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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.
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