The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Review

While many thought that the first Amazing Spider-Man film was unnecessary and perhaps came too soon after the original Spider-Man trilogy, I felt that it was the best way to reintroduce the ‘wise-cracking web-slinger’ onto the big screen. It was a fantastic film that sewed the seeds for many more great movies to follow.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is one of those films. While not as enjoyable as its predecessor, this sequel is still a mostly successful continuation of Peter Parker’s story as New York’s most loved superhero. It’s important to mention that the overall plot of the film is still, at its heart, a love story and that the other plot elements slot in around it. This is the area in which The Amazing Spider-Man 2 finds most of its success. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone reprise their roles excellently as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy. Their scenes together are by far, the most enjoyable parts of the film. The two actors have great chemistry, and there are a couple of scenes where I felt as if I was intruding on an intimate moment between two real people. This is the sort of thing that Marc Webb does really well as a director.

Mark Webb at his best.

This is still a Spider-Man film though, which means two things: action scenes and super-villains. The former is done very well. The action in the film is engaging and exciting. Since the villains in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery are colourful and possess crazy super powers, there are quite a few action sequences in the film that require a lot of CGI, so don’t be disappointed when you are greeted by a rather obviously computer animated Spider-Man on multiple occasions. The latter on the other hand, is not done as well. While Dane DeHaan makes for a fantastically creepy Green Goblin (helped by really good costume design), Jamie Foxx’s Electro is forgettable. From the beginning of the film, his character is emphasized as sympathetic. However, he never comes across this way. This is in no way the fault of Foxx. It shows that the writers did not have a particularly good understanding of the character which is a shame.

Goblin looking creepy!

The other area in which the film falls a little flat is in the way it handles Peter’s parents’ story. The story is set up really well in the opening of the film. It gives a sense of intrigue that makes the viewer more than a little curious. The resolution of this plotline however is not done well. The way the writers handled it made the story feel like an afterthought despite how much they tried to stress its importance.

Thankfully the presentation of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is just as good, if not better than that of the first film. The soundtrack, by Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams’ “supergroup” was enjoyable and accompanied the film well. I especially enjoyed ‘Paranoia’, the Electro theme. Listening to it gives you the same creepy feeling you get from watching Dane DeHaan’s performance.

The Amazing Spider-Man two is an enjoyable follow up to 2012’s Spider-Man reboot. Whilst it does fall flat in a few places, the film is a great action movie and love story with an ending that elicited a sincere emotional response from its audience and still manages to provide a setup for the upcoming third film and Sinister Six spinoff.

7.9/10