The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

All Critics (281) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (206) | Rotten (75) | DVD (3)

This is a grittier webslinger saga, led by a Peter Parker with swagger and angst and a tone defined more by emotional resonance than wide-eyed wonder. It still has plenty of fizz.

July 4, 2012 Full Review | Comments (22)

Chris Vognar

Dallas Morning News

Top Critic

This might be a fun summer blockbuster if only it even remotely needed to exist.

July 3, 2012 Full Review | Comments (256)

Dana Stevens

Slate

Top Critic

The Amazing Spider-Man is considerably more fun-and, yes, even touching-than so premature a reboot had any right to be.

July 3, 2012 Full Review | Comments (11)

Christopher Orr

The Atlantic

Top Critic

On the whole, it's passable stuff, a surprise, given how mechanical the masked character seemed.

July 3, 2012 Full Review

Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out New York

Top Critic

If you've seen half a dozen superhero films, and the box office results suggest you have, then you've also seen what "The Amazing Spider-Man" has to offer.

July 3, 2012 Full Review | Comments (90)

Laremy Legel

Film.com

Top Critic

At 28, Garfield's slightly older than Maguire was when he played Peter Parker in 2002, but his combination of fresh-faced innocence, nervous agitation and wry humor is immediately appealing.

July 3, 2012 Full Review | Comments (17)

Tom Charity

CNN.com

Top Critic

Other than recasting and swapping out love interests for the spindly web-slinger, there's nothing here that wasn't there 10 years ago in the original.

May 25, 2013 Full Review

Al Alexander

The Patriot Ledger

The bigger standouts are scenes of character transformation. these moments alone are worth the price of admission. They are the reason to keep seeing summer blockbusters on a big screen. There are few new ideas, but still plenty of new thrills.

May 23, 2013 Full Review

Carla Meyer

Sacramento Bee

One good film deserves another.

March 4, 2013 Full Review

Tom Glasson

Concrete Playground

One of the ten best films of 2012.

January 27, 2013 Full Review

Fr. Chris Carpenter

Rage Monthly

The recasting works. If Maguire is the Spider-Man of Spidey co-creator Steve Ditko, this is the Spider-Man of artist John Romita: a little slicker, a little more modern. Spider-Man in skinny jeans, if you will.

January 8, 2013 Full Review

Joe Gross

Austin American-Statesman

For a superhero origin film, it's pretty good, but it's hardly amazing.

January 8, 2013 Full Review

Kirk Baird

Toledo Blade

It's almost impossible to watch the film without thinking of what could have -- and what already has -- been, therefore it's extremely difficult to enjoy on its own merit.

January 8, 2013 Full Review

Ali Gray

TheShiznit.co.uk

I go to a Spider-Man movie to see the guy duke it out with powerful bad guys. I'm simple that way. I don't need a welter of convolutions.

December 17, 2012 Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

eFilmCritic.com

This edgier Parker feels a more believable alter-ego - closer to the wise-cracking, ass-kicking hero from the comics and early animated TV series.

November 21, 2012 Full Review

Andy Lea

Daily Star

"The Amazing Spider-Man" isn't as dramatically revisionist as Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins," but it's as good as Raimi's first "Spider-Man" film and darker, while still being tongue-in-cheek. That's a tough tone to master.

November 16, 2012 Full Review

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

A superior film that promises to age better than Sam Raimi's films...

November 16, 2012 Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

The potential is there for a much bigger, better, Spider-Man movie universe to come, even if this movie doesn't fully realize that potential.

October 2, 2012 Full Review

Kofi Outlaw

ScreenRant

We all know that Spider-Man 3 sucked, but did it have to come to this? A 'one strike and you're out' policy? I would have taken a Raimi/Maguire Spider-Man 4 over this retread any day.

September 27, 2012 Full Review | Comments (4)

Adam Ross

The Aristocrat

Not quite 'amazing' then, but there will always be a deserving audience for rock-solid superhero movies done with this kind of heart and care.

September 26, 2012 Full Review

Patrick Kolan

Shotgun Critic

While Raimi's Spidey was primarily inspired by the classic modellings of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Webb blends a welcome hybrid of Nolan's Bat-verse and Brian Michael Bendis' rightly-acclaimed Ultimate Spider-Man run.

September 26, 2012 Full Review

Stephen Carty

Flix Capacitor

The Amazing Spider-Man may be a reboot, but it feels entirely fresh thanks to a strong, different interpretation of the Spider-Man mythos and tremendous performances from the excellent ensemble.

September 14, 2012 Full Review

Jonathan Lack

We Got This Covered

After the film's runtime of over two hours, you may be surprised how little of it sticks with you.

September 14, 2012 Full Review | Comments (3)

Jeff Beck

Examiner.com

"The Amazing Spider-Man" would be amazing if we didn't just see it a few years ago.

September 5, 2012 Full Review | Comments (12)

Justin Craig

FoxNews.com

Director Marc Webb apparently didn't get the memo that the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink edition is strictly reserved for the DVD.

August 24, 2012 Full Review | Comments (7)

Erick Weber

NECN

If, however, you want a perfectly entertaining and efficient movie, then this will prove to be actually rather fun.

August 22, 2012 Full Review

Witney Seibold

CraveOnline

• 1. Store Clerk: Stop that guy!
  2. Peter Parker/Spider-Man: Not my policy.
  – Submitted by Carlo Roy R (6 months ago)
• 1. The Lizard/Dr. Curt Connors: Poor Peter Parker. No father. No mother. No uncle. You're all alone.
  2. George Stacy: He's not alone.
  – Submitted by Carlo Roy R (6 months ago)
• 1. Peter Parker/Spider-Man: Oh no. Somebody's been a bad lizard.
  – Submitted by Carlo Roy R (6 months ago)
• 1. Aunt May: Secrets have a cost. They're not free. Not now, not ever.
  – Submitted by Carlo Roy R (6 months ago)
• 1. Dr. Curt Connors: All these souls, lost and alone. I can save them, I can cure them! There's no reason to stop me Peter!
  – Submitted by Carlo Roy R (6 months ago)
• 1. Miss Ritter: Peter, don't make promises you can't keep.
  2. Peter Parker/Spider-Man: But those are the best kind.
  – Submitted by Carlo Roy R (6 months ago)