Skip to main content

Matt V.S. The Amazing Spider-Man 2



I have very mixed feelings on the Amazing Spider-Man movie series. The 2012 film reboot came 5 years after Spider-Man 3 so I felt that retelling the same origin story was unnecessary.  Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are excellent in their portrayals of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy and they have a high level or chemistry. While the original Amazing Spider-Man felt like a unnecessary rehash of the original Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 brought some more elements of the franchise. In addition to the villains Electro and the Rhino, the movie also adapted part of the famous comic story 'The Night Gwen Stacy Died'. There are several things that the film did right but I feel that the overall final product is less than the sum of its parts.

 The beginning scenes were very well done with Spider-Man jumping off a building an the camera zooming out to follow his fall. The part with first person web-slinging was rather unique. In this film, Peter is haunted my the memory of Gwen's father telling better to stay out of his daughter's life because nothing good will come from it. The memory of George Stacey has effectively replaced the memory of Uncle Ben in his mind. After graduating from high school, Gwen and Peter break up as they realize that they are on separate paths in life. Ultimately the two Garfield's Spider-Man is very different from Tobey McGuire's Spider-Man and Stone's Gwen is significantly different than Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson. Where the previous Spider-Man was portrayed as quieter and more introspective this Spider-Man is louder and shows more heart. He gives off the vibe that he actually cares about the people around him and isn't completely caught up in his personal dramas like McGuire's Spider-Man was. Garfield's Spider-Man seemed more true to the modern day comic version though I feel that they his Peter Parker doesn't give off the feel of an isolated loner. Gwen is simply not a damsel in distress and actively helps her boyfriend combat Electro against Peter's wishes. Dunst's MJ simply came off  as a self absorbed object for Peter to idolize rather than to love.

 The movie's main villains are Electro, Green Goblin, and the Rhino in a more cameo role. I found that while watching this film, I was being reminded of the 1997 box office bomb Batman and Robin. I could not believe Jaime Foxx's abrupt transition from the ignored Max Dillon to the super-powered Electro. Electro's character was all over the place and was far too comic book like for my tastes. The Green Goblin is back but this time, is being played by Harry Osborn rather than his father Norman. Harry is an old friend of Peter's who comes back into his life after taking the reins of Oscorp after Norman Osborn's death. However it turns out Harry is dying from the same genetic disorder and the only cure for this disease may be in Spider-Man's blood. Harry knows that there is a relationship on some level between Parker and Spider-Man from Peter's photography and begs him for help. Peter refuses both as Peter Parker and  Spider-Man which causes Harry to got to more desperate measures that ultimately transform him into the Green Goblin. I really don't believe the conflict.at all. Peter could have simply given Harry the blood he wanted or called him the instant he found out that it would cure the disease. Harry did not have to become a villain and now whatever friendship the two might of had is forever lost.The death of Gwen Stacy after the Goblin's defeat was a massive tone shift for the film which went from summer fun to just plain sad with the snap of a neck. Gwen dying while necessary for the story, I feel is a loss for the franchise as a whole. In the comics, Peter has a whole band of side characters and friends to interact with, while in this movie he simply has Gwen and Aunt May. 


 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 provided several hints for the upcoming Sinister Six movie but Spider-Man will need more than villains to remain an interesting  character. Overall The Amazing Spider-Man  2 while providing a few good action scenes and two great characters, fails to stand up to the precedent left but the original Spider-Man trilogy and Marvel's own Avengers films.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Matt and the Joker's Five Way Revenge

    Last year saw the passing of acclaimed comic book writer Denny O'Neill. O'Neill had a long history with many DC Comics superheroes as a writer and editor and is best known for revitalizing the character of Batman among others starting in the 1970s. I decided to pick up a copy of one of the more famous Batman issues of this era, Joker's Five Way Revenge which was written by O'Neill and drawn by Neal Adams. The story featured in Batman # 251, was released in November, 1973. While I am gaining a better appreciation for 1990s comics, I largely avoided avidly reading 1970s issues due to their seemingly dated nature and tropes. After reading this issue, I had some thoughts on both how the character and mythos of Batman has evolved over time and a greater appreciation for a more grounded Dark Knight. In Joker's Five Way Revenge, the Joker is seeking revenge for a presumed betrayal by killing members of his former gang and Batman is striving to stop him. By the time t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Matt Versus 1917

Between the time the guns of August roared in 1914 until the signing of the Armistice in November, 1918, nations rose, empires fell, millions died, & the course of the 20 th Century was forever altered. World War I or the Great War is often called the forgotten war as it gets overshadowed by the subsequent World War II in American history and in popular culture. However the Academy Award nominated film ‘1917’ seeks to remind us all of this terrible conflict. While retellings of World War I can get entangled in the tales of kings, emperors, & statesmen, war must always be remembered as the story of ordinary soldiers. ‘1917’ focuses on two ordinary British soldiers who are tasked with a straightforward but crucial mission in the Western Front in northern France but through short conversations these two soldiers reveal quite intriguing conflicting on the so-called ‘War to End all Wars’ and war in general. In ‘1917’ William Schofield and Tom Blake are two soldiers and fri...
Post a Comment
Read more

Matt vs Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F

For millennials of a certain age Dragon Ball Z was a significant part of our lates 90s and early 2000s experience.The franchise was everywhere from the anime show to video games to the monsoon of related merchandise. Goku and friends return in the sequel to 2013's Battle of Gods film. The Z warriors must contend with the return of Frieza, one of their deadliest ones in  Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F. The anime film had a limited edition run in select theaters in North America and I knew I had to go out of my way to give it a look. Let me start by saying I have loved Dragon Ball Z for years have several volumes of its manga, making a critical review quite difficult. I watched the film in a packed theater on the last night of its limited run with with a big smile on my face. The environment could not be beat with ages ranging from kids to 20-somethings like myself. The movie starts with Frieza's former minions using the wish-granting DragonBalls to bring their master back ...
Post a Comment
Read more