The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review

I think we can say that the summer movie season has officially started. We've had two comic book films, and it's only the beginning of May. It's one of my favorite times of the year; it's prime time for studios to release their big-budget movies and try to dazzle us with them. Marvel hit it out of the park with their first outing this year, as Captain America: The Winter Soldier was one of their finest works yet. Now, Sony's up to bat with their sequel to the 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. Have they knocked it out too?

Not quite. I thought the first film of this rebooted franchise was very good, and was pleasantly surprised by just how good it was. I wasn't expecting too much out of it, and thought it was being made too soon after Sam Raimi's trilogy ended. In the end, though, I enjoyed it immensely, and was eagerly awaiting the arrival of a sequel. Well, it's finally here, and while it isn't quite the breath of fresh air that The Amazing Spider-Man was back in 2012, I enjoyed the heck out of it.

The principle cast of the first film has returned, most importantly the charming duo of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. The pair of them make for one endearing couple, and while the script doesn't consistently back up the sincerity of their performances, they were just as great to watch as in the previous film.

One thing I thought the first movie lacked was a compelling villain. The Lizard felt rushed and not as interesting as he maybe could have been. The movie sets Electro up as the main villain, though it's debatable whether he really is - I'd say it's really Dane DeHaan's Harry Osborn. Electro was an improvement over Rhys Ifans' Lizard, but still lacked the cinematic punch of, say, Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus. Ultimately, I felt his character was a bit rushed as well, and by the end was only there for action sequences. Fun to watch, but left nothing lasting.

As I said, to me the real antagonist of the film is Harry Osborn, played adequately by Dane DeHaan. At the start of the movie, we see Harry sort of being forced into heading his father's company after he has died of a condition that Harry is revealed to also have. Once this illness settles in, he is dying, and desperately attempts to find help, eventually teaming up with Electro to save himself. Again, DeHaan's performance is perfectly fine, though I was expecting more from him after seeing what he did in Chronicle.

One thing that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 really nails is the complexity and difficulty of Peter Parker's life. It's one of the things that draws me to the character, both in the comics and in his subsequent films. He's a high school kid - though at the start of the movie he's graduating - that has to juggle all his responsibilities at home, school, and also as a crime-fighter. Not to mention keep up his relationships with those close to him, namely his Aunt May and girlfriend Gwen Stacy. It takes its toll, and we can really start to see Peter's life draining him. Andrew Garfield does a fantastic job portraying this aspect of the character.

The most distinct problem with this movie is its plot, which towards the middle starts to get tangled in a bit too many strands. It's the Spider-Man 3 syndrome, just on a smaller scale. A sharper narrative focus would have made all the difference, as there's plenty to like, even some stuff to love about the movie. Also, the plot is spread a bit thin. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is 2 hours and 22 minutes long. This running time could have been easily cut down, eliminating some unnecessary or overly drawn out plot points.

One other fault is in the writing. There comes a point where cliches and cheesiness become too much. I'm fine with Spidey blurting out one-liners and snarky insults while battling baddies. That's part of who the character is. But in the more intimate moments, like those between Peter and Gwen, I would have liked a script that accentuated the tenderness that Garfield and Stone conjure up almost entirely with their own chemistry.

In the end, though, this was a very enjoyable movie. As a Spider-Man fan, I really appreciate the impressive web-slinging sequences Marc Webb has given us with this movie. Those, and the action in general is the best we've seen from a Spidey film in that department. Garfield and Stone give great performances, arguably better than those in The Amazing Spider-Man. The movie is emotionally heavier, and ultimately more affecting than its predecessor. As I said, there's plenty to like with this newest entry in the Spider-Man legend. It is satisfying on its own terms, but also successful in creating excitement for the next installment.

Conclusion 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 offers plenty of impressive special effects and thrilling action, and its leads are as endearing as ever. An unnecessarily crowded plot keeps it from consistently reaching the heights of its predecessor, but it's still a worthwhile entry in the Spider-Man franchise. 

Rating: 3/4