We've heard a lot of things about The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Some have called it 'the definitive Spider-Man movie' while others have called it 'The Batman and Robin of the Spider-Man franchise'. There was no doubt that this movie was going to be divisive. With a character as huge and popular as Spider-Man, people are sure to have a certain image of what a Spider-Man movie should be. This may all depend what is your Spider-Man. The character has been around for decades so someone's opinion may always be different from somebody else's. Now, with the internet already flooding with varying opinions, you may (even though you shouldn't) be stressing yourself out trying to figure out whose opinion sells you. But among all the chaos, don't worry because...
Highflyer is here.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
The Tone:
It would be easy to make Electro a one dimensional villain who the audience probably wouldn't care about. Fortunately this isn't the case. As Max Dillon (Electro's alter-ego), Jamie Fox portrays him as an innocent and lonely man with an edge. As he lives his life the theme of loneliness and rejection can be felt. The man feels invisible. He just wants to be seen instead of feeling like a nobody. It is something I can sympathies with as I felt I was in the same position growing up (and yes, I even talked to myself). The script allows us to believe Max can turn into a deranged evil villain since they allow Max to have some layers to him prior to his transformation. He can get angry and frustrated at people for how he is treated. His obsession with Spider-Man isn't really like how a little girl has an obsession with Justin Timberlake. Its rather that he just wants a friend which he believes he has found in Spider-Man.
Now with Dane Dehaan as Harry Osborn. Right off the bat, the viewer gets to know that this is a very different Harry Osborn. In the Sam Raimi movies, Harry's motives were mainly driven by the death of his father which is understandable since he believed Spider-Man was responsible for his death. In this version he is driven by desperation and crushed hope.
Problems from the first film are resolved:
Another gripe that many people had with the first film was the decision that Peter made in the end. Despite promising his girlfriend's dad Captain Stacey to stay away from his daughter, he was going to see her anyway. That choice Peter made continues through to this movie. Early on, Peter keeps hallucinating about Gwen's dad and he can't help but feel the guilt for his death and the promise he broke.
Weak characters are made strong:
The movie should also be commended for establishing Gwen as a strong female lead. She isn't a typical damsel in distress and has a strong intellect who has ambitions of her own. The movie doesn't assume we want to know about her ambitions so it doesn't cram an amount of time on it. It simply enables us to see her as a character with other important things in her life other than being Spider-Man's girlfriend. I ended up caring about her and her safety so when certain crucial events begin to unfold, my heart was beating like a drum.
The Score: I have to say, I feel like they really out did themselves with the score in this movie. The music goes perfectly with each individual scene; drawing the audience in. Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams do not disappoint. It certainly has a modern feel to them. Don't get me wrong Danny Elfman's Spider-Man theme is a classic but it was exhilarating and new to hear this new score. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the only superhero movie ever to have a score that gets me pumped up but also has me bobbing my head at the same time. Playing the instumentals of Alicia Keys and Kendrick Lamar its on again near the film's closing was a personal highlight.
It doesn't rehash Spider-Man 2:
The symbol is tested
Oscorp is explored to a greater extent
Ruined jokes: I probably would have found most of the jokes in this movie funny... if I hadn't seen them already in the trailers. That was one thing that disappointed. I wish I could have been one of the many people in the cinema who were laughing their butts off since they obviously hadn't seen all the marketing material that I had seen. Now, one of the things I've heard about this movie is that its a cheese fest. I have to disagree on that. Certain scenes which could have easily passed the line of cheesy never do. Scenes like Electro managing to play the tune of the incy wincy spider or or him declaring, 'its my birthday and its time to light my candles!' Well I didn't think it was cheesy. At least not cheesy enough for me to get distracted. Batman and Robin was bad in a lot of ways but throwing a dark and brooding character like Batman in such a campy world just felt out of place. However, Spider-Man is a much more fun superhero. I don't see how any of the one-liners were any worse than the ones in the original trilogy so I don't see the big fuss. I honestly don't like comparing but its something that I fail to understand.
Weird editing: A slight gripe I had with Thor: The Dark World was how a dramatic and emotional scene was followed by a comedic one. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has the same problem but in reverse. After a scene that had audiences laughing, we are quickly shown Harry Osborn visiting a sick loved one on his death bed. It is a minor gripe but a gripe nonetheless.
Jamie Fox's hints aren't shown
This doesn't really effect the overall movie but it is something I would have liked to see. I was also a little disappointed that some of the things Jamie Fox said was going to be part of Max's backstory wasn't in the film. Whether they never shot the scenes or they were cut out remain to be seen.
So there you have it. The Amazing Spider-Man is a big improvement on the new franchise. With the amazing action scenes, audiences are treated to something special. Helped by a strong and talented cast, Andrew Garfield continues to show why he is the new Spider-Man. It is the ONLY comic book movie that had a climax strong with a strong enough emotional punch that it made my eyes water up a little and left my jaw on the floor. In my view, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the definitive Spider-Man movie. (Along with Spider-Man 2)
9/10
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