The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Directed by: Marc Webb
Written by: Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner; Screen story by Kurtzman & Orci & Pinkner & James Vanderbilt; based on the comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott, Marton Csokas, Louis Cancelmi, B.J. Novak, Jorge Vega
Action/Adventure/Fantasy - 142 min Reviewed on: 1 May 2014
Written by: Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jeff Pinkner; Screen story by Kurtzman & Orci & Pinkner & James Vanderbilt; based on the comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott, Marton Csokas, Louis Cancelmi, B.J. Novak, Jorge Vega
Action/Adventure/Fantasy - 142 min Reviewed on: 1 May 2014
I feel Spider-Manned out. Five films in the past 12 years including a reboot rehashing identical material and characters is an effective example of the law of diminishing returns. Peter Parker’s attempt to balance his superhero life and personal life is no longer a reliable ingredient to create a fresh story advancing the Spider-Man world. The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a clunky, no-impact title, reaffirms my belief that the Spider-Man market is saturated; there is far more supply than demand.
A disconnected action sequence carried out like an opening cartoon before the main attraction kicks off the film grabs our attention. Think about the opening cartoon in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) and you will understand what I mean. Showing off some shoulder-shrugging 3D techniques, a technology that no longer needs nor will achieve any open-mouthed gapes, Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) defies physics as he whips and zooms in and out of traffic, up and down buildings, simultaneously saving innocent bystanders from becoming collateral damage. Chasing some Russian hijackers making off with radioactive material, Spider-Man relentlessly spits off corny puns and one-liners and has a brief run in a one Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) whose character serves the exact same purpose as Guy Pearce in Iron Man 3 (2013), a metamorphosis from invisible nerd to menacing villain.
Electro, the super villain Max Dillon transforms into, generates a bit more sympathy than say the Green Goblin or Dr. Octopus. His evolution is not due to a science experiment gone awry; it is more (un)happy accident with some electric eels which are similar to those eels in The Princess Bride (1987). Converting from Spider-Man’s biggest fan boy to city-leveling ne’er-do-well, Jamie Foxx as Electro gets to play around a little bit. His voice is heavy with throbbing bass, he travels through wall outlets and cables, yet somehow wears a pair of shorts to shield his electronic modesty. This technology must be a cousin of how the Hulk’s pants stay on when he goes from man to monster. Electro is merely the showy villain; we only see him explode electronics and learn nothing about Electro the man, or whatever he is. The filmmakers at least try to dive a little deeper with the second shadowy figure, Peter’s friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan).
Peter and Harry’s friendship is a bit forced; Peter randomly shows up one day after Harry’s father, Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper), dies. Whatever killed Norman is genetic and is starting to infect Harry. Convinced Spider-Man’s blood holds the key to the cure, Spider-Man unintentionally makes another enemy when he politely refuses Harry’s invasive request for his DNA. Dane DeHaan’s talents are wasted on this movie. In Chronicle (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), and Kill Your Darlings (2013), DeHaan proves he is a very capable actor who is primed to catapult into the sphere of actors known as elite. Playing Harry Osborn will give him exposure to new audiences, but his is much better than this material. Would you cast Daniel Day-Lewis in a Harry Potter film?
The supporting villains are orders of magnitude more interesting than Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). As in every other Spider-Man movie, Peter breaks up with his girlfriend in the beginning to protect her from danger but spends the rest of the time pining away, bringing her close for a while, and pushing her away again. I will take any scene with a villain in it over one with the swooning romantic leads.
Written by the gentlemen responsible for the Star Trek reboot films and a bunch of other blockbusters, there is far more plot crammed in here than the movie can coherently juggle. Peter’s Aunt May (Sally Field) is lonely and going to nursing school to make ends meet, Peter intermittently stares at his father’s old briefcase wondering why he ran off in the middle of the night so long ago, Gwen wants to move to England, Harry’s executive board chafes under his leadership, and there is a girl named Felicia (Felicity Jones) who works for Harry whose presence requires more explanation. Really, way too much.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will most likely please the Marvel fanatics out there but for those of us who never latched on to comic books, the latest action franchise installment will leave you cold. You would be better served going back to find Dane DeHaan’s earlier films so you can impress your friends when this guy starts earning his Oscar nominations.
A disconnected action sequence carried out like an opening cartoon before the main attraction kicks off the film grabs our attention. Think about the opening cartoon in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) and you will understand what I mean. Showing off some shoulder-shrugging 3D techniques, a technology that no longer needs nor will achieve any open-mouthed gapes, Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) defies physics as he whips and zooms in and out of traffic, up and down buildings, simultaneously saving innocent bystanders from becoming collateral damage. Chasing some Russian hijackers making off with radioactive material, Spider-Man relentlessly spits off corny puns and one-liners and has a brief run in a one Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) whose character serves the exact same purpose as Guy Pearce in Iron Man 3 (2013), a metamorphosis from invisible nerd to menacing villain.
Electro, the super villain Max Dillon transforms into, generates a bit more sympathy than say the Green Goblin or Dr. Octopus. His evolution is not due to a science experiment gone awry; it is more (un)happy accident with some electric eels which are similar to those eels in The Princess Bride (1987). Converting from Spider-Man’s biggest fan boy to city-leveling ne’er-do-well, Jamie Foxx as Electro gets to play around a little bit. His voice is heavy with throbbing bass, he travels through wall outlets and cables, yet somehow wears a pair of shorts to shield his electronic modesty. This technology must be a cousin of how the Hulk’s pants stay on when he goes from man to monster. Electro is merely the showy villain; we only see him explode electronics and learn nothing about Electro the man, or whatever he is. The filmmakers at least try to dive a little deeper with the second shadowy figure, Peter’s friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan).
Peter and Harry’s friendship is a bit forced; Peter randomly shows up one day after Harry’s father, Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper), dies. Whatever killed Norman is genetic and is starting to infect Harry. Convinced Spider-Man’s blood holds the key to the cure, Spider-Man unintentionally makes another enemy when he politely refuses Harry’s invasive request for his DNA. Dane DeHaan’s talents are wasted on this movie. In Chronicle (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), and Kill Your Darlings (2013), DeHaan proves he is a very capable actor who is primed to catapult into the sphere of actors known as elite. Playing Harry Osborn will give him exposure to new audiences, but his is much better than this material. Would you cast Daniel Day-Lewis in a Harry Potter film?
The supporting villains are orders of magnitude more interesting than Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). As in every other Spider-Man movie, Peter breaks up with his girlfriend in the beginning to protect her from danger but spends the rest of the time pining away, bringing her close for a while, and pushing her away again. I will take any scene with a villain in it over one with the swooning romantic leads.
Written by the gentlemen responsible for the Star Trek reboot films and a bunch of other blockbusters, there is far more plot crammed in here than the movie can coherently juggle. Peter’s Aunt May (Sally Field) is lonely and going to nursing school to make ends meet, Peter intermittently stares at his father’s old briefcase wondering why he ran off in the middle of the night so long ago, Gwen wants to move to England, Harry’s executive board chafes under his leadership, and there is a girl named Felicia (Felicity Jones) who works for Harry whose presence requires more explanation. Really, way too much.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will most likely please the Marvel fanatics out there but for those of us who never latched on to comic books, the latest action franchise installment will leave you cold. You would be better served going back to find Dane DeHaan’s earlier films so you can impress your friends when this guy starts earning his Oscar nominations.
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