Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
By B.C.
Promo Poster for ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’
Photo Credit: Sony Pictures
The Web Head is back, and he is back in full force! The sequel to 2012 The Amazing Spider-Man has finally swung into theaters and I must say it is a major hit. This go around Marc Webb returns to direct alongside returning stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Sally Field. Newcomers to the party include Jaime Foxx, Dane DeHaan and a small appearance by Paul Giamatti. It can sometimes be hard to pull off the sequel but this one hits it out of the park, is it the greatest you’ll see superhero film you’ll see all year, probably not, but it is nothing short of epic.
Sonny swings into the “Shared Universe” world as you would call it with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Watching this film I definitely got the feeling that they are setting up for a bigger and better universe, trying to take a page out of big daddy Marvel Studios handbook. The films open with a fun action scene that sets a tone, but not the tone you feel all film long. The film takes you on a roller coaster of emotions making you believe you have gone from a Saturday morning cartoon, to a love story, to a buddy film, to a drama, back into the world of superhero, and a fun ride it is. They bring you into the twisted love life of Peter Parker aka Spidey (Garfield) as he tries to cope with the dying promise he made to his on again off again girlfriend Gwen Stacey’s (Stone) father. Parker tries to navigate his life between his relationships, finding out the dark secrets his parents once held, his best friend dying, and battling the criminals of New York, a wrench is thrown in his way, a wrench named Electro, a villain the likes of Spidey has never seen.
Garfield does a stunning job playing the role of Parker/Spider-Man. His one liners remind me of the Spider-Man I watched as a child, and his nerdy but caring attitude brings to life the character of Peter Parker making him more repayable than ever. Emma Stone, a top notch actress, doesn’t play your run of the mill damsel in distress. She’s tough, and fierce, and demands your attention whenever on the screen. Jaime Foxx is as always Jaime Foxx, an Academy Award Winning Actor. His dual role as Max Dillon and then the Electro is, pardon the pun, electrifying. But the real jewel of the film, the one who steals the show is Dane DeHaan. DeHaan is a bright young star with a huge future, and this film is just another showcase of his talents.
Now the movie isn’t all sunshine and roses. As trailers and news broke about The Amazing Spider-Man 2, people began to think it would be too crowded, and it kind of was. But not for the reasons we all thought. The villains in the film are all paced properly and set to rate a bigger future. The problem was that a few story lines didn’t exactly need to be there. The story of Peter’s parents that began in the first film grows in the sequel, and even resolves itself. A few steps could of been taken to either drag this story out to future films, or dare I say wrap it up in the previous installment. There is a good block of maybe 45 minutes that you don’t even see Spider-Man, what could be a negative on some viewers, didn’t really bother me much. It becomes a character piece on Peter, which at times drags a little, but not so much that it ruins the film. I for one was completely engulfed in the characters growth, but could see how it could bore a few viewers. As well Paul Giamatti’s “role” as the Rhino, if you could even call it a role, was not done very well. I don’t know if it was because he was just quiet, or the audio wasn’t right but he didn’t really come off well. Hopefully we get more of Paul being Paul in future installments, and not a bad Russian accent.
Now I have a system for rating films, slightly mathematical, but not really. I call it the Jeebus System. Graded on a 6 point system, with a possible .5 bonus, I’ll have to give The Amazing Spider-Man a 4.6, a good time at the theater!
The Jeebus System explained:
When reviewing movies I will be grading them on the Jeebus System. Looking at 1 point for acting, 1 point for entertainment value, 1 point for story, half a point for dialogue, half a point for direction, 1 point for special effects or cinematography, 1 point for casting, and half a point for a bonus. Anything that gets .9 or below will be given the death penalty to all involved. A rating of 1-1.9 will receive “You’ll see this on FX a lot.” A rating of 2-2.9 gets “wait for Redbox or Netflix.” A rating of 3-3.9 receives the “check out the matinee.” A rating of 4-4.9 receives “a good time at the theater.” A rating of 5-5.9 is “multiple viewings required.” And 6 and above is, JEEBUS-TACULAR!