Cert 12A
142 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat
At Nottingham Cineworld's IMAX auditorium there are two perfect seats. They are right in the middle, four rows from the front and have no seats either side.
I plonked myself in one of them on Thursday night, ready to immerse myself in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spiderman 2.
Then along came six Marvel geeks who also wanted central spots and settled down directly behind me.
Thus, during the trailers, I was subjected to a rather loud analysis of the intricacies of Peter Parker and other characters in the Spidey franchise.
I feared that the nerds would drop out a plot spoiler or, even worse, keep rabbiting throughout the movie. Fortunately, they avoided the former and when the film started they were so spellbound they were rendered mute.
Let me be clear, this version of Spiderman differs little from the others I have seen over the years.
Ok, it has one particular scene which sets it apart and in Andrew Garfield it has a hero who is a little more tongue-in-cheek than his predecessors but the special effects are still grand and the villains are still deliciously over the top.
In this incarnation, Spidey is drawn away from his crimefighting role by the shenanigans at Oscorp - a huge company which deals in experimental science.
Its founder (Chris Cooper), a former friend of Spidey's dad (Campbell Scott), is dying and is about to bequeath his work to his estranged son (Dane DeHaan).
Coincidentally, Spidey's girlfriend (Emma Stone) works at Oscorp as does an eccentric loner (Jamie Foxx) who you just know is likely to turn from nervous geek into a super-powerful villain.
Alongside the inevitable battles with the bad guys, Spidey is embroiled in romance and is wrestling with his family history.
I am aware of criticism of Garfield in the lead role but I like him. He is nicely understated when away from the action and is full of gusto when the need arises.
DeHaan makes an excellent adversary, while the Foxx is most eye-catching, slipping seamlessly between the role of nerd and villain.
And, of course, the CGI is mighty impressive.
The Amazing Spiderman 2 is exactly what cinema-goers would expect and just a weenie bit more - but I am not going to give that game away.
Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 8/10