I really like superheroes and I love movies. So, superhero movies always get a head start in my reviews.

With that in mind, I’ll start with the good.

Spider-man is a good character to base a story around. He’s the first mainstream comic character to be brought into the modern age with life-like teenage angst. So, there is a basis for emotional involvement and growth. The Spidey comics also have a sense of humor which works well for movies.

The movie is well cast. I like Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. He has charm and a good sense of comic timing. I mostly like Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey. She’s very likable if occasionally too smiley even in a serious moment. The two of them have a nice easy chemistry together. And Dane DeHaan as the troubled Harry Osborn infuses his role with some gravitas as well as the lightness of a young man.

And that’s kind of where the good ends. (Spoilers to follow.) Jamie Foxx’s Max Dillon is a nonsensical character. I couldn’t tell if he was nerdy or crazy. Smart or stupid. Sensitive or seething. His mood and motivations changed as fast as electricity travels through wires. I did however like how the visual effects team envisioned Electro, except the underwear, but I accept that magic underwear is better than no underwear on an electrified private part.

The great Paul Giamatti was completely wasted as a cartoonish villain. That’s cartoonish, not comic villain, there’s a difference and it’s not a good one here.

And that’s when the wheels completely fall of the wagon. You may think as a writer, I’m hyper critical of stories, but when my wife and 13-year old son complain about the story and question the logic of actions taken, you know it’s not just me.

I like to give screenwriters the benefit of the doubt. I like to give superhero movies the benefit of the doubt. But the script of this superhero movie had so many flaws, holes, and nonsense, I could only conclude that the writing team/producers were in over their heads or too lazy to be bothered to fix what were obvious problems in the script. It’s amazing how bad the script was.