Marc Webb’s second outing behind Sony’s crown jewel definitely lives up to the name. The Amazing Spiderman 2 was just that, amazing. While there were some notable issues ASM proves to be a thoroughly entertaining, emotional, silly, adept world building film all at the same time. Not one to shy away from it’s quirky comic book roots, The Amazing Spiderman 2 does a tremendous job of cementing Spidey as one of the premier superhero franchises on the market and shows that there is plenty of life left in Spiderman’s tank.
Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy & Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spiderman
By far the best element of the film is the relationship between Gwen and Peter. Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield have the perfect on screen chemistry; their portrayal was note perfect. Every time the two of them got together emotions ran high, the way they transitioned from moments of pure happiness to deep sadness, and then to moments of regret and guilt was nothing short of phenomenal. I can honestly claim that this relationship was the most believable on screen coupling I have ever witnessed, the fact that it happened to be in a comic book film was just icing on the cake. Stone and Garfield embodied the characters in every way and brought intense emotional gravity to an already fantastic film.
Marc Webb had already established his prowess of on screen romance so it was no surprise to see him hit it out of the park once again. The way he managed to balance the flashy set pieces with the more intimate, personal story was quite a commendable feat. Had he over tipped his hand in favor of more villain time the climax would not have held near enough emotional weight to justify the severity this development has going forward. That being said, the villains were a miniscule flaw in this otherwise masterful comic adaptation.
Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn, Jamie Foxx as Electro/Max Dillon & Paul Giamatti as Aleksei Sytsevich/Rhino
Jamie Foxx’s Max Dillon (aka Electro) was a huge goofball and I loved every second he was on screen. I can understand people’s complaints with him but I ate it up. Obsession can be a dangerous thing and if handled poorly the consequences could be dire, Spiderman finds this out in the worst way possible and it leads to some truly splendid fights. The way Spiderman moved and quipped mid battle was truly a sight to behold; Sony really nailed the essence of the comic books this time around. Electro’s dialogue was just as cheesy as his appearance, while it did result in some cringe worthy lines, “it’s my birthday, time to blow out the candles,” it never took me out of the movie.
Dane DeHaan as the Green Goblin in one of the most intense battles of the film.
The problems begin with ASM2’s second villain, Harry Osborn (aka Green Goblin). While his motivations were sound and his portrayal was impeccable (shout out to the always-incredible Dane DeHaan) he did seem a bit rushed. All of the basics were there. He was established as an old friend to Peter, there was a scene dedicated to further exploring their connection and there was a scene in which his dependence on Peter/Spidey turned into loathing. All of the essentials were there but it just seemed too quick. Now this could be in part to not wanting to repeat too many moments from the original trilogy or it could have been a result of overzealous world building. Either case Webb was going to be criticized so I don’t blame him completely. What little of the relationship between Osborn and Parker we saw was so great that I wanted more. That nitpick aside I thought Harry was handled quite well, and the fact the he is undoubtedly returning in further installments helps ease my mind on the matter.
Negatives aside, the nods to the extended universe were very welcome additions. Setting up plots to be touched upon in the future while giving hawk-eyed fans something to look for in repeat viewings. Dr. Smythe (played by The Office’s BJ Novak) was a pleasant addition and added to Electro’s early struggles making him a more complete character in my eyes. The other major comic book Easter egg was the Rhino (Paul Giamatti). He didn’t play a huge role but I think his cameo, albeit cool, could have been handled a little better. However, the fact that he only appears for 3 minutes makes this a non-issue. There are many other hints and nods but I will leave them for you to find yourselves (if you’ve somehow managed to avoid all the spoilers).
The Amazing Spiderman 2 elaborates on loose story threads from the first outing while introducing a plethora of new elements implying spin-offs and sequels. Webb manages to balance the bombast and the personal with pin point precision and ends up with a fantastic, or shall I say amazing, film. While certain things could have been handled a bit better the end product is definitely worthy of its title and leaves audiences on the edge of their seats. I can’t wait to further explore the inner workings of Oscorp and see what mess Peter Parker gets himself into next.
Overall I give this film a 9/10