The Amazing Spider-man 2 has been anticipated for quite some time. An abundance of marketing can be credited to that. The film finally opened in theaters in the U.S and earned mixed reactions from critics, being the first Spider-man movie to earn the dreaded "rotten tomato" branding on the review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes. So was the film truly as bad as critics would lead you to believe? Read the review to find out.
The Amazing Spider-man 2 continues the story of Peter Parker (played by Andrew Garfield), who has grown into the role of Spider-man and truly loves being the hero, swinging through New York City and cracking jokes while busting some bad guy heads. However, the cocky hero has his world crumble around him as plentiful new foes emerge to challenge him, while his personal life take blows as well. Peter continues to date Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), despite her late father's warnings not to, which haunts Peter throughout the film. He also unravels mysteries about his past, as information about his parents comes to light. And to cap off the troubles Peter Parker faces, his old friend Harry Osborn (Dane Dehaan) returns to his life, but only with bad news and the increasingly evident signs of being hurt to the point to going over the edge. On the Spider-man side of his life, a former fan Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) is caught in an electrical accident and becomes the super-villain Electro, a threat with powers on a god-like scale. While Peter tries balancing his personal and superhero life, elements from each collide as Harry Osborn teams up with Electro to become the Green Goblin and puts his loved ones in danger, throwing his life in chaos.
The story is jam packed with plot threads that do sometimes conflict. With multiple villains, relationship troubles, and the unnecessary mystery of Peter's parents, the critics can't be faulted for pointing out the uneven story. It's not as lazy to the scale of Spider-man 3, but does still have some flaws in handling the plethora of subplots.
Critics are right in pointing out the weakness of the script. But they look at that too much. What's lacking in story is more than redeemed in acting, directing, and overall fun. Andrew Garfield nails the role of Peter Parker and Spider-man, conveying the fun of what it means to be Spider-man and the emotional turmoil of Peter Parker as he deals with all the problems pounding his personal life. Emma Stone plays a fantastic Gwen Stacy, who redefines what it is to be the female lead and love interest. She is not the damsel in distress like Mary Jane from the previous trilogy was, but charges straight into the action, ignoring the protests of her boyfriend and plays a key part in the hero's victory. Gwen far outstrips other female leads in terms of courage and sass. To quote Miss Stacy when her protective boyfriend Peter tries to keep her out of harm's way, "You can't make my choices for me!" The richness of her character makes the ending of the movie even more dramatic and boosts this movie up to great heights. Sally Field as Aunt May was a very minor character in this film, but with just a few scenes, she made a very emotional impact on the movie, highlighting the strength of her acting.
Now let's look at the more villainous side of the movie. Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon sells a lonely outcast, who reacts with great pleasure just at somebody simply remembering his name. He then really outlines the tragedy of his situation, when on his birthday he is looked down on by peers, electrocuted, hospitalized, called a freak by the public, shot at by police, then humiliated by his icon Spider-man. Maybe his arc echoes the Riddler from Batman Forever, but he makes for a sympathetic villain. Once he does become Electro, he does lose much of his likability and is a purely visual villain, and is put to the side as Harry Osborn takes center stage. Electro may have eventually become underused, but his motives are clear and his pain makes him a 2-dimensional villain and a visual treat like no other villain. While Electro may have been marketed as the big bad, Harry Osborn is the true Green Goblin. While many would worry Harry would feel stale as we already saw him and his Goblin alter ego in the previous trilogy, Dane Dehaan brings a fresh take on the character. Harry still has daddy issues, but with a new twist and splendid acting, Dehaan's Harry beats the one played by James Franco 7 years ago. As the Green Goblin, his fight scene is rushed, but triggers a key event that will undoubtedly make his relationship with Peter one like no villain before. His costume design has abandoned the classic Green Goblin look from the comics entirely, but it works out. His actual body is distorted and he is creepy and menacing, making a more terrifying Goblin than Willem Dafoe's "power Rangers" costume and Franco's skateboarder costume. His voice however has a classic Green Goblin laugh and is memorably eerie.
The incredible acting done by the full cast make the more intimate moments of the Amazing Spider-man 2 shine, like they did in the first Amazing Spider-man. However, unlike its predecessors, Amazing Spider-man 2 doesn't drown itself in dark and gritty, but makes it bright and colorful. The action scenes are top notch, with special effects that are the strongest in any superhero movie to date. It's a visual treat, from the Electro battles, to the sheer joy of Spider-man swinging through New York, finally capturing the character. The special effects are entertaining, but that's not all. There is so much humor in this from Spider-man wisecracks to physical comedy, that you are guaranteed to laugh somewhere in this film. This is easily the most entertainer film of the year, with a level of fun only rivaled by the Avengers.
Critics may be bashing this movie, due to some storytelling errors, but don't let that deter you. This is a entertaining, funny, action packed film with some deep moments injected through so that this is a film for everyone. Marc Webb took a weak script and turned it into a true summer blockbuster, with breath taking special effects and pure popcorn thrills, while the incredible acting makes characters strong. This is a movie to kick off the summer with a bang, as well as set the franchise to bold directions. This is the strongest movie of 2014 (even stronger than Captain America 2, which was stronger in story, but weaker in character, entertainment value, and slightly weaker acting) and manages to take the throne as strongest Spidey movie. It's a must see for all. The critics may want to point out the bad things, but fellow viewers like yourself have loved it and it is the perfect summer film to see.
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