The Amazing Spider-Man 2

"Listen here, Django! I'm the boss around these
parts!"

Sometimes I just have no idea what movie the other critics have seen.

The Amazing Spider-Man franchise is really its own niche, particularly after this film, in the comic-book-to-movie-world. If you want deep, brooding, and more ground-in-reality superhero dramas, look towards DC. If you are looking for an epic, overarching story with tons of heroes, then we got Disney owned Marvel for that. But TASM2 really establishes its own brand as something ripped right from the pages of the comic book world. A real, living, breathing Peter Parker and Co. I have always kind of thought that Spider-man was Lee's favorite of his creations...the simple quirkiness of the teenage hero, the inventive powers, the uniqueness from any other superhero...it all makes for a stand out character that's not only awesome, but somewhat relatable too.

I won't retread ground here, but we all know the story of Spider-man on the silver screen. The most recent film, the first in this huge overarching plan that Sony has for Spider-man (including Venom and Sinister Six spin offs along with Spider-man sequels #3 and #4) was a proper reboot that really felt all too familiar. I generally liked it and you can read my original review HERE but it featured a stupid villain and that typical "getting your footing" feel that most new series have to find. Critics and fans did applaud it for its character chemistry though and I was also a fan of that. Personally for me, I thought it was a distant second behind Spider-Man 2 if I had ranked all four films.

Stretch those quads and groins everyone. Really feel the burn!

Dear Lord man! Use some freaking lotion!

I also won't retread ground with the abysmal Spider-Man 3. Which, to be completely honest, after reviews for TASM2 started coming in I thought that it would suffer the same fate as that film: too many villains. I can assure you that it most certainly does not. Does Jamie Foxx get enough spotlight as Electro? No, he doesn't. But at the same time, there is no villain overload. The Rhino (played by Paul Giamatti rather underused I must say) is in the film for a whopping 5 minutes tops. And Dane DeHaan's Green Goblin doesn't come in until near the end and I thought Electro and his teaming up was logical enough. So no, TASM2 isn't overstuffed with villains. And frankly I was impressed that it wasn't really overstuffed at all. They certainly allude to the future of the franchise, which apparently they have planned out better than DC at this point (seriously though...what on earth is Warner Brothers and DC Comics doing?!), but the movie stands on its own well. In this day and age of comic book movies its important for a film to serve the over arching mythos and plot as well as presenting and concluding one of its own. I wouldn't say that TASM2 does this as effortlessly or well as the most recent Captain America, but regardless it still does it well. I did take some big issue with Jamie Foxx's character's motives though. I thought they were incredibly stupid and to be honest...immature. It was like he was a small child until he actually turns into Electro. I also thought that Dane DeHaan's progression into the Green Goblin was super rushed and also lacked some sincere character motive.

And you know what? My complaints sincerely end there. For some, TASM2 might have too many tonal mood swings, and I would listen to that argument. One minute it's silly and the next it's breaking your heart. But in all honesty, that was the spirit of the comics. The Spider-Man in the comics has a ton of teen angst that makes for some funny situations, Peter Parker is a smart ass and has some funny quips, and there is genuine loss in his life on multiple occasions. I applaud TASM franchise for not copy catting off it's uber-successful cousins and being super dark or overly epic. That's what we have the other franchises for. When I go to see a Spider-man film, I want what I got in TASM2, and I didn't even know it. I want to laugh. I want to connect with the characters, who are still normal people during the day. I want to fly through New York City. I want to be thrilled. I want to be moved. I was all of those things with TASM2. And the main reason I felt that way was the webbed (pun intended) chemistry of the cast. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Andrew Garfield and Sally Field. Andrew Garfield and Dane DeHaan. All of these interactions feel real and genuine, especially between Stone and Garfield, which helps you to connect to the characters that much more. Field feels like Peter Parker's aunt/mother. DeHaan feels like a long lost buddy of Parker. And, as cheesy as it may be, Stone feels like she is in love with Parker. It's by far the strongest aspect of the film and I think its what audiences will walk away with the most.

"Why so blue, Django?"

"Dude you have the weirdest location for a bald
spot..."

From a technical perspective, this Spider-Man is a real sight to be seen. It was pretty thrilling in IMAX 3D, and other than a few noticeable CG parts, most of it looks and sounds awesome. I was a little bummed that the first person web-slinging  from the first film was done away with this time, but we still get some tight, close-up shots of Peter swinging all over the city that will most likely induce vertigo/nausea for some (aka not me) and excitement for others (aka me). Electro is an incredible sight to be seen as well and overall he was very thought out (if a bit underutilized). The digitation of Jamie Foxx's voice is probably the coolest I've heard since Bane, and the dubstep original score that accompanies Electro's presence, while it sounds like it would a terrible, fratty idea, is actually freaking awesome. Much like the rest of the original score for that matter.

*Goes to Google who did the original score*

"Of course its Hans Zimmer!"

They should be college professors. Which class?
Chemistry 101

To say I was impressed with TASM2 would nearly be an understatement. Most of my hype this month is going towards Godzilla and Neighbors and lukewarm critic reviews really had me thinking that this would be the Iron Man 2 "set-up" film of this future beefy franchise. I went in with some really mediocre expectations and after a poorly filmed intro with far too much shaky cam I was leaning even more into the "meh" zone. But after some web swinging around New York City, some awfully cute interactions between Gwen and Peter, some great action scenes sprinkled with classic Spidey humor, an awesome looking/sounding villain, some time spent unravelling mysterious from the past, and a showdown with heart and a serious emotional punch, I was completely sold. Not only on the film by itself, but by The Amazing Spider-Man franchise as a whole.

I know I've said it many times before, but my readers come to me for MY opinion. And I'm not sure if TASM2 will float everyone's boat. There may not be enough heroes...the humor might be a little too obviously silly for some...maybe Spider-man just simply isn't your cup of tea. Who knows? But I'd like to think that I "got it". I get what director Marc Webb and the staff at Sony are going for and I'm all on board.

For me, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was one hell of a ride that, while not perfect, hit all the right notes.

It was (full pun intended) pretty amazing.

CONS:

• Electro was underutilized. Not by a whole lot, but underutilized nonetheless
• Electro's motives are the worst part of the movie and the biggest blemish on what is otherwise a stellar superhero film. He basically goes from adoring Spider-man to wanting to kill him in about 0.5 seconds
• The progression of Harry Osborne into depressed Harry Osborne into Green Goblin was rushed
• A rather unexciting opening sequence with terrible shaky cam
• No end credits scene? WTF Marvel?
• They could have streamlined Peter solving his dad's mysteries a bit to cut down the run time

PROS:

• Fantastic chemistry in nearly every relationship of the cast. Garfield and Stone have something delightful for sure and every character feels so natural around the others
• Garfield makes a better Spider-man and Peter Parker than Maguire ever did
• The rest of the cast is strong, particularly Fields. Foxx is a *nearly* iconic villain and I just could not shake the feeling of how much DeHaan reminded me of a young DiCaprio. Super weird
• Awesome, inventive action with some superb slow mo, 3D, and special effects
• Electro is awesome both visually and audibly. The dubstep original score was risky, but it worked awesome
• Speaking of the original score, add another one to your notch of awesomeness Hans!
• Impressively packed full without ever feeling over stuffed. It sets up the future films while being a very complete one in its own right
• Oh the feels at the end!
• Captures the spirit of the comics probably better than most other comic book adaptations. While this may turn some people off, I really applaud their decision to differentiate themselves from the main Marvel and DC pack

Rath's Review Score: 9/10