MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
I am going to start out by saying my views on this movie match a lot of the other reviews. I differ in the fact that I actually loved this movie. In fact, to me, this is the best Spider-Man movie I have seen.
Let's start with the story. The one thing I loved about this film is that it was very story-based, not relying on action too much. At times I got frustrated with the way they told the story. The constant flashbacks or voice-overs of previous conversations was unnecessary and I just didn't agree with it. The mystery of Peter's parents was a good story. I enjoyed every bit, even if I still do have a few questions regarding it. I did love the Peter/Gwen relationship story. Peter is back and forth on whether or not to date Gwen, because of the promise he made her father. The chemistry between the two stars popped of the screen and you could really feel the happiness, struggles , and pain between the two. However, the story does some disservices to other characters to get to the climax. Rhino shouldn't have been in this film. He was only there to be introduced for the future. Electro was horrifically underwritten. The writers tried to attack from the sympathetic villain standpoint, but the writers didn't dedicate enough time to that, and for that his motivations really suffered. I felt they were weak at best motivations and were just kinda dumb. The Harry Osborn storyline was a bit rushed. That is not to say it wasn't good. It was good. I just wished that the writers would've spent more time developing the Harry Osborn/Peter Parker friendship aspect, because I never felt that they were best friends. By the time we got to Green Goblin it barely felt like we actually knew the real Harry Osborn, seeing as how all we saw was a Harry that was fighting to live. However, the most heart-wrenching part of this story was the climax, featuring a scene we all expected to happen. I was very pleased with this scene, because it stayed fairly close to the comics, the acting was on-point, and the aftermath also really helped show the damage done.
The action/CGI was pretty impressive. I did have a few problems with the CGI. At times it looked like we had a different character model for Electro. Also, some of the slow-mo was over-used/unnecessary. It was either too long or just didn't fit. Have the times it did work, where great. I was really surprised at the lack of action in this film. We didn't get much time with the actual Spider-Man. The time we did get was created very beautifully. The colors they used were really great. This is actually one of the most colorful comic book movies I have seen. I loved every second of the colors. Overall, the action we did get was great.
The acting in this movie was either over-the-top or fantastic. Andrew Garfield was great again as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He still manages to get the mix of awkwardness, yet confidence that makes Peter Parker and that cockiness and wit that makes Spider-Man. I really loved Spider-Man's one-liners and humor in this film. Emma Stone is yet again the emotional rock of this film. And she has to be based on the plot of the film. She has the smart, confident, yet cheeriness that makes Gwen Stacey, which helps us really connect to her. You put her and Garfield together, and magic happens. Jaime Foxx, although somewhat oddly cast, is a bit over-the-top as Electro, but it works strangely enough. I prefer the Max Dillion over Electro, but they were both still well-acted. The most over-the-top performance, though, goes to Paul Giammti's Rhino. His Russian accent was way out there, and based on the time we got with the character, I'm not sure how I feel about him. Sally Field was also great as Aunt May. I love her super-motherly take on Aunt May that comes out in this film, and her and Garfield share some great scenes with one another. Dane DeHann is really creepy and chilling as Harry Osborn. I liked his take, more so than I liked James Franco's. I felt he had a really great motivation for his actions. He was easily the best villain in the film. Some minor characters such as Norman Osborn and Felicia Hardy weren't given much to do, and I wish that wasn't the case, as they both came across as really interesting characters.
Overall, for all its faults, I felt that 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' was able to overcome its short-comings to deliver the best Spider-Man film to date. It really captured the essence of Spider-Man, more so than the other films, all while delivering a semi-faithful take on a big story in the comics. It doesn't suffer from Iron Man 2 syndrome. And it helped clear up some of the mystery from the last film, while it set up for the next. The only super weak point in this film was the villains, and that was due only to poor motivations. Some miscellaneous thoughts. It seemed like they cut A LOT out of this film. There was a lot in the trailers that didn't make it to the film. I also heard there were many different ways they shot the climax. My hope is that they include all the cuts (sans Mary Jane) on the Blu-Ray, or have some kind of director's cut, because I am very interested in what I can assume has been cut.
I am going to start out by saying my views on this movie match a lot of the other reviews. I differ in the fact that I actually loved this movie. In fact, to me, this is the best Spider-Man movie I have seen.
Let's start with the story. The one thing I loved about this film is that it was very story-based, not relying on action too much. At times I got frustrated with the way they told the story. The constant flashbacks or voice-overs of previous conversations was unnecessary and I just didn't agree with it. The mystery of Peter's parents was a good story. I enjoyed every bit, even if I still do have a few questions regarding it. I did love the Peter/Gwen relationship story. Peter is back and forth on whether or not to date Gwen, because of the promise he made her father. The chemistry between the two stars popped of the screen and you could really feel the happiness, struggles , and pain between the two. However, the story does some disservices to other characters to get to the climax. Rhino shouldn't have been in this film. He was only there to be introduced for the future. Electro was horrifically underwritten. The writers tried to attack from the sympathetic villain standpoint, but the writers didn't dedicate enough time to that, and for that his motivations really suffered. I felt they were weak at best motivations and were just kinda dumb. The Harry Osborn storyline was a bit rushed. That is not to say it wasn't good. It was good. I just wished that the writers would've spent more time developing the Harry Osborn/Peter Parker friendship aspect, because I never felt that they were best friends. By the time we got to Green Goblin it barely felt like we actually knew the real Harry Osborn, seeing as how all we saw was a Harry that was fighting to live. However, the most heart-wrenching part of this story was the climax, featuring a scene we all expected to happen. I was very pleased with this scene, because it stayed fairly close to the comics, the acting was on-point, and the aftermath also really helped show the damage done.
The action/CGI was pretty impressive. I did have a few problems with the CGI. At times it looked like we had a different character model for Electro. Also, some of the slow-mo was over-used/unnecessary. It was either too long or just didn't fit. Have the times it did work, where great. I was really surprised at the lack of action in this film. We didn't get much time with the actual Spider-Man. The time we did get was created very beautifully. The colors they used were really great. This is actually one of the most colorful comic book movies I have seen. I loved every second of the colors. Overall, the action we did get was great.
The acting in this movie was either over-the-top or fantastic. Andrew Garfield was great again as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He still manages to get the mix of awkwardness, yet confidence that makes Peter Parker and that cockiness and wit that makes Spider-Man. I really loved Spider-Man's one-liners and humor in this film. Emma Stone is yet again the emotional rock of this film. And she has to be based on the plot of the film. She has the smart, confident, yet cheeriness that makes Gwen Stacey, which helps us really connect to her. You put her and Garfield together, and magic happens. Jaime Foxx, although somewhat oddly cast, is a bit over-the-top as Electro, but it works strangely enough. I prefer the Max Dillion over Electro, but they were both still well-acted. The most over-the-top performance, though, goes to Paul Giammti's Rhino. His Russian accent was way out there, and based on the time we got with the character, I'm not sure how I feel about him. Sally Field was also great as Aunt May. I love her super-motherly take on Aunt May that comes out in this film, and her and Garfield share some great scenes with one another. Dane DeHann is really creepy and chilling as Harry Osborn. I liked his take, more so than I liked James Franco's. I felt he had a really great motivation for his actions. He was easily the best villain in the film. Some minor characters such as Norman Osborn and Felicia Hardy weren't given much to do, and I wish that wasn't the case, as they both came across as really interesting characters.
Overall, for all its faults, I felt that 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' was able to overcome its short-comings to deliver the best Spider-Man film to date. It really captured the essence of Spider-Man, more so than the other films, all while delivering a semi-faithful take on a big story in the comics. It doesn't suffer from Iron Man 2 syndrome. And it helped clear up some of the mystery from the last film, while it set up for the next. The only super weak point in this film was the villains, and that was due only to poor motivations. Some miscellaneous thoughts. It seemed like they cut A LOT out of this film. There was a lot in the trailers that didn't make it to the film. I also heard there were many different ways they shot the climax. My hope is that they include all the cuts (sans Mary Jane) on the Blu-Ray, or have some kind of director's cut, because I am very interested in what I can assume has been cut.
Highlights:
My Opinion: Go see this in the movies. Heck maybe see it twice. Definitely a must-own for any Spidey fan! | The Score: 8 out of 10* THE BEST SPIDER-MAN MOVIE IN THE MULTIVERSE! *Really would've been a 10 had the villains had better motivation and we saw a bit more of Spidey in action. |