The Amazing Spider-man 2

Following the success of the “Cinematic Universe” that was popularized by Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers,” many studios saw the potential profit that could arise from such a venture. Everyone rushed to emulate this success, with many falling severely flat. The irony of “The Amazing Spider-man 2” is that its predecessor had learned what had worked about “The Dark Knight,” as well as the other “Spider-man” movies, whereas this one failed to understand what had worked about the latest comic book movie landmark. Which is a shame because, in my opinion, if you were to take out that aspect of it, this film would’ve been one of the best superhero films ever (well, at least one of the best Spider-man films ever).

The cinematography is something, at least, to be impressed by. There are some truly interesting shots in the film: Fiers walking down the Hall of Villain Tech, Gwen’s fall and Peter’s web becoming a hand to reach out to her, and the first shot of Spider-man falling into the city. Slow motion is used in this film… mostly to good effect. I personally don’t like to use slow-mo, but I understand it’s purpose: applying focus to a particular feeling or event to emphasize impact. While some shots are certainly cool for having slow-mo, there are only two times where I found it necessary: Gwen’s fall, and the sequence in the middle where Electro is freaking out and Peter must use his Spidey-sense to save innocent civilians. The first being used to heighten the tragedy of Gwen’s fate, and the second to emphasize the danger that Electro presents and how he’s going to save everyone.

With regards to the editing… I’m gonna borrow from my unreleased “Batman vs. Superman” review: there’s nothing wrong with an extended edition. Personally, I can’t watch the theatrical releases of “The Lord of the Rings,” because so much of the additional footage adds to the characters, by either adding another reason to be fighting or a moment of levity to make them seem more likeable, or adding in a boss character like the Mouth of Sauron. If you watch the deleted scenes to this movie, a few extra layers are added: Max gets a little more depth by showing that he has a mother that he’s caring for (and as a result, his mental status is a little more understandable); Harry’s goblin suit and its abilities are set up early on, so we understand WHY he goes to the suit later on, Peter’s dad having faked his death and the revelation that he was the key to making the serum work because he didn’t trust Oscorp. I understand that not every scene in a movie is needed, but if they advance the story, help explain plot points, or add character depth, then they’re worth it. Because of some of these cuts, this film feels poorly paced.

The effects… feel cheap. What I mean is that they don’t feel as impressive as the first film. Maybe this is an aesthetic choice, since I preferred the gritty, realistic lighting and settings in that one. However, they are less confined this time around. Instead of moving fast in the school, Peter is saving the city now and swinging around it more. Having said that, Electro looks awesome. I really love the shiny blue electricity cackling beneath his translucent skin. I love the way that his electricity isn’t just a rip-off of “Star Wars’” force lightning: it just flashes, and then freezes in space, as though the very air was damaged by the attack.

And the sound that those bolts give off is beautiful. It’s a little fairy magic, so it feels less real, but it is a distinct sound. I love what they did to his voice after he becomes Electro, too. It’s gravelly, but I think I hear an undertone of auto-tune to make it slightly more uneasy and aggressive, which helps make the character seem more unhinged.

I’ll even go so far as to say that I enjoyed the dubstep in the film because, let’s be honest here, if ever there was a comic-book character who could believably be into it, it would be Electro. Additionally, I like Electro’s theme. It’s in no way iconic, but I find it enjoyable. With that said, the music is just more of the same from last time: nothing special or memorable.

I don’t know exactly how… but Andrew Garfield looks more like an adult in this film than the previous one. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I couldn’t tell that he was an adult in the previous one, but he just looks so much more mature this time. With that said, he does still pull off the role believably. Looking back on it, he was playing more of a Peter Parker in this film than a Spider-man. Listen to how he talks to the people he saves: walking the little boy home and thanking that boy at the end, his guilty denial of his friend to use his blood, and anytime that he talks to Gwen when he’s the Spider. His voice is so soft and calming that it really embodies what makes Spider-man a unique hero. I particularly like how he’s trying to talk down Electro at the midpoint and you can tell that he’s scared of upsetting him and the potential of civilian casualties. I’ve heard that Spider-man wears the mask because he doesn’t want enemies to see that he’s afraid and I think that Garfield definitely captures that simply from his voice.

Emma Stone didn’t do as good of a job as she usually does, or at least she’s just not as fun to watch. That could be because Gwen was written to die this film, and every line she has is something relating to “this is the end.” She just feels like she did this movie to cash a paycheque. The only times I saw the character as opposed to Stone was during her elevator scenes, talking to either Max or Harry. You can see the concern or fear in her face.

I don’t care what anyone else says: Jamie Foxx killed it as Electro. I never thought someone as cool as Foxx could properly portray someone as dorky and insecure as Maxwell Dillon, but it’s there on the screen. I realize that everyone says that this character was poorly written, but I’ve always interpreted it as an obsessive fan who fell in love and was rejected, causing a psychotic break. I’ve heard worse excuses to be evil and Foxx plays both sides perfectly, being meek and submissive as Dillon, but then transitioning into aggressive and dominating when he gets power.

Dane Dehaan… I really don’t know what to make of this guy. I liked him in “Chronicle,” and I think he’s okay here. He’s definitely got that sullen rich kid vibe down pat, and I can easily feel his determination as Harry to find a cure for his illness. Personally, I think he’s okay as Harry Osborn. He is NOT good as the Green Goblin, though. Personally, I feel like this could’ve been saved for the sequel, but the universe needed to be built and time could not be wasted. The way Dehaan talks as the Goblin is just silly.

Not that he’s as silly as Paul Giamatti as the Rhino. Having said that, Paul looks like the only one who’s really having fun here and just embracing the silliness of a man in a rhino suit.

Costume-wise, I was less impressed this time around. I definitely preferred the hoodie and sweats aesthetic that Electro had, but when he transitions into a rubber suit, I didn’t mind that either. Thematically, I think there’s a reason for it, too: when he’s Dillon, he felt like he was unnoticed and unimportant, so him being covered by a hood is just him continuing this idea. When he dons his rubber suit, he wants the world to see him, so he’s no longer hiding beneath or behind a disguise. Also, it just feels like a guy who like comic-books embracing becoming a villain when he’s got no clue that it looks ridiculous.

Spider-man’s costume is just standard this time. Sure, this is classic Spidey, but it doesn’t make it any more special. Tobey didn’t have to change his costume ever movie, and Holland only does because he’s got multiple sugar daddies (also, Holland is trying to adapt to new situations, and environments, and since he’s like Stark lite, he’s evolving as a hero, so the constant suit changes make sense). Bottom line, I preferred the previous suit that Garfield wore.

The Green Goblin make up is… weak. Like the goblin himself, it just feels like this was an afterthought, so there wasn’t much effort put into it. He’s not scary, he’s not funny looking, and there’s barely a difference. It may be more accurate than a plastic Power Rangers mask, but this did not do anything for me.

As far as set design goes, there’s nothing here that anyone hasn’t seen before. It’s typical movie NYC.

From a plot-standpoint… yeah, the movie is jumbled up. I already mentioned that the film was trying to achieve what “The Avengers” had accomplished two years prior: building a cinematic universe. What had happened was that it was trying to build one in one movie, rather than trying to set it up with several. Without that aspect, though, I think the film is, largely, fine.

The focus of the film seems to be on the duality of Peter being with Gwen and the responsibility of being Spider-man, which is at the heart of any Spidey film, so we can’t really blame it. But the romance is so awful in this film. I could probably chalk that up to the addition of the eye-rollingly cliched plot line of them breaking up just to get back together and realize they’re meant to be together.

With that said, Gwen does have more agency in this film than previously. She’s not defining herself by Peter or by Spider-man. She has opportunities coming her way and is hell-bent on taking those opportunities. It’s nice that, for once, the movie isn’t about whether or not they’ll be a couple, despite being a superhero, but rather that they’re both real people, dealing with real problems, seemingly all at once.

Looking back on it, in fact, these excessive plotlines do have a compounding effect on Peter. He’s juggling a lot of balls in the air: his best friend is dying, his girlfriend is leaving, his father’s history is coming back into play, his aunt is trying to get a better job to pay bills, and we add on top of that all the enemies and things he has to deal with as Spidey. This does feel more true to real life, since any one person could be dealing with a plethora of problems at any one time and the fact that some of them don’t get dealt with is also believable. It is a bit much to throw into a single movie, though.

There is also a jarring shift in dialogue quality. It’s almost as if there was a backlash on how seriously the previous film took itself, so the creators tried to make this one sillier. With the exception of Gwen’s dialogue, most of the film is devoted to silly catchphrases or over-the-top cliches (“It’s my birthday, time to light my candles,” “Looks to me like you’ve got one foot in the grave already,” “Don’t you know, I’m Electro,” etc). These are funny lines and make the film slightly more enjoyable, but they do feel out of place in the more realistic universe that the previous film had created.

With everything that Peter has to deal with during the course of the film, I think he behaves weirdly. The only realistic thing that he does is offer to move to England with Gwen to support her, even reasoning that he could easily be Spidey there. Other than that, though, some of the decisions Peter makes in the film aren’t the best thought out. Him denying Harry doesn’t really make sense in the context of the film. He doesn’t trust Oscorp to taint his blood and worries that it might poison Harry. But, aside from Oscorp in the first film (which was the Lizard anways), there’s no reason not to trust Oscorp, and Harry’s his best friend: he’s not just going to betray him. In fact, the betrayal happens because Harry feels betrayed. There’s little touches like that throughout Peter’s character that just make him unlikeable this time.

I’ve already talked about Gwen’s agency and her dialogue, which is pretty much her entire character.

Thematically, there isn’t really anything of substance in this film. I find that Peter and Gwen’s relationship as well as the universe building takes too much focus. I could argue that the film is about fighting even when everything seems lost. The denouement is about Peter overcoming his guilt with Gwen dying, but the rest of the film does have other moments that reflect this. Aunt May struggling in a class with teenagers so she can get a better job, Electro trying to get his designs back, even when he’s been turned into a monster, Gwen trying to help Peter, even though it might (and does) mean her death.

The thing is… if that’s the theme, why wasn’t Gwen dying the Inciting Incident? Black Cat was in the film, and we could’ve had the symbiote here, too. He could’ve spent the whole movie trying to deal with his guilt, taking a darker approach and donning the symbiote, running afoul of Black Cat who’s trying to save her father via covert Oscorp espionage, and reminding Peter of what the consequences of being the bad guy and dwelling on guilt are. As much as I like Gwen’s character here, her death coming in the last ten minutes of the film undercuts what could’ve been a wonderfully unique character study for the wall-crawler. Hell, they could’ve even done the ghost-dad thing and he sees her every time he talks to Black Cat. There’s a ton of romance cliches in the plot anyways, why not do the hung up on dead ex thing?

I’ve heard this film called “The Worst Spider-man film ever made.” There is a lot of truth to that. The characters are cliched and lacking any dynamic aspect, the plot is overstuffed and trying to feel important, and nothing really feels earned, thematically or narratively. I remember enjoying this film a lot and loving it for seeing what I could of the wall-crawler. But yeah, after trying to analyze it and remembering how amazing the first one was, this one is definitely a let down and is the worst Spider-man film made.

But… that does not mean it’s a bad film. Jamie Foxx as Electro is good. All things considered, the acting is good. The action is exciting, well shot, energetic, and inventive. If nothing else, it’s a decent film that’s worsened by being a let down and a huge missed opportunity. There are certainly worse films out there, even worse Comic Book movies. But trying to be the Avengers was this film ultimate failing.