The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Reviews

Following an unneeded but, at least, decent reboot of the Spider-Man saga, this movie makes the same mistakes as 'Spider-Man 3' with having too many villains/storylines. It's not because it's confusing it's because they short-change every character; and by the end I don't really care about any of them.

The main actors are still entertaining and the production is still impressive, which is why this superhero movie is still better than average and better than 'Spider-Man 3'.

Following an unneeded but, at least, decent revamp of the Spider-Man saga, this movie makes the same mistakes as 'Spider-Man 3' with having too many villains/storylines. It's not because it's confusing it's because they shortchange every character and by the end I don't really care about any of them.

The main actors are still entertaining and the production is still impressive, which is why this superhero movie is still better than average and better than 'Spider-Man 3'.

The second movie in the new Spider-man movie series that directed by Marc Webb. I doubt his potential after seeing this movie. I feel someone should take his position before it become too late. In the history of the Spider-man movies, from all the 6 this one is the worst. Commercially it has done a great business that grabbed around $800 million all over the world, but failed to deliver another quality movie for the fans. The movie engaged with the too much character and subplots. The subplots were not placed in the right spots, kind of random appearance brings the chaos in understanding the story. I had a high hope on this movie and it did not supply well. Frankly, I kind of lost interest in Spider-man. Maybe because it was too soon to reboot, I guess.

The first movie gave a decent re-start for the refreshed Spider-man movie series. And what happened here in this second installment was a disaster. The first thing is it was nearly a 2 and half an hour movie that brought me lightly a headache to carry on thus far. Actually, it was 10 minutes shorter than what it is now, but in the end they have developed a bit longer to show the opening scene of the third movie. When a movie got a powerful hero, it should have equally matched antagonist. If they are matched, then the fight between them are the next thing to bring the best out of it. I think the Electro man did not click as they have expected, at least not to me. The strength he had was something beyond spider-man, but did not unleash him in a perfect manner. Though Jamie Foxx was not bad in that avatar, the filmmakers kind of wasted his presence for not so good scenes.

You want to be the hero.
And now you gotta pay the price.

Remember the original Spider-man was the modern superhero movies, I mean it was done using computer graphics. Afterwards 'Batman', 'Iron Man', 'Thor' and all were followed. I like the version with Tobey Maguire in it, though my rating declined by movie after another in the trilogy. This reboot series had a good opening, but failed to get the momentum going. Especially all the emotions were looked fakes that do not appeal like the original movie series did. Yes, it had a wonderful box office and that does not mean the movie is good, either worst. But expected a little better, especially in the negative characters. Andrew Garfield was good, not awesome, because most of his masked parts were CGI. Emma stone was another let down and could not help comparing her with Kristen Dunst, because she was no way near, at all. The Dane DeHaan role had the same issue and I don't know why people did not get better space in the movie that ran 140 minutes long. Like I said subplot spoiled everything I think. The digital 3D and stunts were poor. Yeah, there are many things to complain about it than to praise, but all the answer should come in the next sequel. If that makes bigger, not commercially, I mean with a good story, graphics and performances then there will be no problem. But if it fails, I had to say 'bring back the fourth installment of the original movie series'. Definitely not worth a watch, but anyway most of the guys going to watch it or already watched it.

I have been dying to see this for awhile now. I finally got the chance. The beginning is pretty awesome. I like how the superhero movies are starting to make the parents a bit more badass than they used to be. The fight scenes are pretty awesome although a bit video game-like. I thought they had some interesting villains. There is a great amount of witty humor throughout all the drama and action. I would have liked for there to be more of a relationship between Harry and Peter. I actually liked really liked the music. I thought the part where he is making music while fighting was unique. I felt a little bit disappointed with a few things. I liked it well enough though. I felt this one was more of a set-up movie for the future of Spider-Man. I think they tried to throw too many villains into this like they did with the previous trilogy and ended up with not enough screen time for them all. I mean this was already 2 hours long and I didn't get to see much of the villains I wanted to see. I didn't really like Rhino's costume too much. Nowhere near as good as the previous film though to be honest.

The two reboots in the Spider-Man franchise have been released too quickly, after less than a decade since the first theatrical trilogy. The 2012 film took a new turn for Spidey as we witnessed a darker tone yet felt somewhat empty in terms of execution. Two years later, Sony and Marvel released its sequel and although it is better regarding characters and visual experience, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 still falls flat through plot contents and irrelevant references to future films. So, it does not necessarily stand out as an individual feature, let alone a sequel, and still doesn’t quite become the convincing return for Spider-Man and co which we are still waiting for.


Marc Webb returns to direct The Amazing Spider-Man 2 after the predecessor and he practically recycles contents from the first film. On a visual and technical level, Webb edges closer to the original comics’ tone than Raimi’s trilogy did. The film was impressive in that sense but the concepts of plot and characters still feel flat, even Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The first reboot in 2012 was practically a remake of Raimi’s first instalment in 2002, with the involvement and motives of both Gwen and Connors/Lizard being identical to Norman and Mary Jane, and while we are introduced to Electro and Rhino, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is identical to the second Raimi film. The two reboots have perhaps been made too soon and unfortunately due to this, it is utilising pieces from Raimi’s trilogy and lacking originality to the comics. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 also strangely aims to provide hints for future Marvel projects. In fact, a lot of the footage, particularly on Rhino’s part and specific images, felt like a trailer for a third installment. Webb’s Spider-Man series is still not impressive but at the same time, could have been worse.


As two different franchises from opposing directors, we have seen two different types of Peter Parker. While Tobey Maguire had a nerdier approach to the character like in the original comics, Andrew Garfield attempts to add more raw emotion. However, the problem with Garfield as Parker is this - he still doesn’t show the audience what type of guy he is. Is he a geek, a skater, a heart throb or a combination of all three? This may add more complexity on Garfield’s part in the role and does enhance more emotion than Maguire did. Furthermore, when an actor plays a superhero or supervillain, they either stand out as that alias or as their human alter-ego. Garfield has more the youthful physicality for Spider-Man whereas Maguire had more for Peter Parker. Therefore, Garfield is perhaps a stronger Spider-Man. One problem with Garfield as Spider-Man, however, is the needless implementation of humour during action sequences. It works with Iron Man as Tony Stark is a smug character with a dark sense of humour but Garfield is too serious in the role of Peter Parker to throw in humour as Spider-Man.


Meanwhile, Emma Stone delivers another fine performance as Gwen Stacy. She delivers the intelligence and innocence of Gwen at a more superior level than Bryce Dallas Howard in Spider-Man 3 and other than Peter, she is the heart of the film with heartfelt chemistry with him. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 had multiple rumours during production regarding the amount of villains. The central antagonist of the film was Jamie Foxx in the role of Max Dillon/Electro. Having closer resemblance to the Ultimate version of Electro, Foxx was impressive in the role; however, Max’s motives to become evil in the form of Electro were rather weak. Dane DeHaan becomes the new Harry Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with a fine performance. Although DeHaan’s role is perhaps influenced from his breakthrough performance in Chronicle and that it is difficult to touch or come close to James Franco’s version of the character, DeHaan is on par with convincing psychological issues, particularly following the transformation into Green Goblin. Sally Field makes an appearance as Aunt May Parker with a genuinely heartfelt performance and Paul Giamatti provides hints for forthcoming instalments with a decent cameo as Aleksei Sytesvich/Rhino.


Although The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is more superior than its predecessor, its weak spots still has not make it an entirely promising rebooted series. Marvel seem to be trying too hard by bloating in too many subplots and too many characters. This sequel did not quite suffer in that respect like Spider-Man 3 but even so with its closer resemblance to the original comics, it could finally reach its full potential with The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and hinted Sinister Six feature.

In a summer that’s already seen Captain America, and is about to see X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ninja Turtles, and the long-delayed Sin City sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 had better live up to that title in order to secure a place in the memory. It only does so by half, and just proves rather frustrating. Instead of correcting the problems of the first film, it makes them worse. This is a shame because within The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are some of the best character moments and action sequences to be in any Spider-Man film. Pity that the other half of it is a half-baked mess of poorly thought characterizations/motivations and rushed story developments.

Much like the first film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 excels at making us believe in the romantic coupling at the center of the film. In fact, character interactions with Peter Parker are a strong point. The romance between Parker and Gwen Stacy is one of the few in a comic book movie that feels real and authentic. It helps that Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are dating in real life, but it’s rare that chemistry off camera translates to on-camera. But Stone makes for a tough, smart Girl Friday to Garfield’s caustic Spider-Man, and it’s nice to see a female character in a big budget franchise display some agency and not just be a damsel-in-distress.

Another high point is Sally Field’s motherly, tender Aunt May. There’s a scene between Parker and May where he pleads for her to tell him about his parents, and she tells him that she’s always thought of him as her son. It’s a nice quiet moment in-between very loud and long action scenes. Field’s anxiety and stress of trying to keep it all together was a touch that was missing from Raimi’s depiction of the character.

Marc Webb is good at detailing Parker’s immediate circle, and many of the fight scenes come complete with gorgeous special effects and blessedly clean rhythms. At every moment it’s clear to see which character is where and what they’re trying to do. But Webb and his writers never fixed a major problem from the first film – half-formed villains. So while these scenes are dynamic and exciting, they rarely matter because character motivations are opaque at best.

The worst offender is Jamie Foxx’s Electro. Much like the preceding film’s Lizard, Electro is one of the few classic rogues that Raimi never touched upon. Unlike the Lizard though, Electro has always been a cooler power than a terribly interesting back-story. Sure enough, many scenes with Electro seem engineered due to what cool stuff the writers could do with his powers and never bothering to give him a clear motivation or reason for becoming villainous. Also confusing – he develops a costume out of nowhere, again it looks cool, but it doesn’t add up to much. Foxx, while game, is given nothing to do, tries valiantly to give his character some pathos, but cannot overcome the bumpy writing and eventually just coasts on hammy acting.

Rhino and Green Goblin also have half-formed personalities. Rhino, another classic rogue that Raimi never got around to, is particularly embarrassing. Paul Giamatti is an actor I normally admire, but he’s so over-the-top here that it becomes cringe-worthy. He’s also wasted in a role that amounts to a glorified cameo that doesn’t make any use of Giamatti’s talents. Once more, it feels as if the film-makers came up with an interesting idea (Rhino’s mech-suit), but didn’t bother developing or investing any interest in anything else. Dane DeHaan isn’t bad, but he’s lost amid everything going on. His scenes with Garfield have a pleasing ease of two old friends reuniting, but can’t seem to grasp Harry once he breaks bad. Chris Cooper, on paper a perfect choice for a comic book bad guy, amounts to a cameo appearance in a five-minute scene. Why an actor of Cooper’s tremendous gifts have been used in such a way is a question I kept asking numerous times.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 also suffers from bloat. Too many needless characters, too many subplots, not a clear focus on what I should or shouldn’t truly invest my attention in. In addition to appearances from named villains – that’s Rhino, Electro, Norman Osborne and Green Goblin for those keeping score – Felicity Jones and BJ Novak cameo as Felicia Hardy and Alistair Smythe, respectively, not to mention visual references to Vulture and Dr. Octopus, and an audio ones for Venom and Lizard. That equals about ten villains totally, not even counting shady executives and doctor’s who feel transported from an entirely different film. There’s just way too much going on, and the movie is two and a half hours long. I haven’t even mentioned anything concerning Peter’s parents, which is awkwardly handled and features the stupidest hidden laboratory I think I’ve ever seen.

While the first film was never necessary, at least it was fun and focused in on a small group of characters for us to cheer on. The sequel takes the mindset of more is more, and more is always better. This is a shame, because the first one pointed in a different direction. It pointed towards a franchise that was more personal. I’m fairly astounded that it went straight into Joel Schumacher’s campy neon aesthetic so rapidly. Oh well, at least they have the perfect Spider-Man in Andrew Garfield.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I wasn't a big fan of the first Amazing Spider-Man, but this one finally lived up to its name! :D
All the problems I had with its predecessor are remedied here. It still takes itself seriously, but not too seriously. Despite the title, it's still a Peter Parker movie first and foremost, but this time, whenever does spring into action as Spider-Man, it doesn't seem out of place.
Speaking of which, there are hardly any action scenes, but the story that takes up the majority of the film is so compelling that I didn't mind that at all; I was completely invested and very much impressed. The climactic battle is a culmination of everyone's storylines at once, making it feel so much more epic and so much more rewarding.
The story focuses not only on the hardships of Peter, but Harry Osborn as well: he's determined to save his own life, to the point of violent obsession. Also, he doesn't actually become the Green Goblin until the end, but when he finally does, he looks great! :)
Gwen Stacey continues to be a brilliant character. Not only do she and Peter make a really cute couple, but a fantastic duo as well. She's just as smart as he is, and comes up with an idea that proves invaluable in the final fight with Electro.
I loved this movie. I'd say it's, hands down, my favourite movie of the year so far.

My rating: 85%

When you read this review, consider this perspective: While I acknowledge their flaws, I do legitimately like all 4 Spider-Man films preceding this one. Spider-Man 3 has its laughably bad moments, but it's entertaining enough to enjoy, and The Amazing Spider-Man - while lacking the intelligence of the previous entries - remains good fun. So it was a cruel surprise when I realized with great dismay that this not-so-super sequel playing before me is fairly bad. To put it kindly, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will not be found on anyone's list of favorite super hero films anytime soon.

Let's keep the plot section simple, yes? This is a super hero after all, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 makes no attempt to transcend the genre cliches, so what reason have I to dress things up? A worker at Oscorp falls into a vat of electric eels and is conveniently transformed into a electrical-powered villain dubbed Electro. Naturally, Spider-Man (mild-mannered secret identity is, of course, Peter Parker) must go off to fight him. There's also a subplot with Harry Osborne that's kind of glossed over, and relationship troubles with Gwen Stacy (because everyone was waiting with bated breath for more poorly written romance scenes, apparently).

Let me address the positives before I begin the shredding. The first 10 minutes are very enjoyable, despite (or perhaps because) of its silliness. The special effects look good, the Spider-Man/Peter Parker character remains likable, and there's one or two good performances, which I'll detail later. I wasn't bored for most of the 140 minute run-time, and therefore, I find it hard to hate this movie. But make no mistake; this is a bad movie. In fact, more so than being merely bad, it's a stupid movie.

There is no such thing as logic in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Every minute of this film poses a new question, typically falling under one of these categories: "Why in the world did [insert character name] do that?" "How does that make any sort of sense?" "Someone got paid to write this script?"

The Spider-Man films have never been revered for their romantic bits. In Raimi's trilogy, capable actors managed to make the sometimes dubious dialogue work. In Mark Webb's reboot, the romance did not work. In the case of this sequel, it's just plain awful. If you found yourself chuckling at the infamous line from 2012's The Hunger Games ("I watched you walk home from school everyday. Everyday."), you'll be in stitches during some of these scenes. Even outside of the romance scenes, there are unintentional laughs aplenty. One such part can actually be found in the trailer: Observe Rhino's terrible aim.

And speaking of the trailer, you could save a good deal of money and time by just watching that instead of the film. The entire movie is essentially in the trailer. All the funniest bits are in the trailer as well. Most people are coming to the cinemas to see more of the Green Goblin and Rhino. Won't they be disappointed when these characters get a grand total of, perhaps 10 minutes of screen-time altogether?

Even more unfortunate is this film's total predictability. It doesn't do anything to build upon the typical formula of super hero films. Other than a sort of twist at the end, the closest thing to an innovation this film makes is that Peter Parker switches from using Bing to Google.

The characters and performances really do go hand-in-hand here, so let's discuss them together. Andrew Garfield is as likable as ever in the role of Spider-Man. His quips in battle and his overly-friendly nature keeps the character itself a cut above the Spider-Man from Raimi's trilogy. The performance itself is just on par with Maguire's. Emma Stone portrays Gwen Stacy. Her entire role consists of her doing a lot of looking sad and crying occasionally. Jamie Foxx does what he can with a poorly written character. Foxx is Electro, and the entire character is dealt with very badly. He will probably evoke unpleasant memories of another sympathetic spidey villain; Sandman. Dane DeHaan is surprisingly wooden in his role as Harry Osborn/Green Goblin, until he makes the inevitable transformation. At this point, he's not over-the-top enough, nor menacing.

The best performances in this film belong to the supporting crew. Sally Fields as Aunt May improves over her performance in the predecessor. And while some will find Paul Giammati's Rhino unbearably corny, I was always smiling when he was onscreen (though brief this time is). The best bit, however (and the best part of this movie), is Marton Csokas as a German doctor, and head of Ravencroft Institute. He is hilariously campy and over-the-top. It's just a shame that his big scene lacks the fun it initially promises.

And then there's the music. Ugh. Replacing James Horner (who did a perfectly fine job on the 2012 reboot) is Hans Zimmer. One must admit that Zimmer's score, while unpleasant, is intelligently developed, and is unlike his usual work (despite the occasional dash of Inception popping in). It's simply bizarre to hear him writing a theme in a major key. And speaking of, this is Spider-Man's theme, which sounds more akin to a local news report fanfare, than for that of a super hero. More interesting is Zimmer's clarinet theme for Electro, which is only pleasant to hear until the whispering rap vocals come into play. And if I haven't lost the film music community yet, here's two more horrors of this unfortunate score: the infamous Horn of Doom (albeit, less bombastic than normal) and dubstep. Need I say more?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 feels like a middle film. It's simply there because it has to be. No one is going to remember this film among the other, better Spider-Man films. In fact, I daresay this might knock Spider-Man 3 off its pedestal as the unanimous worst Spidey-film. Deservedly so.

At the end of the film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 sets itself up for another sequel (and hits you over the head with a suggestion of a 'Sinister Six' film). Sony is clearly excited to reveal all of its ideas for sequels and spin-offs. It's enough to make one wish that Sony had focused a bit more on making The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a film worth being excited for, as opposed to the planned add-ons.

Honestly, I was quite impressed by this movie but, unfortunately, not really in a good way. Indeed, I was impressed by the fact that it managed to be even more disappointing than the previous installment. The first Spider-Man movie starring Andrew Garfield was fairly enjoyable but still underwhelming because it was again another origin story about Peter Parker becoming our beloved super-hero and this story was just too similar to the origin story we got with the previous trilogy. This time, since we got the origin out of the way, I thought they would do something new, a real new tale about this guy but the end-result was just not really good, I’m afraid. I mean, once again, they gave us Harry Osborn and the dynamic with him and Peter Parker was once again just way too similar. Furthermore, the way they got rid off of some key characters so they could move on the franchise was really weak as well. So, I could go on and on about what went wrong with this flick but, still, I have to admit it, it was fairly entertaining. At least, visually, it was pretty awesome with some cool action scenes and, of course, Spider-Man remains one of the most entertaining super-heros and I can understand why they want to keep this franchise alive. Furthermore, Electro was a very strong villain, too bad his backstory was terribly weak and unoriginal (it is basically another loser who gets some super-powers and becomes a maniac). Also, there was still a great chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone and they deserved a better story than this. To conclude, even though the whole thing was rather disappointing, it still remains a rather entertaining blockbuster, at least if you don’t pay too much attention to the plot, and I guess it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.