超凡蜘蛛侠

Marc Webb's successful combination of action and emotion, together with a wonderful performance by Andrew Garfield, means that "The Amazing Spider-Man" is as enjoyable as it is impressive.

The shift in the superhero* movie is now unmistakable. Where once they aimed to essentially replicate* the experience of reading a comic book, they now strive to be risk-taking dramas that do more than simply pay lip-service to their characters' emotional lives.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" is the fourth in the recent series, which began in 2002; it was originally intended to be a continuation of them until original director Sam Raimi left the project.

Thus reborn, Webb's film has returned to the meat of the first of Raimi's Spider-Man films: how bad-tempered suburban* teenager Peter Parker has superpowers foisted* upon him, then turns crime-fighter and romancer, before facing off against a transforming* super villain*.

This Spider-Man film, which we are forced to call a "reboot," changed the story extensively as presented by Raimi. Parker, as played by Garfield, is no unlucky fool, but a skateboarder who, though perhaps not particularly attractive to the ladies, has no trouble in catching their eye.

Moreover, the central love interest here is not girl-next-door Mary Jane Watson, but the considerably kookier* Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), promoted from a much less important role in Spider-Man 3.

Parker is an outcast high school student who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his uncle Ben and aunt May. Like most teenagers, Parker is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Parker is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Stacy, and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets.

Parker's abandonment issues have nevertheless loomed large in all Spider-Man films, and those looking for deeper shading of Parker's emotional makeup will no doubt be pleased to see them.

Be that as it may, Webb successfully treads a fine line between keeping the hardcore* superhero-movie fans happy and injecting a dose of meaningful affect. Parker is generally regarded as the most "relatable" figure in the superhero movie.

It's the successful combination of the two *****- action and emotion *****- that means this Spider-Man is as enjoyable as it is impressive: Webb's control of mood and texture is near perfect. (SD-Agencies)