A much needed reboot & not too soon! I knew that I hated Tobey Maguire, but I didn’t realize how much until I rediscovered my love for Spider-Man last night! I’m not saying that the story was great, but The Amazing Spider-Man got a lot right. The cast was pitch perfect. If I could distance myself from Andrew Garfield’s performance as a womanizing, alcohol soaked investigative journalist in Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 & believe him as Peter Parker, awkward, geeky teen, the battle is already won. I love Emma Stone & would watch her in anything (well, I didn’t pay for The Help, but I watched it) & it makes sense that her dad would be Dennis Leary. The moralizing Uncle Ben played by Martin Sheen–of course! When even the bit parts are played by Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, C. Thomas Howell & Irrfan Khan, you can’t do too much wrong. I’m also glad that unlike most superhero films, it disposed of the usual angst about living/hiding a double life, dispensed with the stupid misunderstandings between characters that weighed down the Raimi predecessor & had fun. I am such a sucker for plots that feature “normal” New Yorkers banding together to fight terrorism, ahem, I mean threats & helping the hero that I gave the film dispensation for the stupidity in the plot (public school with such a large campus in NYC; where exactly did Peter’s family live when they were not financially well off; Uncle Ben jumping on gun; & The Lizard). Terrific Stan Lee cameo & stay for bonus scene after credits!