'Spider-Man's parents take center stage in new trailer

Posted Friday, May 4, 2012 at 2:49 PM Central
Last updated Monday, May 7, 2012 at 10:17 AM Central

by John Couture

I will say this for the folks behind The Amazing Spider-Man, they're not afraid to proclaim this new movie as their own. Any concern about this reboot being mistaken for those other Spider-Man movies can be put to rest once and for all.

The latest trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man puts the potentially controversial storyline of Peter Parker's parents front and center in a big, bad way. In the comics, very little play (if any) is given to the whereabouts/fate of Peter Parker's parents. He has always lived with his and Aunt and Uncle (until he learns about responsibility) and it's just something that is accepted as lore.

In The Amazing Spider-Man, it's pretty apparent that not only will Peter's search for his parents play a big role in the sequence of events in the film, but that it also serves as a guiding principle for everything that Peter becomes in his Spider-Man persona. And yet, while this is a great departure from the comics, most comic book fans are lauding the trailer as being more connected to the original source material than those other movies.

I guess it doesn't hurt that Emma Stone makes for a pretty hot Gwen Stacy either, eh?

Whatever the case, as a comics casual sort of guy, I watched the trailer and I was immediately more invested in this Peter Parker than the older one simply because of the compelling plot point about his parents and the darker tone of the film. That and while I do appreciate Emma Stone's "assets" as much as the next guy, I absolutely love every shot of Denis Leary that I've seen thus far.

For me, he might just be the secret weapon that knocks this version out of the park. We will see on July 3 when The Amazing Spider-Man swings into theaters.