"Secrets have a cost".
Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is graduating high school, and is enjoying having more time to save the world as his secret identity, Spider-Man. Also on his mind, help to support his Aunt May (Sally Field) and his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). However, empty promises and dark moments from Peter's past start to get to him, all culminating with the return of his close friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan). Harry comes back after being in boarding school to take over Oscorp after his father passes. Meanwhile, a happy-go-lucky employee named Max (Jamie Foxx) accidentally trips and falls into a tank of electric eels. What does this even mean?
For one, the cinematography and visual effects are superb. Even more so here than the first film, watching Spidey swing through the city is a treat in itself. It is impressive. The electric pulses from Electro are also interesting to watch. The cameras work at a fast speed with impeccable precision. I didn't see it in 3D, but I can tell it would be extremely well-utilized here. The destruction in Times Square is stunningly realistic. The villains are nicely-designed.
The acting is terrific too. Garfield, while still no Tobey Maguire, does a solid performance as Peter Parker. But he brings in more humor this time, which is a nice improvement over his bad-boy wannabe behavior in the first movie. Stone and Field are also solid once again in their roles. DeHaan portrays Harry with solid senses of deception and hard knocks. Foxx is fine as Electro, but the villain isn't the best the franchise has to offer so its not one of the strongest performances of the whole movie.
Some of the minor actors do great with the little amount of time they have. Paul Giamatti only has a couple of scenes, and makes his Russian-influenced Rhino enjoyable and it works extremely well. BJ Novak brings a nerdy yet somewhat mysterious tone to Alystair Smythe. Oscar-winner Chris Cooper gives a sinister tone to the shadowy Norman Osborn (I found it interesting that this character isn't used nearly as much as in the original trilogy). Campbell Scott does an interesting job as Richard Parker (at the beginning of the film). Finally, what would a Marvel movie be without a clever Stan Lee cameo (and a funny one at that)?
The screenplay successfully makes time for some emotional moments in between the action. There's also some witty humor that lacks in other superhero films. There was something during the end of the movie I would not have seen coming (I'm saying would because the internet already spoiled it!). It lessens the predictability, which is an interesting but welcome twist in this genre.
On the downside, I found the pacing to be slightly rushed in places, especially with three (perhaps four or five if die-hard comic book fans were to recognize some of them) villains in a 2-hour movie. Mainly the focus is Electro, the Green Goblin only gets 10-15 minutes at most, while the Rhino is stuck with just 3-4 minutes. It would have been a mistake if the story was divided between all three villains, as it would have felt episodic. But, it would have made more sense to slow it down just a little bit. Also, Hans Zimmer's music score, while fine in places, doesn't make much of an impact due to the impressive sound effects.
Superhero movies continue to be the rage nowadays. Ever since Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy back 7-12 years ago, fans have been flocking to Marvel and DC Comics properties. Now, Marvel is churning out 3-5 films a year (arguably from different distributors, however), a successful TV series, and constant reboots of their signature characters.
With Avengers, Iron Man 3 and recently Captain America: The Winter Soldier succeeding, some franchises such as Spider-Man and X-Men have gotten lost in the midst of all the madness. Man of Steel was no Dark Knight either. Seeing The Amazing Spider-Man a couple of years ago (and re-watching it just recently), I felt like the first movie seemed a little bit too generic for superhero fare. Maybe it was because I had seen the first Spider-Man prior to watching that particular movie. Still though, it was a fun movie with a solid villain, though it wasn't a classic.
Where does that leave this sequel? Well, upon seeing it (not too long after Winter Soldier), I continue to believe Marvel is upping their ante. The action sequences are becoming somewhat darker. The storylines are getting a bit more mature. However, this one nearly (but not quite) combats it by presenting a more cartoonishly-bouncy film. One that stays true to the purpose of the comic book.
With all the excitement, I was again at the edge of my seat almost the whole way through. It was a much more fun and exciting ride than the previous movie was, and the amount of thrills and interesting moments just about matches that of The Winter Soldier. But where Winter Soldier struggled in terms of being overwhelming at times, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 lags in pacing and in storytelling in places (despite a twist ending).
But that aside, I was impressed. Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a large improvement over the first movie, and the best movie starring the webslinger since the second movie of Sam Raimi's trilogy. Definitely a must-see for any superhero comic-book lover.
Score: 8.7/10
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: Mild. Three uses of "h---", and one each of "d---", "p---ed" and a barely audible "a--". "Oh my g--" is interjected five times.
Adult Content: Gwen and Peter kiss a handful of times. One time, Gwen is seen wearing a short skirt. Spider-Man yanks a criminal's pants off to humiliate him (he's in boxers).
Violence: A few scenes of fast-paced action, some that could be scary. Two airplanes nearly crash. Electro causes some destruction. Spider-Man and Green Goblin brawl inside a clock tower. One character crashes through a glass ceiling. The Rhino fires a machine gun at police officers and at Spidey. In the end, one character dies.
Alcohol/Drugs: Harry drinks a lot, though this habit is not glamorized.
Other: Peter breaks a couple of promises he made. Some minor deception.
