We Streamed The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) on Cocoflix – Full Watch Test

Kicking Off a Controversial Reboot

It has been a decade since Sam Raimi altered the movie-era landscape for comic book adaptations, and with the arrival of The Amazing Spider-Man, audiences were quick to set their skeptical opinions. The common critique was, and still is today, that new origin stories for characters as famous and well–known as Spider-Man “have no reason to exist.” Marc Webb took on a difficult task in the reboot of a franchise with a lot of existing fans. The movie chooses to take a “darker, more serious” approach, and strays away from more overtly comedic and clumsy takes on the character. This Peter Parker has more edge and is less of a social outcast than the Parker of the past. As the new movie setup is starting to get stale, this version tries to be more interesting by including a plot point about Peter's parents’ disappearance, giving a little insight to Peter’s backstory.

Swing Through the Sitting: Pacing and Flow

At 2 hours and 16 minutes, The Amazing Spider-Man is on the longer side. Although Peter's high school life and the hints of his relationship with Gwen Stacy are more interesting than the verbose build-up, the origin story still treads on overdone territory, making it tempting to ignore what's happening on-screen. That being said, although the first act is still slow, Peter's transition to Spider-Man leads to more exciting and faster paced sequences. The action and hand to hand combat is fast paced with fluid and choreographed movement. The slower, more deliberate movements of the sequences give the blows an impact. The plot does drag in some areas leading to the viewer thinking of this as a more extended lead up to the actual 'Spider-Man' story, but the combination of the dramatic and emotionally driven scenes and action heavy and super charged moments do a lot to give ambivalence to the movie's perceived let-down.

What Stuck: Hits and Misses

The most notable thing about this film is the chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Some movies can rely strictly on special effects, but The Amazing Spider-Man can get away with having decent special effects, good direction, and good acting. The reason I think the film focused on Gwen and Peter's chemistry was because of the emphasis they put on the banter and their on-screen bond and relationship. Garfield brought an amazing quality and energy to the film with his portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider Man. I also believe a major factor to the overall enjoyment of the film comes from The Amazing Spider-Man's impressive, aesthetically pleasing action sequences. Because the focus of the film is on such a villainous character, for the most part, the film does a great job of creating a villain that seems more down to Earth than others we have seen in other super hero films. However, I do believe the film failed to build The Lizard and explain his motivations. The most frustrating thing about this film is that, after all the attempts to put a new spin on the story, we are still stuck with the same origin story.

Screen Test: Where it Shines (or Doesn't)

Testing The Amazing Spider-Man across different devices showed some trends. For an Android phone, it's perfectly acceptable to watch during a commute or break. Action sequences look good, and character dialog is clean enough. The visuals of some of the sweeping shots of Spider-Man speeding across the city are lost. It has some nice detail for costumes and urban landscape and is a decent pick for a solo watch. It really enjoys a big screen, aka smart TV, though. The shots of New York City are enjoyable, and the kinetic shots of Spider-Man and how destructive the Lizard is show off a lot of the city and the size of the action. It is good for family movie night, but some scenes are intense for young kids. The Scarworm design and action fit the screen and audio equipment well and look great.

The Web of Decision: Is it a Keeper?

Though poorly received by many for its people's continued financial support of Marvel's many Spider-Man movies, The Amazing Spider-Man brings a fairly familiar story and unoriginal narrative to the Spider-Man mythos. The movie is a well-constructed adrenaline-pumping adventure romance, and with a new iteration of an old brilliant character comes a new version of a beloved hero. For those looking to enter the Spider-Man world, or for more edgy, less comedic versions of the beloved protagonist Peter Parker, this is the movie for you. While The Amazing Spider-Man barely justifies its reboot, there are enough enjoyable scenes with admirable performances that warrant a download on Cocoflix. It is a generally well-produced superhero movie that gives a fresh perspective to an old, classic hero, although it is unoriginal.