While the film succeeds in creating a charming rapport between its leads (Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield), it also suffers from a contrived screenplay that draws just a little too much inspiration from Sam Raimi's original Spiderman. The saddening story of poor Peter Parker may have more than enough redeeming qualities, but it still does not deserve to be told twice, no matter what cast is portraying it. In this rendition, corny one-liners run rampant amidst slapstick humor and "grittier" (less inspired) action scenes. While the gritty, make-it-realistic approach works for some of the more believable superheroes (see: Batman Begins, Dark Knight, Iron Man), Spiderman is simply too implausible of a character. However, the film succeeds in finding a relatable psyche for its villain: everyone in the world should be genetically equal to one another, in effect creating the perfect conditions for utopian communism.
While the script and directorial approach may have their issues, I must commend the talented cast for making the most of it. Garfield puts in an effortless performance as the geeky, stuttering Parker, while Martin Sheen proves himself a superior Uncle Ben to the one in Sam Raimi's film. Emma Stone failed to give off much charisma, but Garfield more than made up for her. Ifans looked bored as the aforementioned Lizard, despite the comparative wealth of material the script gave him.