As prequels go, this is not bad. I prefer Toby Maguire as Spidey, but Garfield did well in the role and the action scenes are first class. What bothered me was how derivative and thin the plot was. Conincidence plays far too big a role. Lots of borrowing, too, from Godzilla to King Kong, and nothing especially new by way of “mad scientist tries to dominate the planet” stories. There is a library scene during a big fight that should have be left on the cutting room floor. And the Gwen Stacy character seemed like more of a plot device than a real love interest. Still, it’s an action movie, and on that level it scores quite well.