I was a big fan of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man. It seemed to embody the comics pretty well and was quite close to the tone of what Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created back in the early 60s. Then along came Marc Webb with a reboot, after what felt like 3 weeks following Spider-Man 3. I liked it, it wasn’t necessarily a bad movie, but it really didn’t feel like a true Spidey movie. Taking far too much influence from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight it was dark. Far too dark. And now, it’s got a sequel which is a million miles away from the first Marc Webb directed movie. I hate to say it, but I’ve forgotten about the Raimi versions. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the best web slinger movie to date.
Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds himself taking on Oscorp, in particular an Oscorp employee called Max Dillion, who after an industrial accident with a bunch of electric eels, finds himself in a shocking state of circumstances. Enter Electro (Jamie Foxx) who is quite the adversary. At times, Electro does a few Emperor Palpatine impressions and shoots electricity from his fingertips. As a matter of fact, he can shoot electricity from anywhere, let alone be the worlds largest electrical conductor, providing lots of complications for Spider-Man especially his web shooters. Along with Harry Osborn / Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti) the oul web slinger has his hands seriously full.
Visually this is absolutely stunning. The set pieces are gigantic and spectacular but it's how Spidey swings through the city that will leave you breathless. It's nothing but a rollercoaster when Spider-Man swings through the big apple as the camera is with him every inch of the way. If you’re afraid of heights, this will do you no favours. But if you can stomach it, this is just exhilarating and provides some of the biggest popcorn movie moments in years. And this is what this is. A big, fun, ol fashioned pop corn flick. It delivers big chunks of action in glorious and generous scoops. The Times Square skirmish with Electro is superb with huge stunts and some ingenious moves from Spidey himself. While many of the great moments come from Electro, Rhino and the Green Goblin feature in some very memorable scenes. The main Goblin fight scene is insanely intense and, as teased in the trailers, the Rhino fight scene is as touching (seriously) as it is dazzling.
For whatever reason, Marc Webb has turned the Spider-Man franchise in a brand new direction and moved well away from his first attempt at Spidey. It’s fun, it’s hilarious, it’s spectacular. While as cheesy as it sounds, it really is amazing. However, the movie isn’t without it's problems. While not a major gripe or movie killer, the pacing lags a bit in the middle. It just kinda sags for about 15 minutes too long. Again, its not enough to derail the movie by any stretch, but it is noticeable. Probably more so by the superb action the precedes it. But to be fair, once this lag ends, the movie just screams ahead. There was a big concern about having too many villains here.
Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds himself taking on Oscorp, in particular an Oscorp employee called Max Dillion, who after an industrial accident with a bunch of electric eels, finds himself in a shocking state of circumstances. Enter Electro (Jamie Foxx) who is quite the adversary. At times, Electro does a few Emperor Palpatine impressions and shoots electricity from his fingertips. As a matter of fact, he can shoot electricity from anywhere, let alone be the worlds largest electrical conductor, providing lots of complications for Spider-Man especially his web shooters. Along with Harry Osborn / Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti) the oul web slinger has his hands seriously full.
Visually this is absolutely stunning. The set pieces are gigantic and spectacular but it's how Spidey swings through the city that will leave you breathless. It's nothing but a rollercoaster when Spider-Man swings through the big apple as the camera is with him every inch of the way. If you’re afraid of heights, this will do you no favours. But if you can stomach it, this is just exhilarating and provides some of the biggest popcorn movie moments in years. And this is what this is. A big, fun, ol fashioned pop corn flick. It delivers big chunks of action in glorious and generous scoops. The Times Square skirmish with Electro is superb with huge stunts and some ingenious moves from Spidey himself. While many of the great moments come from Electro, Rhino and the Green Goblin feature in some very memorable scenes. The main Goblin fight scene is insanely intense and, as teased in the trailers, the Rhino fight scene is as touching (seriously) as it is dazzling.
But stunning visuals and set pieces alone do not make a good movie. It needs substance and conviction. Thankfully, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone bring this in large quantities. And while Garfield takes a bit of time to warm up, he delivers, especially in the latter half, a really brilliant performance that will pull a number of emotions out of you. Sorry Tobey Maguire, Mr. Garfield has cemented himself as the best Spidey yet.Emma Stone does an equally good job and looks like she had an absolute blast on the sequel. There is great chemistry between herself and Garfield and she is positively likeable. But it's Electro who stills the show. Jamie Foxx brings two very different performances to screen here. Firstly is Max Dillion, a Spider-Man obsessive. He’s a genius, but is quite reserved and simple at the same time. And then, he’s the complete opposite when he turns into Electro, let alone almost completely unrecognisable. And like Stone, Foxx looks like he completely relished the bad guy role. Dane DeHaan also turns in a decent interpretation as Harry Osborn. But it's when he’s the Green Goblin does he start to really shine and I’d certainly be looking forward to seeing him reprise that role!
For whatever reason, Marc Webb has turned the Spider-Man franchise in a brand new direction and moved well away from his first attempt at Spidey. It’s fun, it’s hilarious, it’s spectacular. While as cheesy as it sounds, it really is amazing. However, the movie isn’t without it's problems. While not a major gripe or movie killer, the pacing lags a bit in the middle. It just kinda sags for about 15 minutes too long. Again, its not enough to derail the movie by any stretch, but it is noticeable. Probably more so by the superb action the precedes it. But to be fair, once this lag ends, the movie just screams ahead. There was a big concern about having too many villains here.
Many people (myself included) wondered had Marc Webb learned from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, where too many villans seem to bring the movie to a grinding halt. While I feel those criticisms were unfair for Raimi, you can’t really land similar criticisms at Webb’s door. Simply because the Green Goblin, and Rhino in particular don’t have a whole lot of screen time. There not exactly an after thought either and serve their purpose, especially from the Oscorp point of view as they just move the franchise along for the next movie.
The Amazing Spider-Man is the best Spidey movie to date. It's spectacular, it's funny, it's got heart and it's a must see!
The Amazing Spider-Man is the best Spidey movie to date. It's spectacular, it's funny, it's got heart and it's a must see!
