There's only one story, says the teacher near the end of this take-two of the Spider-Man franchise: who am I? I already knew that because it had been repeated throughout the movie. But Peter Parker's confusion is understandable, not only because a wonky spider's bite has merged his DNA with that of the arachnid, but because the film itself undergoes many mutations, with variations on The Fly, Gorgo, Iron Man, Batman, and director Marc Webb's own (500) Days of Summer. The romantic angst of the latter vitalizes Spider-Man for a while as Parker (Andrew Garfield) gets bullied in school and moons over Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Then his metamorphosis begins, and so do the dumb plot devices and dull action sequences as the newborn superhero battles another freak, the Nietzschean lizard-man Dr. Connors (Rhys Ifans). At least the supporting cast know who they are, with strong showings by Martin Sheen, Sally Field, and Denis Leary.
