The newest superhero flick, The Amazing Spider-man 2, swings into action this weekend. I went in with some expectations and a lot of excitement.
The first of the new Spider-Man movies was a great film with holes though in the back story, which left hope of more to be revealed later on. And a ton was revealed... perhaps even too much. Once again, we see Andrew Garfield suit up as the friendly, neighborhood Spider-man, this time more regarded and disputed upon as ever. Even Spider-Man's true identity is getting in on the excitement as it (possibly) seems Peter Parker has created his own theme song in this universe for his ringtone. We also see Emma Stone play Gwen Stacy. She does a better job this time because the material gives her a lot to work with in terms of range, especially given the peek we get into the whole complicated mess Peter and Gwen have for a relationship. When heartbreak happens you can't help but empathize with the couple as the joy and tears seem real (that would make sense since Garfield and Stone are a real life couple).
We are also introduced to new pivotal characters like Max Dillion play by Jamie Foxx, Harry Osborn played by Dane DeHaan. The character of Max Dillion is funny to observe as he is socially awkward lending himself to be a social outcast who carries conversations with himself and gets excited at the very idea of anyone even remembering his name. Sadly, unlike Peter and Gwen, the material doesn't allow us to empathize with Max. I should pity the guy, but like I said, he is funny to observe meaning I laughed at him. The writers didn't give Max much emotional depth either since his transformation to Electro, he gets mad and stays mad. That's all. At first, it seemed we were going to witness Spider-Man possibly talk down a good guy who had something unexplainable happen to him, but instead, like Max would've before his transformation, he flips out and starts blowing stuff which does look pretty cool... at times.
DeHaan really brings it as the abandoned rich kid. The character of Harry has layers, and I like that. He wants to be good, he wants to be better than his father, but the pressure from a secret his father tells him and the pressure from the board of Oscorp, push him over the edge. The only thing I didn't like was how suddenly he is a villain. And as a villain, we don't get to enjoy much of a conflict. The special effects range from amazing to decent. The final battle between Electro and Spider-Man is more of watching a video game than a movie. Sony Imageworks really needs to start stepping up there game as it is definitely apparent that ILM has the upperhand in this area. Watch the MCU movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and you'll see what I mean.
Director Marc Webb has great vision when it comes to comic-book based superhero movies. There are quite a few times especially when the action slows down, we could imagine the image shown could be in a comic book grid. It feels like a moving comic book. Webb, I must say, has done this better than almost anyone. So the movie look like an action comic, but does it play out like an action comic? I would say just like Peter and Gwen's relationship, it's complicated. The action scenes can be beautiful and big, but this movie over all is definitely about Peter and Gwen ultimately. The movie is half action and half can-Peter-keep-Gwen-safe-like-he-promised-her-dad-he-would drama. I'm personally ok with this as it does keep this film from being a dumb action movie, but if you want pure action, best to look somewhere else. I loved it overall despite the writers trying to shove everything they could in this two hour and twenty-two minute film.
I did my best not to give away too many spoilers, but there is a part near the end that sucked the air out of the theater. It was epic and intimate all at once. It will leave some angry and others will want to know what the future will bring with somber expectation. With great acting, good effects, and a bloated story, the Amazing Spider-Man 2 is fun for the most part and will leave wanting a third Amazing Spider-Man movie.
Rating 0-100: 71
It tries to balance all of the different subplots in a cohesive way, and sometimes it does just that, but sometimes, it does end up falling over itself. Still though, I had fun. Good review Logan.
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