The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Film Review
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Paul Giamatti and Sally Field
Release Date: Apr 16
“You all right there, little guy?” Spiderman asks a small boy he’s just saved from a group of bullies. “Boy, I gotta tell ya, you’re probably the bravest kid I know.”
Nicely encapsulated here is the biggest issue with the latest Amazing Spider-man film:
It talks down to you, patronizes and is clearly aimed at a younger crowd than the Raimi predecessors.
Spider-man has embraced his role as New York City’s protector. He fights crime with great gusto and acrobatics, while attempting to balance a normal life with his sweetheart, Gwen Stacy.
Unfortunately, visions of Gwen’s deceased father begin to plague him and he doubts he will always be able to protect her from harm.
These feelings of inadequacy are soon put to the test. Childhood friend and eye-twitchingly creepy Harry Osborn arrives in town to reclaim Oscorp, which initiates a chain of events, ultimately leading to the genesis of a new super-villain:
Electro
Many of Spiderman’s struggles have always been internal conflicts, an accurate summation of this film as well. For every good, there is a bad, and often in equal measure.
For fans of the first film, you will be happy to know that Garfield and Stone are as adorable a couple as ever. Their dialogue feels organic, simple and unscripted. They possess that easy chemistry that on-screen couples work tirelessly in order to fake (and so often fail to do so).
At times, it can even be a little nauseating, but you never stop feeling that the connection between them is real. They fare equally well on solo performances. Again, Andrew Garfield is the quintessential Peter Parker (although some might argue that he is too conventionally good looking for someone who is supposed to be a science geek. Then again, nerds and geeks are cool in today’s society, so perhaps this is indicative of the times we live in?)
Gwen Stacy, meanwhile, has a pivotal role to play in this film, and the franchise as a whole. Fans of Spiderman will have seen this coming since the first film, but yes, this is that storyline. Interestingly, it seems as if her job is to teach Peter what Uncle Ben taught him in the Raimi movies: that with great power comes great responsibility (even if she doesn’t do so directly).
This lesson seems to be drawn out for far too long though, and with so much repetition (“I can’t be near you Gwen”, “I need to learn more about my parents”), you would be forgiven for thinking that Peter Parker had no arc in the first film whatsoever, because nothing seems to have been resolved from it at all.
Like the last film, the film’s central weakness is in its villains. Many fans showed concern when Webb announced that he had 3 villains planned for this movie: The Spiderman 3 wound was still fresh in their minds. As it turns out, they were right to be concerned…
Let’s get one thing straight, however. Amazing Spider-man 2 does a better job juggling bad guys than Spiderman 3 did. Their story interweaves with Spiderman’s in a way that makes sense. It’s just that, as characters, they don’t carry enough emotional weight to feel like worthwhile adversaries.
Let’s start with Max Dillon AKA Electro.
Although his character is undoubtedly a clichèd stereotype, i.e. the socially awkward geek, Foxx plays Max with such enthusiasm that his performance washes away any cynicism. He is a seriously flawed and sympathetic character, deviating from the typical ‘I want to take over the world!’ super-villain. This is summed up in a stylishly presented scene in Times Square, where his motivations for opposing Spiderman are established in a visually brilliant manner.
Fight scenes between the two are particularly immersive, and this is largely due to the inspired soundtrack by Hans Zimmer. While Spiderman dodges through burst of electricity in an energy plant, his flight is accompanied by an ominous score that is regularly distorted to match the highly-charged action on-screen, an inspired creative choice.
Unfortunately, once Max dons his evil boots, it all starts to go wrong. Gone is the eager-to-be-accepted nerd, only to be replaced by cartoon villain Electro, who essentially just wants to rule the world. His motivations become fluffy and vague, while his relationship with Harry Osborn is questionable. He is presented with one-liners that sound like they were pulled from the bottom of the barrel labelled ‘Interchangeable Bad Guy Quips’.
You can tell when he has becomes this token villain because it occurs at almost the exact moment he appears wearing the token villain costume, inexplicably and for no reason at all except that it looks like something a token villain should wear.*
On the flip side of the coin is Dane DeHaan’s Harry Osborn who (you guessed it!) eventually becomes the Green Goblin. In theory, there is nothing at all wrong with this character. Dane DeHaan plays him with absolute aplomb. Sympathetic, commanding and skin-crawlingly creepy, it is as though he is both channeling and enhancing his breakout role, that of Andrew in the found footage superhero movie Chronicle. When he finally shows up as the Goblin, both his appearance and performance are a tour-de-force. He is a monster that we absolutely want to see more of.
And that’s the issue really. There simply isn’t enough of his character in the film, and what is there feels too convenient and misused. He shows up out of nowhere in this sequel and, while the initial moment he and Peter share is touching, their relationship rockets too fast into enemy territory, without allowing any sort of friendship to blossom between them. As a result, Harry’s inevitable betrayal doesn’t carry the same weight that it did in Spiderman 3, one of the few aspects of that film that was done right.
Finally, there’s the Rhino, who is oddly well cast as Paul Giamatti. While the most in-offensive of the trio of villains in this film, he represents a key issue with the Amazing Spiderman franchise:
It has already been announced that there will be a further two sequels to this film, as well as a Venom and Sinister Six spin-off. This is a fairly clear indication that Sony are attempting to do with Spiderman what Marvel has done with the Avengers. It is attempting to create a massive cinematic universe, one which can expand outwards rather than just progress linearly. The issue with this is that while the Avengers has any number of franchises to utilize, Spiderman and his roster of allies/villains are limited.
That isn’t to say that it can’t be done, but due to the shoddy way in which the villains in this film are handled, it seems safe to say that building a bigger universe is simply going to lead to a bigger mess.
In the end, The Amazing Spiderman 2 is very similar to it’s predecessor. It’s fun to watch, and though a very long film, the minutes fly by because the cast is so charming and the action intense.
It is not without its problems though, and seems to be a struggling under the weight of this universe it is trying to create.
Villains have become less threatening due to a lack of focus.
And there is still an obvious effort not to rehash the Raimi films, which is, inevitably, a no-win situation. Spiderman and Spiderman 2 were both excellent films, but no one wants repetition at such an early stage.
Ultimately, this is an admirable effort to shape the franchise into something bigger than it is.
Admirable, but not Amazing.
Score: 3/5
Written by Stephen Hill
*Remember in the film Daredevil, where Bulls-Eye, who was played by Colin Farrell was asked if he needed anything to get rid of Daredevil?
And he replied, in a totally deadpan voice, “Yeah…I want a costume”.
That’s what Electro’s costume feels like, only less hilarious.
