The Netflix top 10 most-watched movies list is typically dominated by new releases. That’s why it’s no surprise the likes of Hustle, Interceptor and Senior Year all feature, but a surprising movie has crawled its way into the ranking and it stars everybody’s favorite webhead.
The Amazing Spider-Man is currently sitting at No.5, and even briefly held the top spot earlier this month. In the last two weeks, the film has racked up more than 22 million viewing hours. This definitely suggests the underrated comic book movie is drawing serious interest from Netflix subscribers.
Released in 2012, The Amazing Spider-Man was a reboot of the franchise after the Sam Raimi-directed trilogy came to a conclusion with 2007's Spider-Man 3. It stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as his love interest Gwen Stacey. Directed by Marc Webb, the film retells the origin story of the popular superhero and then sees Spidey face off against Dr. Curt Connors, aka the Lizard.
The film was a box office success taking more than $750 million worldwide but wasn’t quite such a hit with comic book fans upon release. It drew unfavorable comparisons to the Toby Maguire starring trilogy that came before it. And while Garfield’s comedic quips were appreciated there was also a perception that the British actor didn’t quite fit the role of the traditionally introverted Peter Parker.
Nevertheless, The Amazing Spider-Man scored a respectable 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics were particularly complimentary about the undeniable chemistry between Garfield and Stone (the pair would later begin dating in real life), but the film's overly familiar plot and dull villain were criticized.
Why is The Amazing Spider-Man climbing the Netflix top 10?
It may seem slightly puzzling that a comic book film that turns 10 years old next month is suddenly surging up the Netflix most-watched list, but there is a very good reason that The Amazing Spider-Man is one of the streamer’s top movies right now.
Last year, Spider-Man: No Way Home brought three generations of the web-slinger together (Maguire, Garfield and the MCU’s Tom Holland), and audiences went wild for the multiverse movie. It took nearly $2 billion at the worldwide box office, enjoyed critical acclaim and had theatre crowds literally cheering and applauding at the screen.
Garfield’s return as Spider-Man was cited by many as one of the highlights of No Way Home. In part, this is because he enjoys some of the film's best lines, but also because the passage of time has been very kind to his interpretation of the character. In the wake of Garfield’s triumph return, The Amazing Spider-Man was given a long-overdue reappraisal and is now finally getting the recognition it deserves.
Sure, The Amazing Spider-Man is by no means a perfect comic book film, but it’s got significantly more highs than lows. Garfield and Stone are both excellent, and there are some wonderful sequences of Spider-Man swinging through the city. Not to mention Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben is just brilliant casting. Overall it’s a very solid comic book flick, and while it’s not a true contender for the title of Best Spider-Man Movie it's well worth revisiting or experiencing for the first time via Netflix.
There is even a possibility that we could see more of Garfield’s Spider-Man in the future. In the wake of No Way Home’s success, fans called for Sony to greenlight Amazing Spider-Man 3. While that seems unlikely, it has been rumored that Garfield could re-appear as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. This interconnected franchise includes the Venom movies and is set to expand further with films based on Kraven the Hunter and Madam Webb in the pipeline.
