"The Amazing Spider-Man" Swings into the Web

The first trailer for "The Amazing Spider-Man", the latest reboot of everyone's favorite web-slinger, has created instant buzz on the web. Why? Because it looks, in a word, amazing.

The official trailer and teaser poster both premiered today, and created a lot of buzz on the internet. The buzz, however, wasn't limited to the fact that they premiered, but also focused a bit on the fact that the release comes just a day after the official trailer was leaked onto--and quickly removed from--the web. Whether you caught a sneak peak of the trailer before its official release or not, one thing seems pretty certain: it is eliciting a mixed reaction.

With all the mystery surrounding the film and its trailer, here's a quick look at what we know so far. The role of Peter Parker has been taken over by Andrew Garfield, who many know for his role as Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin in 2010's "The Social Network." And say goodbye to Mary Jane Watson, tiger. This time around, the main love interest is Gwen Stacy, played by "Zombieland" co-star Emma Stone. The rest of the cast is filled by some pretty big names, including Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Peter Parker's Uncle Ben and Aunt May and Denis Leary as Gwen Stacy's father. The chief villain is set to be The Lizard, though it is still unknown if he will be the only famous franchise villain we see in the film. And yes, Stan Lee will be making his classic cameo, which he described to a Dallas Comic Con audience as occurring during a "life and death battle" that "looks so funny and I look so dumb."

While many, if not most, Spidey fans are impressed with the new Spider-Man costume and the overall look of the film, many are also left wondering where exactly the film is going. The trailer does a good job of leaving the identity of the villain unspoken and unseen, despite the fact that most fans already know who it is slated to be. Part of the problem seems to be that what the trailer expects to create a sense of mystery only reminds us of much of what we already known. In the trailer, a voice-over provides the question "Do you have any idea what you really are?" Well, yes ... we all know who both Spider-Man and Peter Parker are. The question left to fans is whether this question is addressed to Spider-Man or another character in the film; only the latter notion would really serve the film positively. Yet if the question is posed to Spider-Man, it could also represent the folks at Columbia Pictures nudging us toward the conclusion that though the film will cover some back story we are already well-familiar with it will also take audiences in a new direction (particularly with the hinted look at the story of Peter Parker's parents). Some fans are also frustrated with what seems to be an over emphasis of yet another origin story, particularly when the Toby Maguire-led films are barely out of our rearview mirrors. Could this film be too much too soon?

Fortunately for Columbia Pictures, many Spider-Man fans don't seem to think so. The moody undertones possessed by Peter Parker in the trailer have already captivated many fans and seem to take the film into what could be a more provocative mood than earlier Spider-Man films. "The Amazing Spider-Man" also seems to delve a bit more deeply into Peter Parker's past pre-Aunt May, which is a history we rarely--if ever--get a glimpse of outside of certain comic series.

With that said, for better or for worse Spider-Man is on his way back into theaters. Coming on the tail--or should I say, the web-- of the generally disappointing Spider-Man musical, "The Amazing Spider-Man" has a lot of work to do to rebuild confidence in the Spider-Man franchise on the stage and screen. Yet the all-star cast and riveting trailer seem to promise good things. Let's hope that this time around our favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man doesn't disappoint.

Sources

Simon Brew, "Stan Lee drops big hints about The Amazing Spider-Man," Den of Geeks

Kara Swisher, "Viral Video: 'The Amazing Spider-Man' Looks, Well, Amazing," All Things D