Release Date: 1st May, 2014
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Chris Cooper, Chris Zylka, Denis Leary, Felicity Jones, B.J. Novak, Marton Csokas
Director: Marc Webb
Producer/s: Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach
Plot: We’ve always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead.
It’s great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.
Rating: 3/5 Stars (Three stars)
Star cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx
Director: Marc Webb
What’s Good: The galvanism of super-villains and Andrew-Emma’s sweltering chemistry works.
What’s Bad: An over plotted script, a few warped characters with convenient plotlines.
Loo break: Not many.
Watch or Not?: Hell yeah! When it’s a film called The Amaizng Spiderman 2, this section mandatorily reads Du’uh Of course. The film’s staple problems persist – the tedious running time and the presence of multiple subplots that must coherently be infused in the story. Marc Webb handles the flaws valiantly depending rightfully on the formidable chemistry of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone who indeed offer everything value for the buck. The standard and familiar storyline doesn’t bother much when what you have to watch is essentially crackling fun.
User Rating:
Richard Parkar’s video message explains why he disappeared. Meanwhile, in the present day, Peter Parkar is fighting crime as Spiderman. Though extremely attached to his high school love interest Gwen, Peter ends the relationship prioritizing the need to find the reality behind his father’s disappearance and death more important.
Peter’s childhood friend makes a re-entry into his life and gets appointed as the CEO of Oscorp. But Harry is on a look out for Spiderman to save himself from a terminal illness. How can Spiderman help? What happens of Gwen and Peter? And what is the reason behind Richard Parkar’s death? A lot is left to be unraveled in the film.
The Amazing Spiderman 2 Review: Script Analysis
Marc Webb’s knowledge of human relationships is impeccable. His ability to get in a humane angle to a superhero story is wonderful and quite an intrinsic forte of the filmmaker. Even in the film’s last edition, Webb managed to keep audiences hooked to the characters more than the film’s exquisite and massive sets. Not to underplay the larger-than-life feel of the brand of superhero ventures, but the Webb’s blockbuster is memorable more for its emotions. In the film’s earlier instalment, Webb’s expertise in handling the tender scenes between Peter and his girlfriend Gwen were winsome. Even in this one, Peter is in dilemma knowing that the right thing to do would be breaking up with Gwen and yet their intense latent chemistry prods and suggests otherwise.
Webb understands what to use rightfully in his script. The villains at hand are exquisitely etched out with the right proportion of menace lacing them. The dialectics of their roles are well contoured and it quite helps in building the needed milieu for the film. But Max Dillon could have done with some more working in it. The connect with him had a tendency of loosening up and doesn’t quite ring the right bells.
Somehow I loved the emotional color of the film better and wish could have entirely done away with the action of it. The heightened drama of the film was nearly intoxicating but steps on the wrong stone with an easy and convenient writing of its second half. The climax seemed extremely contrived, though quite enthusiastically done. The presence of unnecessary characters again dilutes the film’s later hour. Donald and Kafka result in cluttering up more than adding meat to the story at all.
The Amazing Spiderman 2 Review: Star Performances
It will take a while to get acquainted with the fact that Parker isn’t much of a nerd anymore. Garfield plays Spidey with a smart crack ability making him clever, funny, warm and immensely likeable, all in one shot. His correct timing comes quite handy in making the film interesting and enjoyable but the webby hero’s best bits are when he gives his superpowers a rest and plays delicate with his love interest.
Emma Stone is quite sparkling as she fits confidently into the role of playing Peter’s confidant. Though a lot of the chemistry she plays off is not novel and seems all too familiar from the last edition, the magic remains incessant and the romance quite dreamy.
Foxx’s raging super-villain pitted against Spiderman witnesses a fine transformation from an oiled comb over to the angry negative guy. The actor’s stammering is pitch perfect and he is quite well cast in a role he adds to. The grievances against Spiderman could have been more grave or better fleshed out but the actor tries to iron out most of these odds well.
DeHaan again is great as the moody rich brat. Sally Field acquired herself a better role than written for the character in Sam Raimi’s films.
The Amazing Spiderman 2 Review: Direction, Editing and Screenplay
I personally prefer Webb’s direction over Raimi’s simply because they are closer to the comic texts in terms of the way its narrative is structured. The succinct tendency is intelligently done and hence I quite enjoyed the film. But specifically plotting out sequences to point out what the next film has in store isn’t something worth being appreciated. This is a constant problem with superhero films that they do not try succeeding solely as a standalone film and bother needlessly about how to convey what is to follow. Webb luckily retains the screenplay within a limited order unlike Man Of Steel which spread far more than it ideally should have making it seem stretched. To Webb’s credit, Spidey is uplifting and enjoyable this time and a lot of what comes out is done by him.
The Amazing Spiderman 2 Review: The Last Word
The last time most Spiderman loyalists weren’t quite pleased with Webb’s work. But this time Webb has done his best at upping his standard by adding a dash of heightened drama along with a sufficient dosage of light hearted decadent enjoyment to savor. For plusses, Emma Stone & Andrew Garfield quite do the magic but don’t miss the electricity that keep the spark afresh all through. I am going with a 3/5 and recommend that you go armed well from the candybar.
The Amazing Spiderman 2 Trailer
The Amazing Spiderman 2 releases on 1st May, 2014.
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