Marc Webb‘s Amazing Spider-man 2 has only just been released but the powers that be have already scheduled TWO more sequels to be released for the wall-crawler, so no pressure for this to be a hit or anything. Luckily for all involved, everything looks to be smooth sailing, well from the box office numbers at least.
Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) faces an uphill battle with an ensemble of villains to face and a strained relationship with his on-and-off girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), as he continues to search for answers about himself and the the mysterious disappearance of his parents.
Okay, so perhaps the review title is a little tongue-in-cheek, the film is better than the suggested title of this review, but it also bites off more than it can chew. It’s hard to continue to build a brand new universe and introduce so many new characters all at once. Sam Raimi‘s Spider-man 3 failed in that same quest and his universe was already established by that point. Spidey Director Marc Webb has a distinct advantage in the gem of Andrew Garfield, who has already far surpassed what Tobey Maguire was in the role. In Garfield we have our Robert Downey Jr. of the series. An actor who has truly made the role his own, so much so you actually couldn’t imagine anyone else now doing it. Garfield, amongst the cocky-confidence of his character, brings a wonderful humility to the role of Peter Parker, who at the age of 18 still has more questions than answers, not only about himself as Spider-man, but as a normal teenager growing up in the world. The advertised CGI-fest isn’t nearly as abrasive as you may expect, and part way into the film you could find yourself switching off from it, or even accepting it in all its computery glory. While some may find it tedious, the Parker parents back story is a welcomed addition to this second outing and Webb seems set on keeping a close relationship with the comics.
The cast is stellar, but with the names attached that was to be expected. Jamie Fox enjoys a rare outing as the bad guy, but manages to pull it off while still bringing a charming sweetness to his role beforehand. 1997 Leonardo DiCaprio, er, I mean Dane DeHaan (I jest, he’s fantastic) is very menacing as Harry Osborn/the Green Goblin and expect to see much more of him in The Amazing Spider-man 3. Surprisingly, the most out of place actor ends up being the usually on-form Paul Giamatti, who just seems to over-sell the Russian brute, Rhino—and he only has minimal screen time. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy is as wonderful as ever, but the whole world is in love with her so is that really a surprise? The on-screen chemistry between the two leads has been much-lauded worldwide and it’s obvious to see that Garfield and Stone’s off-screen relationship definitely compliments their on-screen one.
With a near two and a half hours running time, the film has a bitter-sweet feeling. It’s better than any of Sam Raimi’s Spider-man films (minus J.K Simmons who was simply flawless in his role), and it was marginally better than Webb’s first go around in the title franchise, but while it improves on many of the flaws the first film had, it creates a whole new set of issues. It was far too long, dragging endlessly during the middle part. While three villains are the focal point of the group, it’s done more in a running of the gauntlet sort of way, but it’s still three villains and the promise of many more to come in the future. The film has it’s ups and it has it’s downs but it edges slightly more towards the positives than the negatives, you certainly won’t find yourself coming out thinking “What a waste of money,” instead warming to it the more you think about it as the days go by. Webb hasn’t completely found his stride just yet, but instead of stumbling like he was, he has steadied into a slow walk. And be sure to stay for the post credits scene, but it certainly isn’t one you’d expect.
Oh, and I’m just going to say it now, these Stan Lee cameos are starting to become less entertaining as time goes on.
Rating: Webb’s Amazing Spider-man continues to get better while far exceeding Sam Raimi’s attempts with the character (6/10).
Recent Comments