The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane Dehaan, Sally Field, and Paul Giamatti
Release Date: May 2, 2014
Rating: PG-13


 




The Verdict: It's awfully predictable and painfully cheesy at times, but Spidey's second outing does a commendable job of blending human drama and thrilling action, with assistance from it's truly amazing cast.

6.5 out of 10.0
 
"It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days when you feel all alone, and that's when hope is needed most." Valedictorian Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) presents these words at her high school graduation, foreshadowing the grim events that await her and her boyfriend, Peter Parker. (Andrew Garfield) For Peter however, life couldn't be better at the moment. There's no feeling like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen. But as Miss Stacy so eerily predicted, dark times are ahead. Powerful foes, some new, some old, surface in Peter's life, endangering those he loves. But regardless of the enemies Peter faces, we see that his ultimate battle is within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker, and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man.

 This is Spidey's fifth outing since the franchise began back in 2002, and that's unfortunately obvious in this adventure. The whole affair has a weariness to it; a feeling that we've really done this all before. Be it Peter's troubled love life, yet another villain's backstory, or the evolution of Harry Osborn (Dane Dehaan,) nearly every plot point of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has already been examined in previous installments. The film's predictability is especially detrimental during the first act, which feels like it was lifted straight from the first two films of the original trilogy. The Amazing Spider-Man 2's unoriginality is certainly a problem, but it's not the film's only flaw. 

 Cheesiness is always an ever-present danger when it comes to superhero films. And in recent years, comic book adaptations like The Dark Knight trilogy have managed to avoid it. No such luck with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Consider dialogue like this, from villain Electro's (Jamie Foxx) first big appearance. Electro: "I'll be a god to them." Spidey: "A god named Sparkles?" Or another scene involving the lead antagonist. Electro: "Doc, you can't contain me. You wanna know how powerful I am? Well, I wanna know too. I'm Electro!" Ugh. The dialogue just crackles, doesn't it? Try as it might to be serious, the film features far too many moments that are just painfully corny. 

 But even with its flaws, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is undeniably entertaining, mainly due to its truly amazing cast. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone basically save the entire movie. Their playful banter is at times hilarious, always adorable. Their characters have a warmth and depth to them that is rarely seen in superhero films, and they're a joy to watch. But Garfield and Stone are hardly the only talented cast members. Dane Dehaan is enigmatic, conniving, and downright creepy as Harry Osborn, and Sally Field is wonderfully funny and endearing as Aunt May. Jamie Foxx, as thinly written as his character is, turns in a surprisingly emotional performance as lead villain Electro, making the audience almost sympathetic towards Spider-Man's nemesis.

 But where The Amazing Spider-Man 2 really succeeds is in its perfect blend of thrilling action and human drama. The fight scenes are visually stunning and intense, yet the quiet moments between the characters are just as entertaining. The film has us just as engaged during an emotional moment between Peter and Aunt May as it does during a high stakes battle in Times Square. During the action sequences, we truly care about Peter and Gwen's safety, because we've seen them interact as human beings, not just as a superhero and his damsel in distress. And so, when an incredibly unexpected and horrifying event occurs in the final act of the film, we are truly saddened, because we actually care about the characters. 

 After this moment, the film takes on a depressing tone, as Peter tries to navigate his way through those "dark days" Gwen spoke of. But fortunately, she didn't stop speaking there. She continued by saying "No matter how buried hope gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold on to hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you is to become hope; people need that. And even if we fail, what better way is there to live? As we look around here today, at all of the people who helped make us who we are, I know it feels like we're saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything that we do next, to remind us of who we are, and of who we're meant to be." This is where the film really works. The characters connect with the audience. Gwen's speech is truly inspiring, not just to Peter, but to us. Because, while you might not expect to find it in a superhero film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 proclaims a wonderful truth. The simple fact that no matter how bad things get, there is always hope. And as Gwen says, we can never lose sight of it, even if we want to. We find hope in the people around us, in those we care about. We find hope in the smallest, most insignificant of things. No matter how dark are circumstances may seem, hope always prevails. It's a simple fact that is truly amazing.