Movie Review: Spider Man/ Part of Me

PORTSMOUTH, Va. - For all of the anti Spider-Man talk leading up to this film's release, you'd think a plague of locusts was coming. Doom and gloom were sure to follow you into the theater should you dare to not be a comic super hero snob and actually go to see it.

This reboot of the origins of the teenager turned arachnid super hero, takes more time to really give the audience a complete back-story. From what happened to his parents that landed him in the hands of his aunt and uncle, played by Sally Field and Martin Sheen, and how he really went from a nerd to a major swinger.

Played this time around by The Social Network's Andrew Garfield, Peter Parker uncovers a briefcase left behind by his father. Peter finds genetic formula secrets inside which he shares with a former partner of his father's desperate to figure out how to combine lizard DNA with his own in order to re-grow his lost arm.

This leads us to the villain of the film, but along the way a teenage love story develops between Peter and Gwen (Emma Stone). Of course for good measure, as if super hero duties won't get in the way, Gwen's dad is the anti-Spidey police chief (Denis Leary).

The storytelling and patience in the background establishment were refreshing. It took almost an hour to get there, but I thought it was worth the development time. The acting prowess of Sally Field and Martin Sheen seem wasted in this film. Emma Stone as Gwen was an interesting choice since she doesn't seem young enough to be in high school, but Garfield, despite being actually 28 playing a teen, nails this role.

We buy him as the nerd. We buy him as the inquisitive lost son. We buy him as the guilt ridden nephew. And we buy him as the unexpected superhero. He maintains vulnerability even when he lets Spiderman go to his head.

The action sequences are good - a nice mix of motion capture and stunts combined with the CG effects. I saw it in IMAX and felt at times, seeing the swings between buildings from Spiderman's perspective that it was worth the price of admission.

There are some really scary, or should I say startling scenes, for the younger set. Even though it is rated PG-13 many parents of the ten and younger set, will be begged and begged to be allowed to go until the parents give in. Those parents should be prepared for some eye hiding and hand holding.

But it is what it is, a superhero flick, and not a bad one at that. It's not the best I've seen, but certainly not deserving of the boycott many fans have called for. I’d still say “Go see it!” Four cookies.

Also, I briefly wanted to mention Katy Perry's Part of Me 3D. This is an interesting taste of the pop singer's concert tour. Borderline concert film/documentary, Part of Me takes the audience inside private moments of the pop singers life.

We see the inspirational story of her rise to stardom and her spiral toward divorce as a Hollywood romance fails in front of the cameras. Katy Perry oversaw the final cut of the film and chose to leave some heart wrenching scenes in.

This gives fans and non-fans alike a look at the parts of fame that you don't always see.

I actually really enjoyed the 3D side of this. Not something you’d expect from a concert film, but the 3D played into making the audience feel like they were on stage with her during the concert. A rare statement from me: I liked it in 3D. Three cookies.