The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

A lifelong obsessive acolyte of Spider-Man, even I know the world has no need for another origin tale of Marvel’s web-slinger, 11 years after Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” hit theaters and five years since “Spider-Man 3” spun box office platinum but pleased no one. Yet, here crawls “The Amazing Spider-Man,” with director Mark Webb (“500 Days of Summer”) and star Andrew Garfield (“Social Network”) giving us the same story beat for beat. High school nerd-slash-orphan. Sci-fi spider bite. Responsibility lecture. Uncle Ben shot. A scientist/mentor mishap, and a super villain born. Big fight. Cue “SEQUEL!” green flag. Oh, green. Rather than the Green Goblin, we have the monstrous green Lizard, played by Rhys Ifans as a human and ugly CGI as a “garh!” freak. Garfield clearly loves the character in and out of the Spidey duds. Yet, the writers make Peter a literal “Footloose” skater boy, and short-shift Spider-Man’s many powers, trying to make the story … grittier? Realistic? Eh. Even with a new cast and better special effects than in 2002, this Marvel fan is unAmazed. I love seeing Spider-Man in a movie, but this franchise needed to swing forward, not backward. B-