5. The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man was a revelation for me. I enjoyed parts 1 and 2 of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, yet could not get to grips with part 3, like many others. The biggest problem I had being the waste of not only the Sandman as a central villain, but also Venom. Both villains would have benefited from their own film and neither really seemed to exist alongside the other, they just appeared and did what was necessary for the plot to move forward. Due to this, I approached this re-imagining of Peter Parker's origin story with some trepidation. Instead, the film offered a fun, thrilling journey into what exactly being Spider-Man means. The best parts of this film for me were when it really played up to the idea of exactly what becoming a spider could achieve, one example stemming from when Peter has created his own web to hang around on down in the sewers. I also loved that the story stuck closer to the Spider-Man that is known and loved in the comics, with the reintroduction of Gwen Stacey as Peter's love interest and his need for web cartridges to fire his trademark webbing from his wrists. Of course, another breath of fresh air that this series seriously needed comes from Andrew Garfield himself. Whilst he is older than Tobey Maguire was when he first took the role, he is immediately more believable in the role than Maguire ever was and his humour and mannerisms suit the character perfectly. The film itself isn't perfect, but it's definitely a new life for the series and whilst the lizard was a great villain, we all know that the Green Goblin was Spider-Man's greatest foe and now that Harry Osbourne has been confirmed for the sequel, as well as Electro, a man with the ability to control lightning, and one of my favourite Spider-Man villains, Peter Parker will definitely have his work cut out for him!