Film Too Much Tacked On
My brother always says The Police think any song can be made better by adding another two minutes of chorus at the end. Well, that is the only problem with the movie: they took a fight from earlier in the film, changed the actor via green screen, and hastily added it to the end.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love the movie. The witty banter, the action, the character development, all of it. But the scenes that cause Harry to become the Goblin… that's where I tune out. Not because they're bad (seriously, Dane DeHaan does an amazing job as the playboy Osborn), but it's because it's a plotline that was put in one or two movies too early.
Garfield makes an amazing Spider-Man, Foxx really brings Electro to life with an electrifying performance, and Dehaan leaves an impression on us all. But put all three in a mixing pot, and it's like taking chocolate ice cream, then adding Moroccan spice: it's a good flavour, until you reach the unwanted ingredient.
All in all, the Amazing Spider Man 2 is a great movie, but descends to barely tolerable levels whenever the Goblin comes into play. Had the filmmakers saved the next supervillain for the next movie, then this film would have done better.
Film Not only my new favorite superhero movie, but my new favorite movie, period. ***Major Spoilers***
How this movie has been getting so much negativity is a mystery. I saw it as a pure out-of-body experience.
I'll start with the action. From the beginning, we get a gunfight on a plane (which leads to catastrophic engine destruction), quickly followed by a car chase through Manhattan, led by a Large Ham Russian mobster.
Speaking of laughs, we get lots of those too. The entire theater, myself and my friend included, were tickled pink pretty often. Cases in point: Peter coming home with his suit all dirty (or dead-fish-y); Peter's swapping of insults with Harry Osborn; the whole "God Save the Queen!" bit, and so very much more.
But this movie isn't a comedy. When I wasn't laughing, or jumping out of my seat with excitement, I was sitting there watching the character development play out. You know you're watching a great movie when the long talky parts don't bore you to death, especially since you know the big action will return soon. Hardly Tarantino, but still. The development of the two major villains is also well-executed, especially given that both actually start out as less overtly evil.
And for the rest of the movie, I was letting myself cry openly. The early scene where Peter and Gwen break up is just such an example, but even more so is the heart-wrenching climax, all leading up to Gwen's death. I felt everything as if I were in first Gwen's place (the raw fear of falling), then Peter's (undoubtedly the most intense Manly Tears ever.) I shall never allow my sister to see this part - she laughed when Rue died. Imagine.
Finally, at the very end, with that one kid Spidey saved before stepping up to the Rhino - that's the one scene that reaffirmed the whole point of Spider-Man. He's THE Everyman, the one superhero who exists, in some small part, in everyone. And when everyone started clapping, I'm like, "This is the movie everyone says is crap?"
I'd like to finish with this: as an aspiring writer and storyteller, TASM 1 and 2 are my primary inspirations. They're just that good.
Now - who shall play MJ in #3? I vote Jennifer Lawrence - 'cause, let's face it, not many can match the amazing Garfield/Stone chemistry, and Jen's got the talent to deliver.
Film The Spider-Man film I've been waiting for my whole life!!
the Amazing Spider-Man 2 has been getting some negative reception among professional critics recently. Currently, it has a lower average score than Spider-Man 3. I gotta say, I have no idea what movie those critics saw, but the movie I saw was an absolute blast. The fact that SM 3 got better reviews is baffling. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 feels like a bronze age Spider-Man story come to life. I got a very "Untold Tales" vibe from the film, which is pretty rad. I'll break the thing down into pros and cons instead of rambling on for god knows hoe long. Pros -Andrew Garfield IS Spider-Man/Peter Parker in this film. By god did they get that character right. -Dane De Haan kills it as Harry, and is maybe the best thing about it. He's both likable and creepy in the role, and has some great moments. -Jaime Foxx does a fine job as post-transformation Electro. In spite of the changes done to the character, he still felt pretty accurate the the classic comic book Electro in the way that he was portrayed, and his powers were amazing to watch. He felt like a credible threat to Spider-Man. -The chemistry between Peter and Gwen is marvelous. I thought that they handled Gwen's role in the story perfectly. -The action was awesome! -I loved all of the comic references, like Felicia, Fiers, Smythe, and Rhino!! Cons -Didn't care for the pre-Electro Max scenes. It felt like they were trying to establish that he was a psycho in a short amount of time, so the scenes with him felt way over the top. Electro made up for it though. -The first 20 minutes felt rushed and a tad choppy. It started to flow better once Max became Electro, though. Overall, I'd give it a 10 out of 10. Not as good as TWS, but I liked it more than that film because of how much it got the Spider-Man universe right, and Spider-Man is my favorite charter of all time. Don't listen to the ridiculously mean spirited reviews.
Film Spider-Man, the lone ranger
From the Studios that wont't let Spider-Man join any superhero group, ever... comes "The Amazing Franchise Zombie 2". Meet Peter Parker's parents, and a brainless mook without any better ideas than firing his gun inside a plane. See Spider-Man stop the robbery of a truck that contains plutonium vials, a truck that is going across the city with security norms so relaxed that even the Mayor from "The Powerpuff Girls" would feel ashamed. Watch Spider-Man as he arrives late for... his graduation day? What, can't he leave the criminal chasing to the police for a change? Behold Peter Parker breaking his relation with Gwen Stacy, becoming a creepy stalker of Gwen Stacy, trying to make amends with Gwen Stacy, and eager to left the country with her without a second thought. Ugh, some boyfriends get some serious slapping for a lot less than this!
Meet Max Dillon, a loser so pathetic that he delludes himself into thinking that a pervert who roams the streets in a full body underwear is his friend. Watch him receive huge ammounts of electricity, and the inevitable result: electric superpowers! Because, you know, simply having a horrible death would not be realistic. Watch him become Electro, the poor man's Darth Sidious. Speaking of losers, meet Harry Osbourne, who has the same mortal disease than his father, Ozzy... I mean, Norman. He becomes the unquestionable head honcho of Oscorp, the family corporation, and gets fired in less than a day. Uh?
Tremble before the horror unleashed by Electro, a city-wide blackout... unless you are living in Venezuela or Argentina, and you are already used to those things. Enjoy a cinematic adation of the death of Gwen Stacy, one of the biggest Spider-Man classics... which now takes place inside a clock tower? Get happy of the first cinematc appearence of Rhino; and get immediately disappointed when you find out that the action sequence from the trailer is just the ending. Everything with very bright colors, more annoying than in Candy Crush Saga, and with 300' trademarked ssssuuupppeeerrr ssslllooowww mmmoootttiiiooonnn.
Starring: Not Wolverine. Not Magneto. Not the FF. Not Iron Man. Not Thor. Not Captain America. Not Nick Fury. Not Agent Coulson. Not even Squirrel Girl!
And now they want to compete with the Avengers with the Sinister 6? But they already got their 6 asses kicked in "Ultimate Six", right?
Film Worse Than Formulaic
There's a certain level of story hell beyond the simple paint-by-numbers method to crafting a story approved by the marketing department, and that level is achieved by this movie as it fails to even stay inside the lines with those paints.
Things just happen in this movie because they're what the filmmakers think the audience expects to happen in a Spider-Man movie. Spidey stops a criminal while making wisecracks. Peter has poor luck with the girls. Being Spider-Man interferes with Peter's life. This becomes a problem when these things are done without any thought to how they should form a cohesive story and the result is an utterly disjointed mess. Peter, notably, is particularly out of character in the execution of these setpeices. No, Peter, you are not being romantic in stalking Gwen, it's just creepy. There's also Hallucinatory Denis Leary; it's one thing to have a metaphor for guilt over a broken promise, and then there's ramming the metaphor into the ground so hard that you can't help but wonder why Peter doesn't see a therapist because he's constantly seeing a dead person making faces at him.
Worse, the movie can't decide what kind of formula it wants to be in the first place. It's seriously grasping at Twilight's scraps and is more of a "teen paranormal romance" than a superhero movie. The romance is beyond insufferable. The writing is horrendous, with nonsensical, unbelievable dialog (a problem not just shared by the romance subplot, but by far the worst during said subplot.) One can't help but wonder what idiot thought recreating the infamous laughing scene from Final Fantasy X was a good idea. I'm sorry I ever criticized Raimi's second Spidey movie for having the unnecessary "Peter loses his powers over guilt/stress/being unable to bang MJ because a villain will threaten her" subplot, because this is so much worse.
I don't even have enough words to describe how ridiculous Electro is in this movie. He's such a walking cliche that the nerds from Revenge of the Nerds would make fun of him. His own little bit of pre-transformation insanity, like Peter stalking Gwen and other nonsense, is also way too over the top.
In an era where many superhero movies can actually be taken seriously, this movie is a two hour flashback to Batman & Robin. Avoid like the plague.
Film Exactly what Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have been fearing
Remember when The Avengers came out? Remember how everyone loved it? Remember how everyone hated that Sony and Fox had the Spider-Man and X-Men movie rights and thought that they would just continue to churn out crappy sequels just to rake in the cash and keep the rights from Marvel?
Well... the first The Amazing Spider-Man was actually really good. But this movie is exactly what these fans have been fearing.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a lot sillier, more colorful, less comprehensible and less compelling than the last movie. The humor was handled terribly this time around - really? Spidey pulling Rhino's pants down? How could they sink so low? - and reminded me of Fox's old Fantastic Four movies (which are nonetheless much worse than this movie). So was the dialogue; at one point, Electro asks Harry "you want to be my friend?". I couldn't believe my ears at that point. And there's a ton of Incredibly Lame Puns about the "Amazing" descriptor. By the time you leave the theater, you won't be able to take the title "The Amazing Spider-Man" seriously anymore.
This movie tries to give characters deep personal dramas like in the first movie, but it all falls flat - Electro isn't compelling, Harry isn't compelling, and the Peter and Gwen scenes were incredibly generic this time around. In the first movie, Uncle Ben's death was a Tear Jerker; here, the characters are just acting like spoiled children and throwing tantrums all the time.
This was a bad movie. Not terrible, but just bad. And it's exactly what anyone hoping Spidey would be in the MCU was fearing: a poorly-made, poorly-written movie made to milk Sony's cash cow and prevent Marvel from getting the rights back. There were rumors that Sony was considering selling the Spidey rights after all, but thanks to international audiences, it'll undoubtedly outgross its better-reviewed competition and we'll only end up getting a poor quality Carnage movie spun off from The Amazing Spider-Man 6.
Film Surprisingly Improved Sequel: The Movie (Spoilers)
Off the bat, I hate the first The Amazing Spider-Man for a variety of reasons. I wasn't going to bother watching this one, but I was slowly enticed and decided to give it a chance.
This was a wise decision, as the movie is a huge improvement. Peter/Spidey is a much better protagonist, this time truly being a symbol for the people and a funny, gold hearted hero - not some 'dark and edgy' temperamental, vigilante ass. The chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy) is obviously very strong, due to their real-life relationship, making us care for their romance and want it to succeed. The action and just general sight of Spidey swinging through the city is breathtaking.
Peter's parents departure is handled better here. Peter just wants answers and appreciates what his Aunt and Uncle did for him, not being unappreciative. The importance of their leave also takes a real narrative purpose. Aunt May is also given some substance beyond caring for Peter, having to become a nurse to get him through college; a nice direction for her.
The villains are the real treat here. Jamie Foxx's Max Dillion/Electro is the best portrayal of the character. We get to see just how powerful a being made of pure electricity would be, but underneath we see a horribly lonely man. All he wanted was a friend but everyone treated him like crap. He tried to form a genuine human connection with Spider-Man but that would not work out. His accident causes him to become a menace and he decides it's time for him to show the world how he feels.
Dane De Haan is officially amazing. This kid's already one of the best actors in the world. Like Electro, Harry Osborn is a tragic figure. Peter is the only one who ever liked him for him, and wasn't just after his money. Their reunion is a Heartwarming moment, but again like Electro, fate starts to ruin his life and friendship with Peter. And thus as this movie ends, we look towards the future. Their fathers' wills and sins weigh down upon them, and Peter and Harry's real battle has yet to begin....
One of the best superhero movies ever, and De Haan's Harry Osborn is up their with Ledger's Joker, Hardy's Bane, Hiddleston's Loki, and the utmost echelon of superhero movie villains.
Film Sigh
First things first, Amazing Spider-Man 2 is better than the first one. It's not saying much but it does need to be said. I REALLY want to love this film. Spidey is finally perfect, jokes and all (though Peter is quite disappointing), Dane De Hann KILLS IT as Harry (I love this guy!), the action is great and the finale is AMAZING .....but there's too many plot holes and the middle rreeeaallly drags. Spidey's only in it about 3 times and everything with Peter ranges from meh to ewww with few exceptions. The writers still don't get his character. He's actually the most plain and boring character in the film. The parents plotline gives its "dramatic" secret, but anyone with a functioning brain cell figured out what they reveal while watching the first film, so it's basically a waste of screen time, just like in the first film. Electro is a major disappointment. The movie tries to get you to feel bad for him, but his human side is so ridiculously overdone it's stupid at best and actually kind of offensive to people with mental problems at worst. One person I know with Asperger's was pissed. Besides the Times Square scene, he's just......there. When the movie feels like it could have done without the main villain, that's bad. Rhino isn't even worth mentioning (you'll see what I mean). Norman is wasted and Harry only gets good when he starts losing it and even then he can't save the movie. The whole film banks on the fact that you love Peter and Gwen, but I didn't because their relationship was so forced and underdeveloped in the last film. Harry and Peter never get their friendship explored so there's never that sense of betrayal. Aunt May and the effects of Uncle Ben's absence in her and Peter's lives are afterthoughts. Plot holes/stupid character choices are abundant and you feel like you've missed a scene at some points. The whole film seems kind of rushed. None of the relationships have time to breathe so you don't get to care and honestly none of it besides the finale really sticks with you (even that's fading). I adore(d) the finale and every bit with Spidey is awesome but that's only about 40 minutes of a 2 and a half hour film. Sadly the movie overall is just "meh." With that said, this is my last Amazing movie. I don't hate it anymore but it's not good enough to keep paying for. Hopefully the next reboot will be better
Film Spoiler: Peter Parker's parents are agents of HYDRA!!
...Just kidding! But boy could you imagine...ha. No, that would have been cool, instead you get Oscorp is evil and Richard Parker runs away, the end, fuck you. The first film hints at this being the case and this movie just gives exposition to prove it.
Gwen Stacy is back and she and Peter are in L.O.V.E but they can't be together because peter can't kiss his girlfriend without daydreaming about Dennis Leary...and something about danger or whatever. So Peter and Gwen break up...maybe?
What do these two subplots have in common? You can take a bathroom break when they appear! If Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker are on screen together, don't hold it in, just go to the bathroom, you aren't gonna miss anything. The romance was excellent the first film, but here it's just a chore to watch.
Good news is this rendition of Spider-Man feels most like a Saturday morning cartoon. The fantastical action both in the air and on the ground blend together seamlessly. No more " that is clearly a CGI Spider-Man" contrast between scenes. And the quips are here.
Don't worry about that "too many villains" fear everyone kept talking about. You saw green goblin and rhino in the trailer? They get 10 and 3 minutes respectively. Electro is the villain of this movie period. Electro is perfectly cast; Jaime Foxx portrays a lonely and deeply repressed man who would have gone nuts regardless of super powers.
Unfortunately Electro only comes around the sixty minute mark and then is gone in ten minutes, til the the finale. He is seriously so powerful they have to hit him with a Weak Sauce Weakness then restrain him til Spider-Man can win, lest he blow up the city.
This is a Spider-Man film horribly contrasted by the mundane side of Peter Parker's life. The film does the amazing Spider-Man parts of its runtime "amazingly" (enjoy the pun) but Peter's inconsistent feelings of getting with Gwen versus leaving her, are a drag. As is the mystery of his parents disappearance.
Note that in this film Oscorp is just one evil conglomerate dedicated to evil. Green Goblin is more justified in being evil than them. Damn they're evil...
My review...see this movie in theaters with couch chairs and booming surround sound. Skip buying the disk, it'll be on tv soon enough.
3&half outta 5 stars
...No it's not as good as Sam Reimi's Spider-Man 2.
Film Respectfully disagree with the other guy
I watched this film about 8 hours ago, and I gotta say, its pretty damn good. I'd give a full review here but there's word limit, so I'll just sum it up quickly.
Cast is good, everyone gives good performances, and my only complaint is that Oscorp's board of directors are just too smarmily evil.
The story is great, it settles all its plot threads, and keeps you interested while continuing where the last film left off, resolving those, and setting up for the next film.
The effects are brilliant, and the fight scenes are the best from a Spider-Man film ever, on par with Avengers. Electro especially looks really good when in action, and the scenes with the spider sense are a joy.
The soundtrack is great, and I usually don't care for that stuff.
When the film wants to be fun, its hilarious; when it wants to make you cry, its heartbreaking.
Overall, I don't see why the previous reviewer disliked it, as I thought it was really good, and would recommend it.
Film There is exactly one point of criticism....
And that's the end. The last 20 minutes of the movie felt more like the start of a new one than like a conclusion of the one at hand. I would have preferred if they had used those 20 minutes to built up the relationship between Harry and Peter a little bit more.
Otherwise though the new movies are head and shoulders above the old ones. Don't get me wrong...the last trilogy was good if you wanted to see a comic bock. I am ready to bet that they even did the casting based on how the drawn characters looked like. The new ones are a little bit more removed, but also more innovative, and they beat the old ones in three deciding points:
1. Characters: This time the character actually develop! No contrived misunderstandings, not corny dialogue, the characters make decisions and sometimes those decisions, even the right ones, have horrible consequences. And the characters in question will change because of them.
2. Action: The scene with the train will forever be unforgotten. And yet, I like the way the new movies approach the fights better. Because they don't happen in a bubble. When two superpowered beings fight on the street, there will be consequences, and those movies show way more than just the occasional victim which has to be pulled out of the way. Spiderman fights, but his limits are fairly clear defined. Also, the use of slowmo is perfect.
3. Plot: Now, here the movies are sometimes a little bit wonky, but they are way less predictable than the older movies. I rather take movies in which a little bit too much is going on, than movies in which nothing even remotely surprises me.
All in all the new series is certainly worth a look.