Marvel Mania 2: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx
Directed by: Marc Webb


While The Amazing Spider-Man had its fair share of critics, the film was still a financial success and laid the groundwork to expand the Spider-Man universe. So when plans for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 were being developed, I was pretty excited. I went to go see the movie in theaters, and I really enjoyed it. Then I got home, and over the course of that weekend, I heard nearly everyone hated the movie. I was at a loss for words. I couldn't believe that people were comparing this film to Spider-Man 3 and Batman & Robin. I can admit the film is flawed, but it's nowhere near THAT bad. I think a lot of the complaints fans had for this movie is the typical one you hear about when comic book movies fail. There's too much going on. But I think the fanboys had a bit more poison in their words because they were still bitter that these movies existed at a time when Spider-Man should be part of the MCU. In less than 2 weeks, that dream will become reality, but until then, let's look at what got fan boys so worked up about The Amazing Spider-Man 2, while I also note some of the unsung praises the film deserves.

Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy is one of the key things holding these two movies together so strongly. The fact that she is a competent female character who actually assists Spider-Man in his saving of New York City is actually very refreshing. Sure, there are times when she's in danger, but can hold her own for the most part. She's certainly miles ahead of Mary Jane. She's also a natural spitfire, which leads to a lot of clever humor and timing for her character. And I think the relationship Gwen has with Peter is absolutely adorable. You can really believe the love story that's going on and a lot of that is from the natural chemistry Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield had. A lot of that was because they were actually dating at the time and it's a shame they aren't anymore. If those scenes of Peter and Gwen are any indicator, the emotion they were giving at that time was very real.

One of the things most criticized about The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is Jamie Foxx's hammy portrayal of Electro. Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't see the problem. It's just so over the top that it's really distracting for a main villain. The design is interesting and Foxx can be entertaining when he's really trying, but this wasn't a good portrayal of Electro. He goes from an obsessive, unassuming geek to a neon blue killer. It doesn't really add up. His motivations are all over the place and it really feels like they're making up his powers as they go. He would have probably done better in the supporting villain role than the main baddie.

The villain that steals the show is Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn. Like Andrew Garfield, DeHaan is one of those up-and-coming actor's actors and he really sinks his teeth into playing Harry. Some of his performance seems a bit goofy, but I really liked what he did with Harry. You see a tormented soul, feeling neglected by his father. He finds some solace in rekindling an old friendship with Peter, and we see him have a personal hatred for Spider-Man because he's the hero that's supposed to help everyone, but won't help him. It's all very identifiable and when he transforms into the Green Goblin, it's very tragic. They go for a biological approach to the Goblin's look and I think it works when you see it in action. You look at it in a still picture from the film, and you'll probably laugh it off. Watch the film and his transformation scene, and it will actually be a bit frightening to some viewers. Kudos to the makeup team and the editors for putting that scene together. It actually makes me cringe, especially if see the extended version in the bonus features. They tested that scene with audiences and there were complaints it frightened the children too much. That's when you know you're doing it right, in my opinion.

There's a lot crammed into this film, and in doing so, many questions or characters were teased to be more involved in later films. While that's all nice and dandy if you're planning for a bunch of sequels, you still need to give enough substance to make us enjoy the current film we're watching. One example of them getting carried away was the near disrespect they gave to The Rhino. While I'm sure he was going to be a big part of the future of this franchise, his lack of screen time is hugely noticeable. Plus, they wasted the talents of a perfectly good Paul Giamatti, who really liked the character and was looking forward to playing The Rhino. I can only imagine his disappointment in this series getting cancelled.

At the end of it all, this felt like a Spider-Man film to me. It just didn't register well with everyone else. Yes, moments in it can be silly, there are a ton of plot holes, and it feels like filler as they were building to a bigger movie. But this is an adaptation of a comic book we're talking about, there's a suspension of disbelief that comes with that and there are comics in which many issues are bridging chapters, taking us from one major story to the next. The Amazing Spider-Man 2, to me, is misunderstood. You can see from the filmmakers that they had an idea and vision for this series, but the studios interfered and the fans weren't patient enough for the big payoff. Everything needed to happen then and there, and when it didn't, people got upset. They have that right to be, but I think a film like this is a lesson in how good things come to those who wait. Had we been patient, we would have gotten to see Spider-Man take on The Sinister Six in a future movie, and there were talks of a Venom spinoff as well. Now, we're starting all over. I'm not complaining, since I love Spider-Man and always will, but we have to wait even longer now to get to some of those stories we really wanted to see. Here's hoping the Spider-Man that Sony and the MCU have put together is here a lot longer than the last Spider-Man was.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

While far from perfect, this film certainly kept me entertained as a Spider-Man fan. While we'll never get to see that Sinister Six film, making this whole reboot a waste of time, there's still some stuff to enjoy here. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 gave us an idea of what a larger Spider-Man world could look like, and I think it needed a few more sequels and a little bit of hindsight to let everything play out and show the bigger picture.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and movie images are copyrighted by Columbia Pictures