Review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) by Rofloom — 01 May 2014

I have been counting down this movie since the day I saw the promo image. I have spent probably nearly $300 on Spider-Man products due to my excitement. I watch all the Spider-Man animated series and can quote the Sam Raimi trilogy from the start of the first movie to the end of the third.

So basically, I know my Spider-Man. I have never built up anticipation for a movie like this before. The trailers would give me goosebumps. However, once I started seeing the critics reviews I did begin thinking how the actual film itself would turn out.

Here is what I thought: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has scenes that will make the audience absolutely smile. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are impossible to not love as the lead roles, creating very realistic and adorable chemistry.

Great performances on their part. The villains however, I have some suggestions for: SLOW DOWN. We are introduced to Max Dillon and he gets about a total of 6 minutes of screen time before transforming into Electro.

He needed a longer, more detailed backstory. He and Electro are two completely different people too. I think it would have been great to have Electro come to his senses at the end when he sees that Gwen, the only person who noticed him before he developed his powers, was in trouble.

It would have added depth to the character rather than just having a man with super powers, for no real reason, wanting to kill Spider-Man. However, his special effects and physical appearance are always insanely awesome to look at.

Paul Giamatti is one of the greatest actors on Earth, but boy was his villain the least threatening thing you have ever seen. The Rhino appears in about 1/300th of the film, however it IS because they were just introducing him to be set up for TASM3.

Hopefully he is more threatening then. The final villain, Harry Osborn, had the largest back story, yet ridiculously small Green Goblin screen time. I cannot get too upset because they will be bringing him back as well, but where they messed up is having way too many plot points.

We jump from Peter trying to find the truth about his parents, a very emotional scene for him, to seeing him chasing Gwen down before she leaves to England, with no continuity of the research he just did, as if it never happened.

There is a lot of tonal whiplash you will get throughout the film... sad scenes to happy to funny to action to romance in very quick pieces of time. This movie either needed to be expanded, or needed to cut possibly Electro's character.

He really ended up having no impact on Peter's story or the Spider-Man universe's story as well... He was there then he was gone... no lessons learned, just a bit of damage done to the city (again). Everyone loves Spider-Man because most can connect with him.

He also is known for his witty humor, but in this film he cracks jokes at all the wrong times. Super serious life threatening moments are happening to him or those around him and he will crack a quick smart-ass remark.

That's one thing that was awesome about Sam Raimi's trilogy, he focused on Spider-Man and Spidey's point of view of things, and how he would react, rather than how Marc Webb focuses on no point of views, he shows us the movie as if we are bystanders in New York watching this random action.

Hans Zimmer, however, is some sort of symphonic God. That man creates more classic scores than one can count. Electro's music is awesome, but it was used the whole time Max was talking, not even as Electro yet, which really distracted us from who he is.

Max needed some slow, quiet scenes to connect with the audience because that is the kind of character he is. He was a tender, lonely man who wanted to be seen by the world, and in the trailer they did a fairly well job of showing that, but in the movie.

.. eh. Basically not one line from the trailer is in the movie as well by the way. Overall, it was a very enjoyable entertaining movie, awesome action and effects, an IMAX 3D visual spectacular. The filmmakers just need to slow it down, slow down the process, quit focusing on promoting this movie globally and instead work on the film itself.

I love Spider-Man, and this one did pack quite a bit of emotion regardless the tonal whiplash, and I will begin counting down for TASM3 now.