead of playing the damsel-in-distress card used time and again by Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson, Stone’s talent is displayed by her portrayal of Stacy with a more dynamic presence. She steals every scene with quick-witted intelligence and her piercing blue eyes.

Once the mask goes on, Garfield gives the web-crawler some attitude. He exhibits a deeply determined angst, searching restlessly for his uncle’s killer while ignoring pleas from worried Aunt May (Sally Field).

He’s more playful during fight scenes, talking to and even taunting the villains. “Oh no, you’ve found my weakness. It’s small knives,” he says in one scene. Yet he also plays Spidey with a lot of heart. As he saves a terrified boy from falling to his death, he pulls off his mask and puts it on the boy, giving him the courage to climb to safety.

There’s nothing revelatory about the action scenes, but they are CGI-filled fun, as Spider-Man outsmarts Lizard in his sewer lair and atop Oscorp tower. The “Spidey Vision” moments have the feel of an immersive video game, capturing the unbridled excitement of actually swooping through skyscrapers.

Still, the heart of the film is Garfield and Stone. Without the absorbing performances of its charismatic leads, “The Amazing Spider-Man” would have been an average remake.

Published on July 12, 2012 at 12:38 pm

Contact Rob: rjmarvin@syr.edu