A cgi-swathed slobberknocker, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2†delivers mind numbing fight sequences and just enough character development to justify the poorly executed plot.
The numerous Easter eggs littered throughout the film are easily it’s strongest point. Andrew Garfield does a decent job of portraying the humorous side to Peter Parker’s personality, but much of his identity in the flick was predicated on his relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).
In the movie’s chronology the second takes place at least a year after the first, and yet we see little growth from Parker despite the multitude of personal problems that have appeared in his life since then. As a hero, it seems Spiderman didn’t draw too much experience from his previous romp. This doesn’t appear to be a total failing on the part of Marc Webb, the director, but more so as a consequence of the screenwriters.
Dane DeHaan’s character, Harry Osborn (and the Green Goblin) was even more poorly developed than that of Parker’s. Osborn’s motivation for becoming the Parker’s nemesis and the actions that he performs earlier in the film that transform him into the Goblin, are so unbelievable.
Suspension of disbelief lies at the core of DeHaan’s character; he apparently suffers from a genetic “disorder†that only begins to manifest in his father by the time he was middle-aged yet Harry (and the audience) is expected to believe that he is on the verge of death. When Spiderman offers a solution to the problem by analyzing the blood before passing it on to him, Osborn blatantly refuses to accept it on the grounds that he is “about to die.†The inconsistencies in the narrative are simply too unforgivable to overlook.
On the bright side, if you like flashing lights and dub-step, you will certainly enjoy Electro’s sequences, portrayed by Jamie Fox. Fox provides a first-rate villain for Parker to thwack and his defeat is very satisfying. Fox fulfills the role as Max Dillon well; however the character himself still suffers from inefficient development as usual.
The score was composed by Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six, which of course led to a great score and soundtrack. The choice of electronic music being paired with the villain Electro was certainly a clever and appropriate choice.
As a whole the cast worked well together, had a good onscreen rapport, and individually delivered decent performances.
It would however, have been nice to see much more of Paul Giamatti, who portrays The Rhino.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment of the movie was that the promotional material leads the audience to believe that the movie will feature equal amounts of screen time for the principal villains, but this isn’t the case. The movie hardly showcases the Green Goblin, and the most action you can expect to see from the Rhino, is what was in the trailers. It makes you wonder how much screen time will be devoted to the Sinister Six in the third movie
For fans, don’t get your hopes up, this is a mediocre action flick at best, that barely weaves together the loose ends left open in the first film, and sprinkles in a few references from the comics.
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