Andrew Garfield’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is Netflix’s Hottest Movie This Weekend

By Meghan O'Keefe @megsokay
Published June 3, 2022, 12:30 p.m. ET

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The Amazing Spider-Man

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If there’s one thing people seem to love, it’s Spider-Man. The most recent Spidey flick, Spider-Man: No Way Home, smashed box office records and proved that the only thing better than one Peter Parker is three. The film’s plot broke open the multiverse, inviting stars of Spider-Man movies past into Tom Holland‘s MCU-rooted world. Perhaps the biggest crowd-pleasing crossover of the bunch? Andrew Garfield‘s underrated, haunted “amazing” Spider-Man.

If Spider-Man: No Way Home got you nostalgic for Garfield’s short, ill-fated run with the character (or you missed his films in the first place), you’re in luck. The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, is currently streaming on Netflix. Not only that, but last time we checked, it’s the number one movie on the streaming service.

2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man and it’s 2016 sequel were both directed by 500 Days of Summer auteur Marc Webb. Both films had a more grounded quality than the Tobey Maguire films or Tom Holland’s super-sized MCU features. That is, the best part of both of Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man movies isn’t the superhero story, but the tragic romance that blooms between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. The story sizzles whenever Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are onscreen together. Their easy flirtation feels more suited to a classic Nora Ephron feature than Marvel movie. (It should come as no surprise that the duo dated for four years and are still on good terms!)

The second best part of these Amazing Spider-Man movies? How magnetic Andrew Garfield is. His Peter Parker is less an earnest nerd boy than a troubled outsider. He skateboards through Queens and sulks through scenes. Still, he’s propelled by a boyish innocence — a vulnerability — that is Andrew Garfield’s hallmark as an actor.

Feeling like kicking back and watching an underrated superhero flick this steamy summer weekend? Skip Disney+ and watch The Amazing Spider-Man on Netflix instead.