Spider-Man 3 is shaping up to be one of the biggest movies of 2021, with recent reports suggesting Andrew Garfield will be reprising his role as Peter Parker, alongside Tom Holland. Garfield donned the iconic red and blue costume in both The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. He was primed to return for one last blockbuster, The Amazing Spider-Man 3, but that didn’t happen with Sony choosing to reboot the character instead.
However, just because the studios decided to reboot the series doesn’t mean that there weren’t some great and iconic moments that came with this franchise. Just look at these instances for example…
Train Chaos
This version of Peter gets his powers from Oscorp after skulking around. However, it isn’t until his train journey home that his new powers begin to kick in. And that makes for a really funny scene where Peter finds himself inadvertently causing chaos. He accidentally knocks a few people out, clatters an aggressive man with a pole, and pulls off a series of tricks he certainly wasn’t capable of before.
It was good to see Sony change things up, showing imagination and making Peter’s transformation far wittier than it was during the Sam Raimi trilogy. Fans wouldn’t blame the webhead if he never got on public transport again after the embarrassing incident. Then again, if you can swing like a spider, why would you bother using the subway at all?
Searching For His Uncle’s Killer
The Amazing Spider-Man, like 2002’s Spider-Man, shows the death of Uncle Ben. In this movie, he’s killed by an unknown criminal, rather than Dennis Caradine. And Peter, full of rage and anger, then goes on a mission to hunt down the killer.
It’s displeasing that he doesn’t get the closure he seeks but it nevertheless entertains to see him go on this crusade, humiliating any bad guys who bear even the slightest resemblance to his uncle’s killer. The dark and gritty lighting during this movie only adds to the sense Peter isn’t to be crossed, making him feel far more powerful as a result. Ben’s murderer was eventually revealed in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game – much to the frustration of some fans.
Revealing His Face To Captain Stacy
Peter never once revealed his face on purpose to somebody during the Sam Raimi trilogy (Mary Jane aside). Therefore, when Peter took off his mask to Captain Stacy towards the end of the TASM, it’s a huge moment for the character. He’s faced with arrest when he realizes he must take drastic action and he pleads with Stacy to let him go and reel in Dr Curt Connors, who is on a mission to turn everybody in New York into giant lizards.
Fortunately, Stacy agrees. And Peter goes on to succeed when it comes to stopping Connors’ bizarre plan.
Stopping Curt Connors
The final fights in the Raimi trilogy were all superb. But The Amazing Spider-Man, which released five years after Spider-Man 3, benefits from the new technology available at the time. And this means the big showdown between Peter and Curt Connors on the Oscorp rooftop is electrifying to watch, even if the CGI used on The Lizard is a little bit too much.
It’s an emotional affair, with Garfield showing his superb acting range when Stacy sadly dies, one genuinely feels his pain. Especially when he pledges not to date Gwen Stacy anymore to keep her from harm. Of course, fans know he relents on his promise during the events of The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Swinging Into Graduation
In TASM2, Peter is running late for his own graduation. It’s not technically his fault, with the webhead attempting to stop Aleksei Sytsevich, AKA The Rhino, from stealing a truck full to the grim of plutonium. Fortunately, he’s able to stop Aleksi before making a hilarious entrance to his beg event.
Peter oozes confidence as he walks up, kissing love interest Gwen Stacy while an unimpressed Aunt May looks on from afar. One of the biggest complaints of Maguire’s Spider-Man was that he wasn’t funny enough but this certainly added some light relief into a movie that, at times, can be rather dark. What slightly overshadows this scene is that they break up again shortly afterward – but love and relationships can be hard.
Fighting Electro In Times Square
Garfield certainly gets the funny side of Spider-Man’s character and this is evident again when he faces off against Electro in Times Square following Max Dillon’s unfortunate transformation at Oscorp. At first, Peter placates the villain by insisting they will work together to solve his blue, electricity-based problem. But when everything goes awry, he springs into life to save the day.
What’s cool about this moment is Peter maintains his excellent sense of humor while also saving everybody from being fried to death. He’s even successful at defeating Electro, using a fire hose to shoot the villain out of the sky. That prompted laughs in theatres and felt like something straight from the source material.
Bonding With Harry
In the Marvel comics, Peter Parker and Harry Osborn are quite the double act – being best friends throughout their time at college together. And though the pair meet on the big screen having spent many years apart, the brilliant acting of both Garfield and Dane Dehaan is convincing enough to make you believe they have known each other for a considerable amount of time.
Peter and Harry are uncomfortable around each other at first but soon relax and end up confiding in one another. With both actors producing strong performances, it only makes the twist at the end regarding Harry’s transformation into the Green Goblin that more dramatic.
Gwen’s Death
Haunting. Gwen Stacy’s death is perhaps the saddest moment from any Spider-Man movie and Garfield’s acting in the aftermath is enough to make even the most-hardened movie goer shed some tears.
The actor and Emma Stone were dating at the time and that, perhaps, is why it feels so raw and true. Peter tries to stop his girlfriend from falling but leaves his webbing a couple of seconds too late, with Gwen smacking her head on the hard floor below. It’s pretty horrific seeing the realization dawn on the webhead when the truth hits home and, even now all these years on, fans can’t watch the clip without reaching for the tissues…
Grief
Garfield has taken on some pretty hard-hitting roles in the years since giving up his red and blue mask, such as Hacksaw Ridge and Under the Silver Lake. And that’s no surprise, especially given how brilliantly he showcases grief following Gwen’s death in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Without saying a word, fans can see his pain and suffering when he stands, crying, at Gwen’s death multiple times in the year. His performance during these moments, coupled with Hans Zimmer’s excellent score, excellently portrays his feelings of loss to the audience. There was meant to be a scene with Richard Parker during this time but fans are glad that was cut because it would have been an unnecessary distraction to what’s going on.
Back Into The Fold
Spider-Man is a true hero. No matter how difficult things can be, he will always be there when the city of New York needs him the most. And this is apparent at the very end of TASM2, with Peter returning to save the day after previously giving up his responsibilities following Gwen’s death.
It’s epic seeing him swing towards Rhino, who has been broken out of his prison on the orders of Harry Osborn. And it set up a potentially brilliant third installment for the series. As mentioned above, that never happened due to Sony’s decision to press the reboot button instead. However, fans can’t help but think about what might have been had they instead gone with the original plan for a final chapter in the trilogy…
