The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) Review

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 again follows Peter Parker, who, after his promise to Capt. Stacey, is left torn for his feelings for Gwen as a friend from Peter’s past and an electrifying new villain emerges, all with one thing in common—Oscorp. 

After a mediocre start, it only felt natural for Sony to go the route of the worst Spider-Man movie (3), and cram as much pointless bullshit into the sequel as humanly possibly, though where this was bad, it’s only marginally so, leaving us with a messy and disjointed but thoroughly amazing sequel. This time around, the ghost of Captain Stacey looms incredibly large as Peter struggles with what he wants with Gwen and his promise to keep her safe, something he just cannot have if he is Spider-Man. This was a perfect way of foreshadowing her death and introducing this versions Peter to the tragedy and heartbreak that befalls so many he loves in the comics. It provides him an avenue to continue growing and adds that added depth to his personal life that we don’t typically see outside of his Spider-Man persona. 

If you thought the villainous woes would end with Lizard in the first, I hate to break it to you, but Electro and Green Goblin (and I guess Rhino as well) were possibly as cartoonishly bad as it gets. Electro relies on so many ridiculous stereotypes and should have been built up as the sole villain, instead, Sony’s constant itch to set up the Sinister Six took over (and started here), and muddied up the ending, though it did give us an almost perfect recreation of the Death of Gwen Stacey storyline, so I’m not complaining too much. 

We get an okay enough cast, starring Campbell Scott, Chris Cooper, Sally Field, Dane DeHaan, Jamie Foxx, Emma Stone, and Andrew Garfield. Unbelievably, Garfield really comes into his own as both Peter and Spider-Man in the sequel, as he captures all of the conflict, love, and pain of a hero, while still throwing on the mask and doing it again another day. It’s a small detail but one I appreciate them getting right in the sequel. His chemistry with Stone (I believe they were actually dating at the time) is also off the charts and much more believable in terms of two people who really love each other. I was not however, a fan of the abysmal performances we saw out of DeHaan and Foxx, as on top of being just silly villains, nothing about them added any level of interest or intrigue. 

The Amazing Spider-Man, directed by Marc Webb, is a stellar sophomore outing that, sure, is left a bit crowded amidst the build up for the Sinister Six, but now, more than ever, it captures the true essence of what it means to be Peter Parker and Spider-Man and really lets Garfield grow into the role, even if it would be his last. 

8.5/10