The great tragedy of The Amazing Spider-Man series not continuing is we never got to see Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker get a chance at redemption after the death of Gwen Stacy. Sure he comes in at the end to fight a man in a mech suit shaped like a rhino, but there is a big difference between fighting a villain and saving someone’s life, a distinction we see in the first Amazing Spider-Man when Peter saves that kid in the car hanging off the bridge. Saving people made this Peter more than just a vigilante seeking revenge on his Uncle’s killer, it made him a hero. But then he could save Gwen, and we never really saw him deal with that loss.

Fast forward to watching this film in a packed cinema. Sure there were cheers when Andrew showed up and more cheers when Tobey did as well. But the biggest cheer came when Andrew Garfield’s Peter saves MJ from a similar fate to Gwen. I remember as Peter is diving down to save her, a man shout out “Go get her Andrew”. This moment of redemption was so incredible, as was perfectly built up to with Garfield’s Peter talking about how he had become bitter in the years since Gwen’s death and how he hadn’t been able to let someone else in. Garfield’s performance at that moment, and every moment he’s in the film to be honest, is truly amazing as he almost loses control of his emotions for just a moment as he takes in the significance of that moment. A beautiful redemptive moment for that Spider-Man that we never thought we’d have, and while there is no getting Gwen back, a moment that we hope will let this Spider-Man move on.

– Ashley Hobley