The All-New (Mot So) Amazing SpiderMan

I chose Arab Diamond 79 as today's fractal "cookie" for a couple of reasons: first, I like the series (it's one of my absolute faves) and second it was about as close as I could come to the colors of the Spiderman costume using fractal designs I have on file.  Also, I've used the two Weird Web images way to many times so I had to go for something a little less obvious.  So now you know--on with the review!
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So after three, or is it four?, Spiderman films the franchise gets a reboot.  (I guess they couldn't come to an agreement with former star Toby Mcguire--who was growing a bit long-in-the-tooth anyway.)  Rather just re-cast the star they chose to jettison the heavy-laden old continuity and start with a retro-reboot.  As you can tell by the title I was less than overwhelmed.  Yes, there are a few good things (like the fact that they try to get a bit closer to the comic book origin and that they chose a costumes that looks close to what you'd see in the older comics) but they've turned Spidey into a sulky, self-involved proto-Goth played by a none-to-good looking Andrew Garfield).  (Yes, that's in line with the comic book but I didn't love it.) 
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Aunt May (played by Sally Field--late of Brothers and Sisters) gets much younger and hipper but poor old Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) is the same old poop he ever was.  Former love-interest Mary Jane Watson has been replaced by bright and brainy Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone) and her dad Police Captain George Stacey (Dennis Leary--playing his usual self--but he does have one really good scene at the end of the movie.)  Rhys Iffans gets to chew the scenery playing Dr. Curt Connors who transforms into the villainous Lizard with mixed results.
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I was pleased to see that for once a recent movie was shot without he aid of blue or yellow filters but the FX weren't anything I hadn't seen before.  The same could be said for the plot: I've seen it before--and it was done way better in the original series.  Maybe this movie came too closely on the heels of the original series but I didn't see anything new here.  One week after the debut I didn't hear a lot of buzz and I didn't hear a lot of positive commentary coming out of the theater so I guess I wasn't alone.  (This weekend it was beaten out of the Number One spot by the latest Ice Age vehicle.)  
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Frankly, I had a lot of hope for The Amazing Spiderman--but it never quite lived up to the hype.  The movie isn't really--bad--but it doesn't cover any new ground.  There's no reason to go see this unless you want to get out of the heat for a few hours.
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FINAL GRADE: B-