The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

The Amazing Spider-Man is a 2012 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It's a reboot to the Spider-Man film franchise and was released on July 3rd, 2012. Marc Webb has signed to direct the film and is also contracted for the two following films as well.

Plot
A young Peter Parker is playing hide-and-seek with his scientist father Richard when he discovers that his father's (Richard Parker) study has been broken into. Richard gathers up some hidden documents and Peter's parents take him to the home of his Aunt May and Uncle Ben then mysteriously depart. Years later, a teenage Peter attends Midtown Science High School, where he's bullied by Flash Thompson and catches the eye of Gwen Stacy. At home, Peter finds Richard's hidden papers, and learns his father worked with fellow scientist Dr. Curt Connors at Oscorp. Faking his way into Oscorp as part of a new batch of interns, Peter sneaks into a lab where extremely strong "biocable" is being created from genetically-modified spiders, one of which bites him. On the subway ride home, awakening to bystanders on the subway, whom he scuffles with He discovers increased agility, strength, and spider like abilities. At home he discovers the spider that bit him which he stores away.

Parker introduces himself to the one-armed Dr. Connors at his home and gives Connors his father's "decay rate algorithm", the missing piece in Connors' experiments on regenerating limbs. Connors is being pressured by his superior, Dr. Ratha, to devise a cure for the dying Oscorp chief Norman Osborn.

In school, after besting Flash in a basketball match and inadvertedly destroying the hoop, Peter gets in trouble, forcing Uncle Ben to switch a work shift in order to meet with the principal; he tells Peter to pick up May tonight for him. After learning more about his new powers, he meets Dr. Connors at Oscorp, and, ignoring a call from Ben sees the limb-regeneration formula work on a laboratory mouse. When Peter returns home, Ben scolds him for having forgotten to pick up May, reminding him that his father believed that people should always make their responsibility their priority. A distraught Peter storms off, and when Ben goes looking for him. Peter attempts to buy a milk and falls two cents cents short and is refused service by the store clerk, The clerk is then robbed by a man peter refuses to apprehend. Ben sees the thief running and attempts to stop him. As Ben and the thief wrestle over a gun, Ben is killed before Peter's eyes and the murderer escapes.

Shortly afterward, using a police sketch of the killer. Peter uses his new abilities to hunt criminals matching the killer's description. After attacking a man who fit the description, he is chased by a gang and falls inside an abandoned gym, a luchador wrestling poster inspires him to create a mask. Later, he adds a Spandex suit for mobility and suddenly becomes a folk hero hunted by NYPD Capt. George Stacy, Gwen's father. Peter accepts Gwen's invitation to have dinner with her family and later admits being the masked vigilante to her.

Ratha fires Connors for refusing to immediately start human trials of the new drug. He takes a sample of the drug and plans to test it at a Veterans Administration hospital under the guise of flu shots. Desperate, Conners tries the formula on himself, and after passing out and awakening finds his missing arm has regenerated. However, he mutates into a powerful man-lizard hybrid and chases Ratha at Williamsburgh Bridge, sending cars over the side. Peter, now calling himself Spider-Man, saves each fallen car with the biocable "web" he fires from mechanical devices on his wrists.

Spider-Man confronts the Lizard in the sewers, barely escaping alive. Having learned Spider-Man's real identity, the Lizard attacks Peter at school and plans to unleash the drug all over Manhattan to mutate all humans into lizards using a cloud-generating device at Oscorp Tower, unaware that Gwen is there making an antidote for the condition at Peter's request. The police mobilizes to stop both him and Spider-Man, but are delayed when the Lizard infects officers with small dosages of the chemical. In the manhunt, Captain Stacy learns Spider-Man's real identity and allows him to go stop Connors while proceeding to the tower himself. Both of them fight together to delay the Lizard while Spider-Man modifies the machine to disperse the antidote instead, restoring the humanity of Connors and the infected officers, and allowing him to save Peter from a fatal fall from the tower.

Unfortunately, Lizard has mortally wounded Captain Stacy beforehand, and Stacy makes Peter promise to keep Gwen safe by staying away from her before he dies from his wounds. Peter initially does so, which offends Gwen until she realizes his reasons. While in class, Peter is told by a teacher to "not make promises he can't keep" to which Peter replies "but those are the best kind" while looking at Gwen. She smiles, and it is implied that the two resume their relationship. With his first challenge surmounted, Peter officially takes to the streets as a proper hero.

In a scene during the end credits, the now-imprisoned Connors speaks with a mysterious man who appears in his cell, who inquires about Connors divulging information about Peter's father. Connors tells the visitor to leave Parker alone, and the scene abruptly ends with flashes of lightning.

Cast

 * Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
 * Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
 * Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard
 * Martin Sheen as Ben Parker
 * Sally Field as May Parker
 * Denis Leary as Captain George Stacy
 * Campbell Scott as Richard Parker
 * Embeth Davidtz as Mary Parker
 * Chris Zylka as Flash Thompson
 * Irrfan Khan as Rajit Ratha
 * Annie Parisse as Martha Connors
 * Miles Elliot as Billy Connors
 * Kari Coleman as Helen Stacy
 * Skyler Gisondo as Howard Stacy
 * Charlie DePew as Philip Stacy
 * Jacob Rodier as Simon Stacy
 * C. Thomas Howell as Ray
 * Jake Keiffer as Jack
 * Hannah Marks as Missy Kallenback
 * Kelsey Chow as Sally Avril
 * Stan Lee as the Midtown High Librarian
 * Michael Massee as Man in Shadows
 * Andy Pessoa as Gordon
 * Michael Barra as Store Clerk
 * Leif Gantvoort as Cash Register Thief

Taglines

 * The Untold Story
 * Spider-Man's Greatest Secrets will be revealed
 * His past was kept from him. His search for answers has just begun
 * The Untold story will begin
 * He's back and this time it will be amazing

Production
The film was shot in New York City, New York and Los Angeles, California.

Sequels
Emma Stone said that the film will envision another series. Columbia Pictures have contracted James Vanderbilt to write the sequel. On August 6, 2011, Sony announced that they're planning a sequel for a May 2nd 2014 release date. Transformers and Star Trek writers Alex Kurtsman and Roberto Orci are co-writing the script. Marc Webb hasn't confirmed if he will return to direct a future installment. Andrew Garfield has expressed interest in reprising his role. Producer Matt Tolmach said that there will be more than one, or at the very least three. Emma Stone has signed on more films. It also hasn't been confirmed if writers Steve Kloves and Alvin Sargent will return. Chris Zylka, who plays Flash Thompson, expressed interest in having Flash become Venom in a spin-off. A third installment is also expected. Marvel producer Avi Arad has expressed interest in putting Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.'''

Reception
The film recived generally postive reviews. It was praised for the performances of Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Rhys Ifans. The film received critisicm for its action scenes, rushed storyline and considering that a reboot was too soon. Some critics postitively and negatively compared the film with Batman Begins and Superman Returns. The film was a box office succes grossing $752,216,557 worldwide. It ranks #7 on the Top 10 Highest-Grossing Movies of 2012, under Breaking Dawn part 2, The Hobbit, Ice Age 4, Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, and Marvel's The Avengers. It it is currently the 7th highest-grossing comic book film and the 46th highest-grossing film of all time. The film is the lowest-grossing Spider-Man film, but it is also the highest grossing reboot.

Gallery

 * Main article: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)/Gallery.

Videos
For trailers, clips, and cast interviews, see The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)/Gallery.