In many ways, The Amazing Spider-Man is a response to Christopher Nolan‘s soon-to-be-concluding trilogy of Batman movies. It darkens the familiar, well-worn origins of Peter Parker (tough, considering that his origins involve the murder of his uncle), tones down on the camp that came to overwhelm Sam Raimi’s version of the character (much like Nolan’s trilogy rescued Batman from the quagmire of Joel Schumacher’s worst, campiest decisions), and manages, somehow, to be altogether from its billion-grossing predecessor. Despite the fact that Peter Parker’s in high school, The Amazing Spider-Man sees the character grow up considerably, becoming something more than a dopey whiz-kid in a mask. Read more