10 Years After the First Spider-Man Movie, It’s Time for a Reboot

Willem Dafoe was extremely well cast as Norman Osborn, the man who becomes the Green Goblin. Dafoe is a great actor who can chew scenery when the role calls for it, and Osborn/Green Goblin is without a doubt one of those roles. For example, he thinks he's two different people. Also, homicidal maniac. Did we mention the character is a major nut job?

Since it's in the new Amazing trailer, we don't mind telling you that Curt Connors turns into a reptilian super-villain called the Lizard. Dr. Connors was previously played by Dylan Baker in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007), but he never took the leap from science professor to big-time bad guy. This time around, Dr. Connors is clearly embracing his scaly side, and also has some sort of shadowy connection to Peter Parker's parents. Plus he works at OSCORP, the company owned by Norman Osborn. So maybe we will get a Green Goblin at some point in the future. Based on what we've seen so far, Ifans looks like a sufficiently scary super-villain.

Rosemary Harris was a perfect May Parker, better known to fans around the world as Peter Parker's Aunt May. Her "there's a hero in all of us" speech from Spider-Man 2 is delivered with just the right mix of gravitas and kindly aunt advice; earlier in the same movie, she shows us her tough-gal side by whacking Doctor Octopus over the head with her umbrella. This was not at all surprising to Harris's fans, who were well aware that she is a spectacularly talented thespian. With great actors come great performances.

Sally Field is also a great actress, and her Aunt May will likely be very different from what we saw in the previous three Spidey flicks. First of all, Field is roughly 20 years younger than Ms. Harris. The story line is also a departure from the earlier films, which basically followed the tale as it was originally told in the comic books. As far as we can tell, Uncle Ben is still alive, although we don't know how long he'll last. Peter Parker's parents are part of the plot now, which was not the case before. Like we said, different. No matter what tale they're telling, we're sure Field will do fine.

Kirsten Dunst achieved movie immortality in the most improbable way by kissing Spider-Man upside down in the rain in Spider-Man (2002). Then she did it again when Mary Jane finally calls Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker "tiger" in Spider-Man 2 (2004), bringing joy to moviegoing comic book fanboys everywhere. (For the uninitiated, the first time Peter and Mary Jane meet in the comics, she says, "Face it, tiger, you just hit the jackpot!") So why isn't her character in this new movie? Don't worry, we'll tell you.

Mary Jane is not Peter Parker's first love. That honor belongs to Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone in the upcoming reboot. Gwen Stacy showed up as a mere supporting character in Spider-Man 3 (2007), portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard. This time Gwen regains her rightful place as Peter's one and only... for now. In the comics, she's the one the Green Goblin throws off a bridge. Check out SpiderFan.org if you want to read more about her origins, which the movie may or may not follow. Regardless, rising star Emma Stone looks to be a good choice to play Gwen.

Tobey Maguire was not known as an action hero when he took on the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man 10 years ago—and he still isn't. This makes sense if you think about it. In the original comic book, Peter is in high school when he gets bitten by a radioactive arachnid, and the character is a brainiac, not a jock. Also, Maguire tends towards quieter, more thoughtful performances on-screen. His Peter Parker often suffered from Hamlet-level indecision, particularly regarding what to do about Mary Jane. Remember this painful scene at the end of the first movie?

Many fans (including this one) were skeptical when Andrew Garfield was announced as the new Spidey. Based on the trailers, however, Garfield seems to be making the role his own, adding an extra layer of New York attitude in this scene with a dorky doorman, and bringing out the webhead's humorous side in the latest trailer. "You've found my weakness—it's small knives!" More, please. The humor is very true to the comics, where Spider-Man is constantly cracking wise in order to keep his foes confused and off-balance. As of this moment, we're feeling good about Mr. Garfield.

The late Cliff Robertson had a long and storied career before he took on the role of Ben Parker, Peter's Uncle Ben. The line that drives Peter Parker to use his powers to help others—"with great power comes great responsibility"—is one of the best moments in comic book history. (For the record, the original version is "with great power there must also come great responsibility.") Robertson was a great Uncle Ben, delivering those famous words and many others in a way that made nerds everywhere wish he were their uncle. Except we wanted him alive instead of dead. Oh, and could we have spider-powers too? Thanks.

As we said with Sally Field and Aunt May, The Amazing Spider-Man is a reboot and will reportedly tell a slightly different story than in Sam Raimi's trilogy. We don't know if Uncle Ben will even be killed off right away the way he usually is. Director Marc Webb told MTV.com that "there is no wrestling match in this movie," although SuperHeroHype.com reports that a wrestling poster is making the rounds virally, so who knows. No matter what winds up on-screen, Martin Sheen is always reliable (insert "Charlie Sheen isn't reliable" joke here), whether he's playing the President of the United States or the President's chief of staff.