The Amazing Spider-Man

When I initially heard that director Marc Webb was remaking the origin story from Sam Raimi’s recent film franchise, I wasn’t too interested. But Webb’s spin is just fresh enough to warrant a repeat, and newcomer Andrew Garfield’s awkward charm is well-suited for the profile of the quintessential underdog superhero. The story is a familiar one: Peter’s a nerdy high school kid who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and develops the proportionate super strength of a giant spider. The succeeding murder of his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) motivates Peter to use his new abilities to fight crime anonymously. The film’s different flavor comes in the form of a new villain, The Lizard (Rhys Ifans). When Dr. Curt Connors uses himself as a human trial for a serum that supposedly rids the body of weakness, he transforms into a dangerous lizard-man hybrid who wreaks havoc on New York City. The battle of good versus evil ensues. Kudos to Webb for making a fun summer flick that just lets you go swing along for the ride without thinking too much. Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated PG-13.