'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' Review

Below is my review of ‘The Amazing Spider Man 2’. Don’t worry if you have not seen the movie, there are no spoilers.

What I liked about the film

• Visually great/Good action- This was the best aspect of the film. All of the action sequences are beautifully shot and the effects looked great. The way they visualized Spider-Man swinging around New York City and fighting, was something that the first Spiderman Trilogy never really gave us. I never read the comic books, but it looked like this movie was jumping straight out of a Spider-Man issue. I didn’t feel like it was corny, and it definitely could have been. Even the sequences with Electro, there were some great shots and stunning visual effects.  I caught myself saying in my head many times, “shit, that was pretty awesome” and it takes something pretty stunning to make me say that to myself.

• Relationships – This was a big key to the movie and definitely one of the strongest parts of the film. This movie was very relationship driven, and as audience member, I really felt that their connections were real. Once again, this is something that could easily be seen as corny and forced (ex. Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway). However, each interaction made sense and made the story interesting. Whether it was Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey, Peter Parker and Harry Osborne, Harry Osborn and Electro, Peter Parker and Aunt Mae, Spider-Man and Electro… there were so many important relationships, yet each one of them worked. Which is huge tip of the cap to the actors…and on that point…
  

• The acting- Now looking at the cast list, you could assume that this movie would be well acted. However, everything doesn’t always turn out that way. With what the actors were given, they really embodied their characters and drew you in. They really brought out the emotions of the audience in some scenes, a.k.a. good acting. Also, I really enjoyed the take on Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey that was created in the first film and continued into this one. Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker seems a lot more grounded in reality, and is way more relatable. On that same note, Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacey is a well done female character who isn’t just clueless damsel in distress. She’s very intellectual and actually plays a legitimate role in the film. With that being said, the new additions to the franchise were great as well. Jamie Foxx was great as Electro (I could do without the voice) but he convinced me that a bumbling nerd could turn into this angry, misunderstood villain. [side note: I thought Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon was hilarious, some reviews did not feel the same way, but I thought it was funny] Then there’s Dane Dehaan, who kills it in this movie. Even though his character was a little misused (I get into that later) he really took the role on and did a good job.

• Spider-Man- I feel like they nailed the character of Spider-Man in this movie. He’s very confident and loves being Spider-Man. From what I know about Spider-Man (mainly from that awesome 90’s morning cartoon show), he is cocky, funny, but actually does his job well. That’s what they portrayed in this movie, which really worked and it made the movie more enjoyable. He would be making fun of the villains, cracking jokes, goofing around, and still kicking people’s ass. I thought it was fun and helps separate Spider-Man from the crowded genre he’s in.

What I didn’t like about the film

• Overcrowded- Once again a Spider-Man movie suffers from trying to pack too much into the script. Now this movie was nowhere near as poorly done as Sam Remy’s Spider-Man 3, but many things did seem similar. There were too many sub-plots in this movie, and it was just jumping around from issue to issue. It never gave the audience member sufficient time to really dive deep into the main plot of the story. There were definitely storylines in this movie that were not needed, and it seemed like this movie is was just a set-up movie for future films (Sinister Six), which is disappointing. They tried to fit in too much and it just came out too hectic and not very focused.

• Tone- I am conflicted on this subject because I liked the tones they used in the movie, but they should’ve just picked one. The movie starts out with this ‘comic-book’ style movie, that’s very fun and entertaining, and I liked that. Yet throughout the movie, they intertwined that tone of the film with a lot of dark elements and realism. I like that take on a super hero as well, because it grounds it in reality and make its more relatable. However, they needed to pick one or the other! I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about the film because it kept changing tones throughout the movie. It made the film very uneven and if they would’ve stayed with one style, it would’ve been a lot better I feel. A movie can have light tones and still have a sense of realism (ex. The Avengers), but this movie made the transitions very drastic, and made it pretty obvious.

• Music- This is a little ‘nitpicky’, but it is worth mentioning. Music in a movie should not take you away from what’s happening on screen, and I feel like that’s what happened a few times during this movie. For those who have seen the movie, when peter is listening to Phillip Phillips in his room…terrible. However, don’t get this confused with the score of the film. The score was fine, and I actually like that Electro had his own music whenever he fought. Yet there were a few moments in the film that really turned me off because of the music that was chosen (almost like ‘The Great Gatsby’). 
  

• Misuse of Characters- Minor Spoiler Warning: I will try and not to ruin too much, but if you have seen any of the marketing for this movie, this won’t be that big of a surprise. Harry Osborn. There were definitely some plot stretches in this movie (little boy standing in the street at the end) but none worse than the use of Harry Osborn at the end. I loved what Dane Dehaan did with Harry throughout the film, and his relationship with peter was great. I even bought into the reason why he became angry and evil. However, everything did not need to be seen in this movie. All of a sudden he’s on the brink of death, and can immediately fly this hovercraft with no training at all? Once again I feel like they just pushed storylines that didn’t need to happen. The Green Goblin was not needed at the end of the film, and they just rushed the character. It seems the writers wanted us to just assume a lot of things during the movie, and that’s not good story telling. Most aspects of a film should be explained and have a purpose. I felt like the creators of this movie glossed over that detail in the film. Also, Rhino was just terrible.

Overall, I did enjoy watching ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’. I recommend seeing the movie, especially in the theatres. I was definitely entertained and it was a good super hero movie. However, it does not cross that line into a good movie outside of the genre. There is a lot of missing pieces and it some cases too many pieces, which definitely hurt the movie. This film had all of the elements to be an even better movie, but they tried to fit too much into the script, and it seemed to fall short on making an impact. All in all, it is a fun superhero movie with great visuals and good acting. The average movie go-er will enjoy it, or at least I did.

Score: 6/10