Parents' Guide to

The Amazing Spider-Man

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Action-packed series reboot has lots to offer Spidey fans.

Movie PG-13 2012 138 minutes
The Amazing Spider-Man Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 54 parent reviews

Peliculas2021
Peliculas2021 Parent
April 2, 2022
age 11+

It’s amazing just like the amazing Spider-Man!

I think that it was less intense than the first spider-man and that Andrew Garfield’s acting was “amazing” (also funny ).

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
BenSetliff
BenSetliff Parent of 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12-year-old
January 1, 2022
age 12+

Shirtless woman on the subway

When Peter first gets bit, he accidentally rips a girls shirt off on a subway exposing a bright pink bra. She is exposed throughout the rest of that scene.

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
See all 54 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, young Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) watches his parents rush off in a hurry after parking him with his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). They never returned, dying in a crash. It's a wound that Peter revisits from time to time, despite a pretty happy childhood overall (though he's not exactly -- or even remotely -- popular). Then, on a visit to Oscorp, the lab where his father once worked, a trip spurred by the discovery of secret files in his father's long-lost portfolio, Peter meets his dad's former colleague, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), and is fatefully bitten by a spider. Not just any spider: one that somehow transfers its strengths to a teenage Peter. His life will no longer be his own as he struggles to merge his Peter Parker self and his new alter-ego, one who will soon find a dangerous nemesis set to destroy Manhattan.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (54):
Kids say (214):

Director Marc Webb brings a realism to the proceedings that's hard not to like in this superhero reboot. He lingers on the teen romance, which is delightful, and serves up thrilling action sequences without the show-off-y quality that too many superhero movies rely on. One gripe worth airing is about Spider-Man's nemesis: The Lizard seems scary enough, but not so scary as to be a worthy opponent. This Spidey wants to show off, as a teen encountering new powers would, and he deserved a proper fight.

Let's be honest, though: The Spider-Man franchise didn't really need a reboot. Sure, the third film of the last set, which featured the wonderful Tobey Maguire in the titular role, was a bit disappointing, but overall the series was a crowd-pleaser in many ways. So is there any reason to love this new outing, which treads over much of the same backstory as previous films did? Well, yes. Garfield brings a different but equally fantastic energy to the role; his Peter has a skater-on-the-fringes angst that's not emo and not super-boyish (like Maguire) but still perfect for a teenage superhero. He's antsy and curious and very charming. And it helps differentiate The Amazing Spider-Man from previous movies that Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), not Mary Jane Watson, is Peter/Spidey's love interest here.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the Spider-Man franchise. How is The Amazing Spider-Man different from the 2002 version with Tobey Maguire in the title role? Did this series need a remake of Spidey's origin tale? What do you think the main motivating factor was to make one? The story, or the money to be made?

  • It's hard to imagine a superhero film without plenty of action, including explosions, fights, and gunfire. How does the impact of the violence in movies like this one compare to that of other action or horror films?

  • Is Peter a role model before he becomes Spider-Man? After?

Movie Details

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