Review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) by Stephen Z — 02 Aug 2016

I have never had a more difficult time rating a film. As a film that I was highly anticipating, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" both exceeded my expectations and disappointed me. It is in some ways the best Spider-Man film yet, and in other ways, it is one of the worst.

"TASM2's" biggest problem stems from the same problem that "Spider-Man 3" had; overcrowding. There are too many subplots and characters to leave time to do them all justice. The big reveal about Peter's parents is disappointing. Peter never finds Uncle Ben's killer. And the Harry Osborn subplot, though interesting, should have been saved for the third film. In fact, I think Marc Webb had many great ideas that he couldn't decide between, so he decided to use them all in one film, instead of spacing them out through several.

There is some really great action in "TASM2". The highlight of the film is an absolutely great scene at Times Square. However, as a villain with a lot of potential, Electro is severely underutilized. But an action film is nothing without some humor, and "TASM2" has plenty of it. Spidey is incredibly funny and witty in this film, just like he should be.

Andrew Garfield is, of course, the one responsible for bringing Peter Parker/Spider-Man to life. Garfield is finally comfortable as the lead, and it shows, as he is spectacular in every way, from his emotional depth to his comedic timing. The young Ms. Emma Stone is brilliant once again as Gwen Stacy, and the completely authentic romantic chemistry between her and Garfield is the best part of this film. Rising star Dane DeHaan likewise gives an excellent performance as Harry Osborn, coming very close to stealing the spotlight from Garfield and Stone. Jamie Foxx is unimpressive as bad-guy Electro, though I'm sure the script is partially to blame. And Paul Giamatti's brief appearance is so cheesy and hammy that it is cringe-worthy.

People are quick to say this is a great film because of the dramatic note this film ends on, but they forget all of the garbage that led up to it. Yes, Garfield and Stone's performances are outstanding, but they are not enough to redeem this film. However, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" is a decent film and you'll have fun watching it.