The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - User Review Thread! - SPOILERS! - Part 4

[spider-neil]

Why does Oscorp want to stop him from fighting "true crime"

Because Tombstone pays Norman to keep Spidey distracted with super criminals so doesn't turn his attention to petty mob crime.

 

[Krystal]

Because Tombstone pays Norman to keep Spidey distracted with super criminals so doesn't turn his attention to petty mob crime.

So an army of super villains are created to prevent the super hero from taking on petty crime.

So glad I never read that--when the source material written in 1964 makes more sense than the 5th revamp--that's sad.

 

[spider-neil]

So an army of super villains are created to prevent the super hero from taking on petty crime.

So glad I never read that--when the source material written in 1964 makes more sense than the 5th revamp--that's sad.

See it before judging it. Spectacular Spider-Man is an animated cartoon series. If you haven't seen it you're missing out. Imho it's the best animated Spidey series bar none.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I just saw this movie. I have a lot to say about it:

Spoiler

The previous film in the Marc Webb series I felt was a 3/5 type effort. Overall good, but it had glaring problems that hurt the overall product. I feel it is important to note my overall score for last film for people looking at my review of this one. Going into this film, I felt they had a solid foundation for a sequel, despite some missteps. Unfortunately, this film squanders them, and the end result is an inferior sequel to a good but not great film.

The biggest problem is the main villain: Electro. He is by far the worst Spider-Man villain in a film. Yeah, Rhino was corny and hammed up, but he was in the movie a whole 2 minutes. Electro had a ton of screentime, and 90% of it is eye rollingly bad. Right from the very start of talking to Spider-Man alone in his home on his birthday, this character sucked. I have no idea how this material was deemed good enough for filming. I don't see how a director could approve this character. He is straight up cartoonishly terrible. They used a fairly generic character from the comics that they had an open canvas in which to craft this character, and THIS was Webb and co's vision? Just wow. I could see a Razzie nomination for this. He's that bad. The movie doesn't even take him seriously! His Electro theme song in the movie was like clown music. It was like they were laughing about how awful he was.

What makes Electro even worse is that Dehaan is really good. While he descends into evil fairly quickly, his character was engaging and well portrayed. This movie should have focused MORE on him. The movie was much better when he was on screen. I would say his one and only battle in the movie, it was far too brief. He was beaten way too easily. It had cool ideas with him gliding where there is nothing for the web shooters to attach to, but then it is over within 2 minutes. Dehaan will likely be involved in the series more down the line, but this film needed him more. Especially when the other villain he shared screentime with was as awful as he was.

I also had several problems with the story. Really quickly, they toss the ending of TASM aside and now we get a cliche will they/won't they story with Peter and Gwen. This is like SM3 when they forced problems on MJ and Peter just for the sake of it. It was jarring and unnatural in the progression. Granted, I hated the "Those are the best kind" line, but stick to your guns! Don't back track and retread the same ground! Also, the parent's subplot had a crappy ending. First off, all this was to hide Richard Parker's blookd makes the spider's work? Stupid, and once again, it makes Peter Parker destined to be Spider-Man, not a guy who had a twist of fate. No one else literally could be Spider-Man! Also, I can see why Oscorp wanted Norman out of the way. He dedicated billions of dollars into designing abominations of science with animal motifs for super villain purposes! I can see why that is perceived as poor business.

But, the movie isn't all bad. Andrew Garfield is excellent in the film. I had some nitpicks about certain scenes (like when he casually walks into traffic when meeting up with Gwen...thus causes a bumper to bumper in the background...out of character as was his lack of urgency to get to graduation as he toyed with Rhino and wasted precious time goofily). But he was overall great, and he truly embodies Spider-Man on the screen. As was Emma Stone. It is sad she dies in this movie and not a better one. It could have been truly epic if the movie was better. Sally Field's scenes were all great. I'd say she is an upgrade as Aunt May, though her and Rosemary Harris were both great. The film also offered plenty of great visuals and action scenes. I wish they did more with the Goblin when he was in the movie, but the other action scenes were excellent. The Spider-Man suit is also stunning. Has all the best elements of the Raimi suit, but the sleek physique of the Ditko era Spidey. Outstanding.

Overall, this movie is the very definition of mediocrity. While it has elements that are great, some moments and decisions bog this film down and ultimately culminate in the worst Spider-Man film we've had to date. In the hands of Marc Webb, this series will never shine. He took one of the masterpiece stories of the Spider-Man mythology, and somehow it resulted in the worst film of the series. That just shows his own mediocrity. This series needs a new direction.

2.5/5...maybe a 2/5

 

[I'm Old Greg]

This movie was predictable and baaad.

Lets hope SONY doesn't finish the 4th film by the deadline and loses all the rights to Spider-Man.
GOD PLEEEASE

 

[Harry Dresden]

Spectacular Spiderman is the greatest Spiderman cartoon to have ever existed.

Shame it got cancelled.

 

[thomass]

Facts are over-rated.

Does a film have to be tied to the comics so completely?

 

[AF3619]

sigh, i remember when i thought that this movie could be the best spidey movie yet, don´t get me wrong i still like it but seeing all the hate is getting and the mixed to negative reaction from people who liked the first kinda bums me down

 

[thomass]

I saw this last night at a 8 PM showing. First let me say this - I went to get tickets at 6:30. Bought two. I asked if there was a line I needed to get in and the girl said, " Well actually your tickets only makes 23 sold for this show. We need over 300 more to fill it up. I think your safe to come back." So I ended up walking into the theater literally with two minutes to go and had my pick of seats. If there were thirty-five people in the whole theater, I would be surprised. Now the movie - I have to say I was completely surprised. I was so totally sold on this being a suck-fest, I was completely taken back to find a movie that was enjoyable on levels I had not experienced in a Spider-man film. Halfway through the movie, I was thinking, "Where is this terrible movie everyone cringed over?" I fully expected a Batman & Robin experience. I got nothing of the kind. Without giving away any specific spoilers let me say what I believe Marc Webb was attempting here. What is buried in Spider-man 2 is a love story about Peter and Gwen coupled with a disclaimer about the dangers that comes from living this fantastic life as Spider-man. This is truly the first film where I really, truly see Spider-man. I felt like I was really looking at him. With only a few exceptions in the beginning, I felt like I was truly looking at my childhood hero. His personality was spot on. His costume, mask ( and especially his eyes) - perfect. His swinging through town was just incredible. Marc Webb essentially puts you on his shoulder and gives you one heck of a ride as you see exactly what Spider-man sees. And when the camera pulls back, you see Spider-man in all his comic-book glory making the poses you always wanted to see. It's absolutely the comic book come to life - in a very good way. But I also understood where the disconnect with critics and some of the audience may lie.

It's a story about the fantastic life of Spider-man. It's not about pitting one fantastic villain against our hero. Thematically it's a story about how Parker tries to find meaning in being this fantastic hero (who brings miracles and hope to the public in daily doses) in contrast to this insecure kid who doesn't understand why his parents abandoned him, which feeds his conflict with walking away from Gwen. Gwen is the love of his life and you absolutely believe it and feel it. Their chemistry is truly the movie on every level. The villains are really intended to represent the uncertainty that faces Spider-man every day (like the crime element and inherent dangers a police officer might face). It also serves as a reminder that no matter how incredibly strong and swift Spider-man is, he can't be that hero to everyone. Spider-man's intentions can be misunderstood as well. It's a far more intriguing story than what I expected. What ultimately may be the artistic pitfall of this film, is that Marc Webb doesn't just want you to feel what its like to swing as Spider-man, he wants you to truly feel the conflict and heartache of being Spider-man. And he does that to great effect. And that right there may be what leaves you feeling conflicted as you leave the theater. You feel the excitement and exhilaration of being Spider-man. But you also feel the heavy emotional price in that role as well. It's not a garbage film at all. It's a good movie, done very well. And it's VERY coherent in it's purpose. But not everyone may see that. If you let the film come to you on it's own terms, it plays out beautifully. If you're looking for a color-by-the-numbers good vs bad installment, you may get lost. Go see it. I highly recommend it. Just go in with no expectations to an a-typical superhero structure and let the story unfold. I think you'll like it.

A very brilliant evaluation. I enjoyed reading that.

 

[Hobgoblin]

I have to wonder what happens to OsCorp in the next films. Norman and Menken are dead, and Harry is locked away. I wonder if Roderick Kingsley would take over.

 

[AF3619]

I have to wonder what happens to OsCorp in the next films. Norman and Menken are dead, and Harry is locked away. I wonder if Roderick Kingsley would take over.

Menken is not dead, as far as i know...

 

[Hobgoblin]

Menken is not dead, as far as i know...

That's right, he ran off after Harry injected himself. I didnt remember him past the confrontation with Electro and Harry.

 

[Visualiza]

Does a film have to be tied to the comics so completely?

Heh. You should ask some of the TASM fans the same question. In 2012, when their smear campaign was in full swing, comic book accuracy and a lack of "camp & cheese" were of the utmost importance.

Funny how things have turned out.

 

[AF3619]

That's right, he ran off after Harry injected himself. I didnt remember him past the confrontation with Electro and Harry.

i forgot in the videogame Menken is actually

Spoiler

Chameleon

 

[Picard Sisko]

Okay, I just saw the movie. I'll be perfectly honest with you guys and say that I can't give you my real opinion just yet. There was so much happening all at once and it was really hard to keep track of everything. When I first walked out of the movie I wasn't really sure of what I thought of it (in fact, my feelings were pretty negative). However, the more I keep thinking about it, the more I think I like it.

I will be seeing the film again next weekend so I will probably write a short review then.

 

[kbrooksgohan]

I have to wonder what happens to OsCorp in the next films. Norman and Menken are dead, and Harry is locked away. I wonder if Roderick Kingsley would take over.

Norman's not dead. No body was shown. And Norman was using Harry as a pawn.

 

[kbrooksgohan]

I also was really moved by the performances in this film and I loved the ending. Very powerful.

 

[AnneFan]

sigh, i remember when i thought that this movie could be the best spidey movie yet, don´t get me wrong i still like it but seeing all the hate is getting and the mixed to negative reaction from people who liked the first kinda bums me down

Beating yourself up over a movie you want other people to like is pointless and way too time consuming - it's a 'battle' users are never going to win, because opinions are opinions. People see things differently. There's more important things to worry about.

 

[Hobgoblin]

Norman's not dead. No body was shown. And Norman was using Harry as a pawn.

We'll just have to wait and see. You can never tell with those Osborns.

 

[Picard Sisko]

To add to my previous post, I wanted to add a few quick thoughts:

I thought Electro was awesome in terms of visuals, but Max Dillon didn't get enough screen time before his transformation.

I thought DeHaan was FANTASTIC as the Green Goblin, but the issue was lack of screen time. We'll probably see him in the next film anyway.

I don't think Dr. Kafka was really that bad. He had maybe less than 5 minutes of screentime and he was the least of the movie's problems.

Aleksei was over the top but I thought his appearance was fun.

 

[thomass]

Heh. You should ask some of the TASM fans the same question. In 2012, when their smear campaign was in full swing, comic book accuracy and a lack of "camp & cheese" were of the utmost importance.

Funny how things have turned out.

I personally don't care about any of that. I read a lot of the comics as a youngster. I enjoyed the comics and I enjoyed TASM. No one should expect the makers of the film to not be creative.

 

[SpideyK]

To add to my previous post, I wanted to add a few quick thoughts:

I thought Electro was awesome in terms of visuals, but Max Dillon didn't get enough screen time before his transformation.

I thought DeHaan was FANTASTIC as the Green Goblin, but the issue was lack of screen time. We'll probably see him in the next film anyway.

I don't think Dr. Kafka was really that bad. He had maybe less than 5 minutes of screentime and he was the least of the movie's problems.

Aleksei was over the top but I thought his appearance was fun.

Completely identical to my opinion, woah. I'm not even kidding.

 

[AF3619]

I also was really moved by the performances in this film and I loved the ending. Very powerful.

oh yeah Love the ENDING, this movie is a real rollercoaster

Spoiler

first part with spidey swinging "AWESOME" as soon as Max appears "EHH?", Times square " WOOO! YEAH", Ravencroft scene "WHAAA?", all the Harry parts " i like it", Goblin transformation "oh s**t, that´s creepy",Electro´s final battle "Meh",Clocktower scene " good but GOD was that brief", the aftermath"" and the ending "AWESOME"

sometimes i think the first time i saw the movie, i didn´t know what to think because it had me so excited and then like Jeremy said for every scene i LOVE there is something i HATE or bothers me in a logical level, i almost felt like Gollum,lol

 

[Picard Sisko]

Completely identical to my opinion, woah. I'm not even kidding.

Great minds think alike.

I seriously want to give this film a rating but I simply can't. I'm actually having trouble remembering everything that happened in the movie.

 

[Doctor Who]

Good points---the part in bold------- lol funny.

But I agree with you about Electro and thanks for saying it----the worst of it was the dialogue---the concept of a societal reject becoming all powerful is worthwhile and could be done right.

"Slingblade" was chilling with just a lawn mower blade before he killed that guy. Imagine a real wacko--with super powers--with real disturbing dialogue and a nuanced performance--it could have been chilling and great.

Instead----"It's my birthday let's......." Ugh.

I liked Foxx when he ACTUALLY became Electro: the guy before was just a really bad rip of Jim Carrey's the Riddler. I was both creeped out and laughing that I couldn't take this guy seriously at all. I think if he had been a bit more reserved and silent throughout before he became this raging madman, I think it would have felt more balanced and could have fealt some kind of sympathy from the character... but sadly he just didn't really deliever until after his transformation.

And even after that there was still some bad dialogue and EVERY single action sequence in the film.... I felt like I already got from the trailer: no real huge surprises minus the Clocktower sequence which was GOOD... but could have been longer and more developed.

There's nothing real memorable about Electro, but he didn't do bad: unfortunately that's not Foxx's fault (he's extremely gifted), but to not fully writing out his character. He honestly just felt like a plot filler to fill in the gaps of an imcomplete script. It was fine, but I know Webb and the team are talented and capable enough for giving a bigger punch.