Waiting over two hours for the filmmakers to spring its one surprise (to non-comic readers mostly) is an inhumane bore that doesn't so much setup what's in store for Spider-Man's life to be "changed forever" but to trace how they were setting us up for the kill with all the subtlety of introducing a cop a week from retirement. Audiences were blindsided during The Dark Knight because of the connection between its characters, what they stood for and its immediate aftermath. There is almost no chemistry between anyone on screen with relationships ranging from one-dimensional writing to flat-out annoying. Laundry becomes a major source of contention between Peter and Aunt May (Sally Field, just itching to go full Steel Magnolias.) Stalking becomes a central theme. Motion-challenged action sequences have one longing for the subtlety of Zack Snyder. There is nothing to recommend about The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to comic or movie fans who may flock to it in the hopes that its overkill is enough to wash down the initial mediocrity of the reboot. Instead they are liable to find a series that has been officially Schumacher'ed that may generate enough poisonous word-of-mouth to kill the franchise. At least until the next reboot.
