The Amazing Spider-Man 2: 10 Ways The Reboot Is Superior

7. A Protagonist With Depth And Backstory

We certainly loved Tobey Maguire's performance as Peter Parker, but there's no denying that the depth of his story boiled down to what you saw on screen was what you got. A schoolboy with an unrequited crush on a girl in his class/neighbour. Check. Uncle dies and he gets upset? Check. Wins said girl over with reveal of secret identity. Check. Goes a bit emo when he bonds with an alien symbiote. Check. The big moments in his life are laid out on front of us and you never felt there was more to his story, or his family, off screen. Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker is a whole other story. Sure we get the same big turning points; getting bit by the spider, his uncle dying, struggling with his love for a girl, but this is just a part of his history. The most interesting aspect of his character and indeed the saga as a whole is the mystery of why his parents left him with Ben and May as a child and their eventual fate. It served as a foundation for Peter's story in The Amazing Spiderman, leading him to Oscorp, Doc Connors and his ultimate destiny as Spider-Man. Judging by the trailers and the presence of his father once more, this story looks set to continue apace in the sequel. It also goes without saying that as good as Maguire was, Garfield is better. His Spider-Man has all the trademark quips (his encounter with the carjacker and cops in the first film). His Peter is funny and endearing (the 'we don't have a chimney' and his 'whhhaat?' response in the latest trailer for Spidey 2). The kookiness and spark of his relationship with Gwen Stacey too, Garfield's performance is electric and immediately makes his own distinctive mark on the web-slinging hero.