The summer of 2012 will go down as the year superheroes dominated the silver screen. The ensemble flick The Avengers sizzled in its opening week and has since smashed a number of box-office records.
Although still a month or so away from cinemas, The Dark Knight Rises is set to bring an epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's reign as by far the best director to helm the Batman franchise. And the aptly named director Marc Webb will put his own spin (pun intended) on the Spidey franchise with the highly anticipated reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man.
At a young age, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) was left abandoned by his parents. His Uncle Ben (Charlie Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field) take him into their care. Years later, Peter's an awkward teen who's fallen hard for his high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). But Peter has always had a nagging curiosity to find out about the mysterious disappearance of his parents.
'The loss of Peter's parents launches Peter on his journey,' says Webb. 'I was curious about the emotional consequence of that tragic event - ultimately, this is a story about a kid who goes out looking for a father and finds himself.'
His search leads him to Oscorp and his father's former lab partner, Dr Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), who may be the only person to have information on their disappearance. As close as he was to Peter's father, though, Dr Connors possesses a dark and dangerous alter ego, the Lizard.
Spider-Man is widely adored because regular teenagers can relate to him: he's faced with the same problems every teen deals with on a daily basis. He's got girlfriend problems and struggles to find his own place in the world. He's your ordinary teenager who just so happens to have superhuman physical abilities.
