Granted, this blog will be separated in two parts, spoiler free and with spoilers. I’ll mark appropriately.
To give you, my reader(s), some perspective, I watched and enjoyed the first Amazing Spiderman, and took the time (and money) to see the new one in Imax 3-D. I’m not really a believer in 3-D films, but I feel like the technology is coming around, finally. Anyway, on to the spoiler free part of the review!
Amazing Spiderman 2 was fantastic, and if I may dare say, better than Winter Soldier. I literally laughed and even cried a little, believing in full the progression of the story, having my interests satisfied, the choreography being fantastic, and the fact that it’s a movie based on a comic book doesn’t get in the way at all. Honestly, superhero movies are really doing a fantastic job so far this year.
The chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone is every bit as real and raw as it was in the first Amazing Spiderman. Sure, it can get a little sappy at times and at times cute enough to get gross (this coming from a 23 year old married guy), but it’s completely believable and gets the viewer emotionally invested. A lot of the movie is focused on their future together (will they, won’t they), and the writers do it right.
Fight choreography is fantastic. A couple times during the original Amazing Spiderman I was impressed (usually whenever Spiderman used his unique athletic ability to outmaneuver his opponents, but aside from that, the fights between Doc Ock and Spiderman in the second film were my favorite), but this movie blew them away. The scales have increased dramatically as soon as the first fight between Electro and Spiderman. Buildings were destroyed effortlessly where in the first movie, a school took some heavy structural damage. It’s not necessarily on the scale of Man of Steel, but the feeling of the impact of the battles is definitely huge.
I don’t usually talk about soundtracks, but this movie boasts one that is bone shaking. Every score compliments the scene it’s in wonderfully, and there are times that the soundtrack even takes center stage without being blatant or obtuse about it. I don’t recall many movies like that (aside from the trademark song from 28 Days Later). Also, as a nice little addition, fights with Electro frequently incorporate dubstep-like elements, which is seemingly awkward at first but personally grew on me in short order.
Sony may not have access to such a great universe that Marvel Studios has retained, but it’s expanding without any real restriction. The Sinister Six is a very real possibility, almost painfully obviously so, and the references in this movie are beginning to near that of the early Marvel Studio films. It causes a fan to become very excited with which direction the series will take. In this regard, the Amazing Spiderman series trumps the original trilogy; the Amazing line isn’t limiting itself to the greats of Spiderman’s Rouges gallery (literally Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Venom), but it’s expanding the world to incorporate much more potential. We’re not looking at a series that wants to grab all the highlights of a trademarked series, but one that’s creating a full universe. We’re already seeing what they’ve done with Electro’s character, and I’m eager to see further sequels at this point.
Speaking of how they’ve dealt with Electro’s character, the film is very much aware of itself. Originally in the comics, Spiderman was stopped by Electro simply because he couldn’t touch him, the electricity overpowering him. To fight back, he wore rubber gloves, and was effortlessly able to take him down. There’s a short scene talking about how Spiderman was able to go toe-to-toe with Electro, regarding his apparently rubber suit. There’s more instances of how aware the movie is of itself, but I’ll get to that later.
Regarding Electro, Jamie Foxx playing Max Dillon was hilarious, strange, and at times off-putting with his incredibly awkward character. Personally, I thought it was fantastic, and his whole desire to feel needed and remembered was believable in his evolution into Electro.
My only issue is Harry Osborne. I believe Dane DeHann is a very strong performer, and he did a fantastic job in Chronicle. However, I never envisioned him having the build to play the part of Green Goblin. It’s not that DeHann performed badly (he didn’t), but I just had an odd feeling about his portrayal. I mean, Andrew Garfield isn’t built like Tobey Maguire was, but he’s still believable. I can’t really put my finger on why I’m having trouble with Dane DeHann…
Spoilers. This is the part where I discuss more about what actually transpires in the movie in detail. Reading this will surely spoil some of the experience if you haven’t seen it. However, there’s some really good stuff in here, I feel, so go watch it, as it’s a great movie, and come back if you’d like.
I mentioned it earlier that the movie is very much aware of itself in regards to the comics. What I am speaking of, and you knew it was coming, Gwyn Stacey’s death, which I believe was fantastic and depressing despite being somewhat obvious. There’s constant foreshadowing, even in the first movie, of her affiliation with Spiderman inevitably causing her injury, as well as her outfit she dies in the comics, the threat of her leaving Spiderman’s life, and not to mention her speech at the beginning about loss and hope.
Well, obviously it happens, as we were thinking for quite some time. She’s on a bridge shortly after the Green Goblin appears, but it’s not until he materializes in all his green, mad glory do we really begin to feel the pit in our stomach. As the insane villain attempts to kill her to get back at Spiderman, you see the whole scene playing out before it even happens, with extra zest. Spiderman manages to catch her, but ultimately fails to save her. We see the webbing grab her at her stomach, but the movie further creates the ambiguousness of what actually kills her by having her more than graze the concrete floor after falling through a clock tower. Andrew Garfield’s response is amazing, in the most depressing way, of repeatedly telling her corpse that everything’s alright. Despite knowing she was dead, I couldn’t help but hope that she was still alive. The treatment of restoring Peter Parker’s faith in being Spiderman is handled well, or at least well enough that I have no complaints.
There’s also the foreshadowing of characters. Doctor Octopus is obviously one, as is the Vulture, due to the showing of their mechanical enhancements in Oscorp’s Secret Projects. We’ve also obviously got the Rhyno, who made his true appearance at the end. Green Goblin is far from out of the picture as well, bringing the total to 4 for potential Sinister Six characters.
We’ve also gotten hints of other characters who make appearances in this film. While not named Adiran Toomes, Colm Feore as Donald Malken could very well become a Vulture due to his older look (not quite elderly, but approaching) and the fact he’s played other fantasy-like roles in Riddick and Thor. We are given thoughts about Dr. Kafka (the original character, a female, dies when a villain breaks out of Ravencroft, which we’re shown that this Kafka does not) may become a villain as well. Mr. Fiers, a figure apparently working for Harry Osborne (and before that, spoke to Conners about Parker’s knowledge of his parents at the end of the first Amazing Spiderman), will definitely be continuing his appearance, although we’re not sure in what regard, as his character is one that hides behind the shadows and has nothing but high intelligence to make him a threat.
There’s also the sure ticket of Felicity Jones playing Felicia Hardy (hilarious, right?), otherwise known as Black Cat, the inspiration for the character of Catwoman. Without an immediate Mary Jane, and the death of Gwen Stacey, who’s Peter Parker gonna love? Perhaps nobody, but that’s not to say Spiderman won’t be getting any kind of action. Black Cat and Spiderman were a constant on-again, off-again relationship. Also, since the whole Oscorp’s Secret Projects division was created for bio-weapons, perhaps Black Cat will actually have super powers, instead of being just an incredibly athletic vigilante/thief? Only time will tell.
Also, Conners (The Lizard) isn’t dead, and well, we’re not sure if Electro is either. After all, how many times did he dissipate and re-materialize as a technique? Surely exploding may have beaten him, but who’s to say he won’t re-materialize again?
Regardless, this movie may be the start of something big with the Spiderman movie franchise, perhaps even something big enough to rival that of Marvel Studios. If it is, I think it’s safe to say we all win, right?
Travis's 2 cents 