The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Most people think so. 79% of audiences gave it a thumbs up based on 18,308 votes. Critics gave it 68%.

Peter Parker is an outcast high schooler abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero. Wikipedia ↗

The Amazing Spider-Man is a 2012 American superhero film directed by Marc Webb, rebooting the Spider-Man film franchise just five years after Sam Raimi's trilogy concluded. Andrew Garfield stars as Peter Parker, a high school outsider who gains spider-like abilities after being bitten by a genetically modified spider at Oscorp, the company where his late father once worked. As Peter investigates the mystery of his parents' disappearance, he crosses paths with Dr.

Curt Connors, played by Rhys Ifans, his father's former colleague who transforms into the monstrous Lizard after experimenting with cross-species genetics. The decision to reboot Spider-Man so quickly was controversial, but Sony Pictures needed to maintain the film rights to the character, which would revert to Marvel if no new film entered production. Director Marc Webb, known for the indie romantic comedy 500 Days of Summer, brought a more grounded, character-driven approach that emphasized Peter Parker's detective-like investigation into his parents' secrets and his romantic chemistry with Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone.

Andrew Garfield's portrayal of Peter was more rebellious and quick-witted than Tobey Maguire's earnest interpretation, and his real-life romance with Emma Stone lent their on-screen relationship an authentic warmth that many critics considered the film's strongest element. The film featured impressive practical web-swinging stunts, with many sequences filmed on real New York City streets. The Amazing Spider-Man earned $757 million worldwide, proving commercially successful despite the shadow of Raimi's beloved trilogy.

Garfield would later receive renewed appreciation for his Spider-Man portrayal through his appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home.