One telling scene in "The Amazing Spider-Man" is also the movie's defining moment. A high school English lit teacher explains to her class the premise of fiction and she gives it in three short words: "Who am I?" That's the question Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, struggles with in this reboot to the famed superhero franchise.
And as a charming but gawky high school senior unsure of everything in life, this self-pondering fits Peter like a tailored, umm, Spidey suit. After all, Peter's a teenage geek (but an adorable one) by day and a web-spinning superhero wrapped head to toe in spandex by night. Can you blame the guy for having identity issues?
This new "Spider-Man" installment once again explores the origins of the title hero and answers such burning questions as: Where did he come from? What was he like in school? And of course, where did he get the suit? (Though this turns out to be boring: on the Net, most likely the sportswear section on Amazon. Yawn.)