'The Amazing Spider-Man' Gets a Bad Rap, But Here Are 6 Reasons Why It's Better Than You Think

Published Oct 13, 2026, 9:12 PM EDT Eddie Possehl is a dynamic and driven writer/director with a passion for the written word and all things film, television, comics, and games. His passion for storytelling led him to establish his own production company in hopes of achieving his dreams. His dedication to his craft has attracted renowned talent like Yuri Lowenthal to collaborate with him on his projects. As he grows and improves, Eddie is a shining example of a self-starter. Despite Andrew Garfield being most fans' favorite Spider-Man actor, his movies are most definitely not as appreciated as others. His films came at an interesting time in not just Spider-Man cinema, but superhero cinema as a whole. After the success of The Dark Knight trilogy, studios were interested in getting darker and more grounded, and, unfortunately, that affected the Spider-Man corner of cinema. This led to The Amazing Spider-Man having a massive shift in tone from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, which caught people off guard . . . a lot. This, however, does not mean that The Amazing Spider-Man isn't good. It's different, yes, but still great for many people—especially as time has gone on and people have had time to ruminate on it. Different does not, and has never meant, that something isn't good. The Amazing Spider-Man still captures the heart and soul of the character, which is the most important thing a superhero movie can do, regardless of what the tone is. Is it perfect? No, not at all. But it is so much better than many realize, for very good reasons. 6 James Horner's Score Following up the iconic score from Raimi's franchise was always going to be difficult when going into The Amazing Spider-Man. The new composer, James Horner (rest in peace), had his work cut out for him, and he managed to bring the heat. He didn't opt to create something reminiscent of the Danny Elfman theme, but something completely different and new—still something that can be listened to, and audiences can think, "This is definitely a Spider-Man theme." The pianos used in Horner's theme sound like a spider crawling across the piano keys, and it works incredibly well. He can juxtapose it with triumph later in the movie, like when Spider-Man has his epic swing towards Oscorp to take on the Lizard (Rhys Ifans). The feeling of this score in the latter half of the film has a feeling that is akin to the Danny Elfman one, but with a whole new vibe. It's not like a golden age superhero theme like Elfman's, but different, feeling unique to this Spider-Man and this one alone. 5 It's Truly Coming-of-Age Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment While Raimi's iteration of the character was great, he got out of high school pretty dang fast. The Amazing Spider-Man's answer to this is keeping him in high school for the entirety of the movie. It feels like a true coming-of-age tale—different from Tom Holland's films, though. While those are more inspired by John Hughes' style of coming-of-age movies, Garfield's feels more down-to-Earth, almost like The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It feels more real and raw than the others. The way Peter goes from being the outsider he is at the beginning of the movie to the more confident superhero at the end is phenomenally well-executed by director Marc Webb. The coming-of-age storytelling in The Amazing Spider-Man feels modern, and that allows Andrew Garfield's iteration of the character to be incredibly relatable. 4 Inventive Web-Swinging and Action Image via Sony Pictures Releasing Another way The Amazing Spider-Man sets itself apart is by diversifying the action and web-swinging so it feels different from what came before, and it's so cool. Utilizing first-person shots during his time swinging around New York City—truly putting audiences in the eyes of Spider-Man—director Marc Webb gets audiences visually invested. It's incredibly unique to see what it would look like to swing through the skies in first-person—so much so that director Destin Daniel Cretton even took notes and included first-person shots in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Not to mention, on a similar note, the action is inventive. Moments like Spider-Man crawling around Lizard in the school battle to cocoon him like a real spider are what really amplify these sequences. Andrew's Spidey moves like a legit spider, using his lankier build—in comparison to the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man, that is—to feel more agile and arachnid-like. He's got some of the best movement and body language a Spider-Man's ever had, and it's amplified through the action scenes. 3 Andrew Garfield Image via Sony The big man himself, Andrew Garfield, is one of the greatest things about the franchise as a whole. For many, he's their favorite Spidey actor, and for very good reason. He brings a wonderful performance across the board as both Spider-Man and Peter Parker, helping them feel like two distinct sides of the same coin. When he's just Peter Parker, he plays the character as if he's uncomfortable in his own skin—unsure of himself. However, when he's suited up as the Web-Slinger himself, he's confident, cocky, quippy, and heroic. He can bring both sides of the character to life and keep them very different, while still clearly being the same guy. This is vital for a hero like Spider-Man, given the fact that for Peter Parker, the mask is part of him—not just a costume he puts on to save the day. Spider-Man is a piece of him as a human, and Andrew knows exactly how to make this clear on screen. 2 Spends More Time on Character Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment The Amazing Spider-Man is not afraid to slow down and take time to really delve into characters—dissecting them and showing audiences what makes them tick. Almost every character in this film is multi-dimensional and compelling in one way or another. One of the best examples comes in the form of Peter's Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen). In the previous franchise, Uncle Ben doesn't get a ton of time before he dies. Audiences feel bad for Peter in the moment of the big death. The same cannot be said about The Amazing Spider-Man, though. In this 2012 movie, audiences are sad themselves that Ben dies. This film takes time to really develop Ben and Peter's relationship, making Ben feel fully fleshed out. Aunt May (Sally Field) also has some great development here, with her becoming one of the most compelling characters in the movie, despite not having a plethora of screen time. Peter and Gwen's relationship benefits from this the most, though . . . 1 Peter and Gwen—Andrew and Emma Image via Sony Pictures Releasing One can't turn a corner in the superhero side of the internet without hearing the claim that Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy are one of the best pairings in a superhero movie. The chemistry these two have is so tangible and lovely, making their relationship one of the best superhero movie relationships ever put on screen. Their relationship had people truly rooting for both of them, making the end of the movie—Peter promising to stay away from her—feel even more heartbreaking. As stated, the chemistry between these two actors is so absurdly strong, to the point that they even ended up dating in real life. When bringing a relationship to life on film, chemistry and good back-and-forth are super important. The audience needs to feel like the relationship they're watching unfold is truly real. That is more than true with Andrew and Emma's adaptation of this iconic comic book relationship that helped define the character of Spider-Man forever. Scenes like her patching him up post-Lizard fight bring forth a connection between them that is undeniable and keeps audiences wanting them to stay together and make it through the coming conflict as a team. To say these two are not the strongest part about not just this movie, but this franchise, would be wild.