The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the sequel to Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man. When New York is put under siege by Oscorp, it’s up to Spider-Man to save the city and protect his loved ones. Let’s consider the pros and cons of The Amazing Spider-Man 2…
Pros: Firstly, the special effects are fantastic! In the opening scene you can see the wind ripples on Spiderman’s suit as he swings through Manhattan. It’s a minor detail for sure, but it scales up nicely during the CGI intensive fight scenes. Secondly, Jamie Foxx is an excellent addition to the returning cast. He plays a compelling villain and his abilities work well opposite Spider-Man. Last, but definitely not least is the atypical ending where spoilers the hero doesn’t save the girl. It’s a bold and dark finale, but also something that is sorely missing from superhero movies.
Cons: Aside from a bold ending, this is a very “paint-by-numbers” comic book movie. Electro’s origin story is painfully cliché and Harry Osborne is introduced as Peter’s friend even though he was nowhere to be seen in the first movie. As I mentioned before, the action and effects make up for some of its shortcomings, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not terrible, but a little all over the place and not as cohesive as it could have been.
I give the Amazing Spider-Man 2 a B+. It’s an exciting sequel with great performances and awesome special effects. The non-Hollywood ending might be jarring for fans of the superhero genre, but fans of the Web-Head won’t be disappointed! Happy Watching!
“I had a friend once. It didn’t work out.”
Leave a Reply