Film reviews: The Amazing Spiderman | Katy Perry: Part of Me

The Amazing Spiderman (12A)

Rating: ****

SPIDER-Man now has two: Sam Raimi’s action-packed 2002 blockbuster and this emotionally richer though equally exhilarating opening chapter directed with verve by Marc Webb.

Rebooting the franchise 10 years after Tobey Maguire donned the red and blue skin-tight suit, The Amazing Spider-Man recounts the same origins story, albeit without arch-nemesis Green Goblin or love interest Mary Jane.

Twists and turns in the script are the same: the bite from an Oscorps spider that imbues weakling Peter Parker with his superhuman powers; the senseless tragedy that propels the student on his heroic quest.

Technology has advanced in gargantuan bounds in the past decade and Webb’s film soars in the action sequences, some in first-person perspective to take full advantage of the 3D format.

Casting is also better here.

Screen chemistry with Emma Stone sizzles. It’s no surprise they are reportedly dating off-screen.

Andrew Garfield tugs the heartstrings as a teenager wrestling with a destiny he never asked for.

What the movie lacks is a scenery-chewing villain or that one defining moment that lingers in the memory like the upside-down kiss or Uncle Ben intoning solemnly, “With great power comes great responsibility”.

The Amazing Spider-Man is a terrifically entertaining refurbishment of the Marvel Comics superhero, blessed with an appealing mix of high-octane action and humour.

Katy Perry - Part of Me (PG)

Rating: ***

BEHIND-the-scenes documentary that traces the Californian’s ascent from gospel singer Katy Hudson to the present day with countless awards cluttering up the mantelpiece.

The film captures the impact of divorce on an exhausted Perry as she takes her California Dreams tour around the world, intercut with energetic concert footage recorded at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

It’s surprisingly candid stuff, exposing enough fragments of the singer’s broken heart to convince us that this isn’t just glossy self-promotion.