Development of the film began with the cancellation of Spider-Man 4 in 2010, ending director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series that had starred Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco. Opting to reboot the franchise with the same production team, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced a July 2012 release date for The Amazing Spider-Man. James Vanderbilt was hired to write the script while Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves helped fine-tune it. Pre-production involved auditioning many actors for the roles of Parker and Stacy. New designs were introduced from the comics such as artificial web-shooters. Using Red Digital Cinema Camera Company's RED Epic camera, principal photography started in December 2010 in Los Angeles before moving to New York City. The film entered post-production in April 2011. 3ality Technica provided 3D image processing, Sony Imageworks handled CGI and James Horner composed the film score.
Sony Entertainment built a promotional website, released three trailers and launched a viral marketing campaign, among other moves. Tie-ins included a video game by Beenox. The film premiered on June 30 in Tokyo and was released in the United States on July 3 in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D. Critical reaction was mostly positive, with a 73% "certified fresh" score from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The film was also a box office success, becoming the 45th highest-grossing film of all time and the fifth highest-grossing film
of the year. The first of at least two sequels is scheduled for release
on May 2, 2014, with director Marc Webb and actor Andrew Garfield set
to return.
As a child, Peter Parker discovers his father Richard's study has been ransacked. His father gathers concealed documents before Peter's parents take him to stay with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. His parents leave, but are later killed in a plane crash.
As a teenager, Peter is a student at Midtown Science High School, where he is bullied by Flash Thompson, and is romantically interested in the beautiful Gwen Stacy, the daughter of police captain George Stacy. At home, Peter discovers his father's documents, and learns he had been working with scientist Dr. Curt Connors at Oscorp to combine human and animal DNA to cure illnesses. Peter sneaks into Oscorp to meet Connors, who is pressured by his superior Dr. Ratha to complete his serum, and cure the terminally ill head of Oscorp Norman Osborn. Connors wants the cure himself to restore his missing arm. Meanwhile, Peter breaks into a lab where a "biocable"-a high strength strand of webbing-is created by genetically modified spiders, one of which bites him. During a subway ride home, a fight reveals that he has developed superhuman speed, strength, the ability to stick to surfaces, and a heightened sense of danger.
As a teenager, Peter is a student at Midtown Science High School, where he is bullied by Flash Thompson, and is romantically interested in the beautiful Gwen Stacy, the daughter of police captain George Stacy. At home, Peter discovers his father's documents, and learns he had been working with scientist Dr. Curt Connors at Oscorp to combine human and animal DNA to cure illnesses. Peter sneaks into Oscorp to meet Connors, who is pressured by his superior Dr. Ratha to complete his serum, and cure the terminally ill head of Oscorp Norman Osborn. Connors wants the cure himself to restore his missing arm. Meanwhile, Peter breaks into a lab where a "biocable"-a high strength strand of webbing-is created by genetically modified spiders, one of which bites him. During a subway ride home, a fight reveals that he has developed superhuman speed, strength, the ability to stick to surfaces, and a heightened sense of danger.
Peter finds an algorithm in his father's documents and gives it to
Connors−the missing key to his serum. In school, Peter damages school
property during a confrontation with Flash and Ben is forced to work
late so that he can pick up Peter. Ben tells Peter to escort May home
that night. Peter ignores Ben in favor of helping Connors test their
serum on a three-legged mouse. After he returns home, Peter argues with
Ben about not picking up May, and Peter leaves. At a grocery store, the
clerk rudely refuses to let Peter buy a drink, and when a thief steals
money from the register, Peter lets the thief escape. Ben, searching the
streets for Peter, confronts the thief, but is shot and killed. Peter
responds to the gunshot and finds Ben's body. After seeing a police
sketch of the suspect, Peter realizes it was the thief he let go.
Peter hunts the killer, taking out other criminals as a result and
attracting police attention for his vigilante actions. During one
confrontation he falls into an abandoned gym, where a luchador-wrestling
poster inspires him to create a mask to hide his identity. He creates a
costume for himself with a spandex suit, and builds wrist-mounted
mechanical devices that shoot biocable strands. Peter, who, after going
to Gwen's house for a dinner "date" with her family, later reveals he is
the vigilante to Gwen and they kiss.
Seeing that the test mouse has regrown its missing limb using lizard
DNA, Ratha demands human trials begin immediately. Connors refuses to
risk innocent lives and is fired. Desperate, Connors tests the serum on
himself and his missing arm regenerates. He learns that Ratha is going
to test the serum on human subjects and goes to stop him, but his body
begins to mutate. By the time he finds Ratha on the Williamsburg Bridge
Connors has transformed into a large Lizard creature, tossing cars,
including Ratha's, over the side of the bridge. Peter, now calling
himself Spider-Man, manages to save Ratha and other civilians. Connors
retreats into the sewer and reverts to human form.
Peter later meets Connors in his office and suspects he is the
Lizard, and later unsuccessfully confronts Connors' Lizard form in the
sewers, leaving behind his camera. Connors learns Peter's identity via
the name on the camera and pursues him to Midtown Science High School
where they fight. In response, the police start a manhunt for both
Spider-Man and Lizard. Connors heads to Oscorp, intending to disperse
his serum across the city and make everyone into lizards, while Gwen
develops an antidote in Oscorp's lab. The police corner Spider-Man and
Captain Stacy discovers that he is Peter, but lets him escape to go save
Gwen. With the help of the father of a boy he rescued earlier,
Spider-Man reaches Oscorp in time. Spider-Man manages to replace
Connors' serum with the antidote, reverting Connors to human form, but
not before Connors mortally wounds Captain Stacy. Spider-Man nearly
falls to his death, but Connors saves him. Before his death, Captain
Stacy makes Peter promise to stay away from Gwen for her safety. He
initially keeps the promise, but later admits to Gwen that failed
promises are the best kind.
In a post-credits scene,
Connors, in a dark prison cell, is confronted by a man in the shadows
who asks if Connors told Peter the truth about his father. Connors
replies, "No", and demands Peter be left alone before the man
disappears.