Andrew Garfield and the other stars of The Amazing Spider-Man swung into Tokyo yesterday bringing the comic book crime fighter back to the big screen at the world premiere of the keenly awaited movie.

As fans swarmed around the red carpet in the posh Roppongi Hills area for a glimpse of Garfield, co-star Emma Stone and other cast members, a stuntman dressed as Spider-Man swung overhead.

Garfield said the lead role had appealed to him for many reasons: "Spider-Man has always been the only teenage superhero, and the most human one, in my humble opinion, and that's just one of the things that sets him apart.

"He's all too human, that's what's wonderful about him," said Garfield.

The Amazing Spider-Man, which opens in Japan on June 23, reboots the franchise that began in 2002 with Tobey Maguire in the lead role.

Now it is Garfield, 28, who dons the well-known red-and-blue suit in a story that explores how teenager Peter Parker became a superhero.

Stone, 23, who portrays Gwen Stacy, Parker's first love interest, and who has been linked romantically with Garfield, said the movie offered a fresh perspective on the tale.

"New love interest, the story of Peter's life; there's a lot of stuff to learn about Peter Parker," said Stone. "He's a real underdog, and he's bullied, and I think everyone can relate [to that]."

Producer Matt Tolmach said: "In so many ways, what's magical about Spider-Man is that we all identify with this character - he's all of us, he's Everyman. So what would it feel like if you could experience flight, and sail through the city; what it feels like to swing on a web through New York?

"It was very clear to all of us that this is a movie that was meant to be told in 3D, which is a form of storytelling, not just a way to sell the movie."