The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - User Review Thread! - SPOILERS! - Part 5

[Spider-knight]

Interesting lol. I still loved the movie despite him picking everything apart. It did more right than wrong imo.

I think they are easy fixes. I believe in Marc Webb.

seriously, these reviews have me worried. andrew nor webb deserve enough hate.

any ideas on how the movie was good?

 

[socool]

A fun, "turn-your-brain-off" film with a HORRIBLE script and some pretty lame, over the top acting. The biggest problem; Spider-Man has the characters, heart, lore, and potential to be so much more than a "turn-your-brain-off" film but apparently that's what Sony wants. So disappointing.

As a Spider-Man film: 9/10
As a film: 6.5-7/10

Barely an improvement over the first but an improvement nonetheless so...okay. Still wishing Sony would lose the rights. This trilogy is NOWHERE near what Raimi's was.

 

[flickchick85]

I just got back and I'm not even sure how to describe my opinion of it because I don't think I've ever had such conflicting feelings toward a movie.

On one hand, I loved, loved LOVED so much about this movie. This version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man is THE definitive screen version for me through and through. Andrew's performance and the way he was written was just perfection to me. I feel the same way about Gwen Stacy. In fact, I like this version of Gwen better than I've ever liked her in the comics, and she's now one of my favorite "superhero love interest" characters in movies, period. Actually, I think she's surpassed Pepper Potts as my favorite. Every scene Peter and Gwen had together or with other characters just worked so well, imo, and I credit that both to the actors and Marc Webb's direction of them.

I also enjoyed the action scenes more than any Spidey movie, including SM2. They were easy to follow yet still extremely kinetic with a very distinctive style of their own. I really loved the overall tone, and and the visuals were stunning (saw it in IMAX 3D). It just had the personality I've always felt like a Spidey movie should have (I've mentioned several times before that Raimi's tone just went too camp too often for me). All of that, I have to give kudos to Marc Webb for, because honestly, I don't think this script could have been directed any better.

...which is where we get to the "conflicted feelings" part. Because despite all the lovely character and action moments and visuals, this movie is a narrative mess. Yes, I guess Webb deserves some blame for that, as a little more work in the editing room could have possibly helped, but honestly I feel like the crux of the problem lies with the screenplay and Sony's grand franchise plans seriously weighing it all down. There's just too much they're trying to do in the grand scheme that they forgot to focus on THIS individual story and what it has to say. It feels like nothing more than a continuation meant to lead to bigger things, and doesn't work as a standalone narrative. Electro didn't need to be in it at all. I mean, he lifts right out of the story, except he's there to give Spidey someone to fight until Goblin shows up. And then when Goblin DOES show up, since Electro's been the major villain so far and is the focus of the climactic spectacle, he undercuts the payoff of the Goblin story, turning that whole storyline into one big anti-climax. It's like, Electro could have been the main villain in one movie, Goblin could have been the main villain in another, but throwing them together cuts down on their time to be developed and undercuts each one's effectiveness. It makes them both seem like undercooked afterthoughts in a way. Then there's all the other stuff, with Oscorp, Peter's parents, and obvious setups for the Sinister Six, and it all just starts to be way too much. The only character development that didn't suffer from this was Peter and Gwen's. Everyone else just felt like cogs in a machine, despite some good performances (I didn't care for Jamie Foxx, though).

So yeah, I basically have to rate this on 2 different scales - one as a Spidey movie, and one as a film in general, because my feelings on how it works as each of those things are so dramatically different.

As a Spidey movie - 9.5/10. As I said, this is the best interpretation of the character I've seen thus far, and the portrayal of his interactions with everyone from Gwen to Aunt May to his many foes were just perfect to me. I had such a grin on my face throughout these scenes. It pretty much had everything I've ever wanted to see in a Spidey movie, in tone, action and character (at least with the protagonists).

As a film - 6.5/10. Mostly great performances, stunning visuals (shout out to the production design too!), good music (still prefer Horner's theme, but Zimmer did a good job), and great action scenes. All hampered by a super-weak narrative and undercooked villains.

So my overall score would have to be an average of the two which is an 8/10. I really enjoyed this movie, despite the completely bungled narrative. And while I accept that SM2 is a MUCH better-crafted story than this and won't argue with anyone who declares its superiority over this sequel, I personally still enjoyed this more than that one, because of how much I prefer and enjoy this version of the main characters.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

This was horrible. I just got out of the theater 30 mins ago and I couldn't figure why this was so bad, even though I loved the first film. Then I found this article and it explained everything perfectly

What is The Amazing Spider-Man 2 about?

It's about a man gifted with extraordinary powers who, through hard work and perseverance, finally manages to get his girlfriend killed.

What?

Lots of things happen in the movie — rarely with any kind of coherence or justification — but as far as I can tell the movie is specifically about Peter Parker, who 1) knows his relationship with Gwen puts her in danger and 2) promised Gwen's father, who Spider-Man also effectively got killed in the first movie, that he'd leave Gwen the hell alone, but keeps renewing their relationship until finally she's caught in the metaphorical crossfire of one of his battles and dies. To be fair, Gwen is also pretty set on getting herself killed.

But what about all the villains in the film?

Oh, they show up. They fight Spider-Man and star in some pretty great action scenes, but everything about the villains is completely random. It's impossible to get invested in their story because their motivation is so stupid. Let me put it this way: Paul Giamatti's Rhino, sans Rhino suit, is the first bad guy who shows up and his brilliant plan is this: To hijack an Oscorp truck carrying radioactive TMNT mutagen in the middle of the day in the middle of Manhattan, while somehow escaping the 50 cops cars chasing after him and his crew.

And?

Well, Electro and Harry Osborn/Green Goblin make Rhino look like Napoleon.

How is that?

First, Electro. If you've seen the trailers, you know the deal: Jamie Foxx is Max Dillon, a helpless shlub who works at Oscorp; one day Spider-Man saves him and he instantly becomes both obsessed with Spidey and completely unhinged, and then when he transforms into Electro — and I'll get to that in a second — Spider-Man says the cops won't shoot him and a cop shoots Electro and Max somehow blames Spider-Man and turns evil.

So Electro's whole vendetta against Spider-Man is because one cop that Spider-Man couldn't possibly have been in contact with or stopped fired a bullet that didn't even hurt Electro because he's made of electricity?

Yes.

Ugh. What about Green Goblin's origin?

Well, technically Harry Osborn has a decent motivation to hate Spider-Man, but Spider-Man's reason for giving Goblin that motivation is completely bizarre. It all starts with Harry's dad Norman.

Norman Osborn is in the film?

Yes, briefly. It turns out he has some crazy neurogenetic disease that's killing him and all his crazy research and the radioactive spiders that Peter's dad was working on and all the other crazy **** going on at Oscorp was because he was trying to find a cure. Oh, and also make biologically weaponized soldiers for the government, because he's evil, obviously. Anyways, Harry returns to watch his dad bite it.

Where has Harry been?

Norman shipped him off to boarding school at the age of 10 because he was some kind of massive disappointment… at 10 years old? And Norman is also pissed that Harry left even though Norman was the one who sent him away? It's a lot of ****** dad clichés at once. That said, despite Harry being a complete failure unworthy of his father's love, Norman gives him complete control of Oscorp.

Okay… but that's good, right?

Well, yes and no. Yes because Harry has access to all his father's crazy secret projects — which, by the way, is literally in a folder titled "Secret Projects" — and no because that neurogenetic disease that his father succumbed to at the age of 50-something decides this is the week to put it into high gear and start giving Harry big neck zits. I should note that the movie doesn't acknowledge the disease's inexplicably rapid spread in Harry, Harry just decides he needs the cure in the next three days or it's all over.

What's the cure?

Well, it's either Spider-Man's blood or the venom of the radioactive spiders from the first movie. Since the spiders and all animal-hybrid test subjects were all supposedly destroyed after the Lizard fiasco, Harry asks Peter to ask Spider-Man for some blood to save his life, since Peter once took a photo of Spider-Man and must obviously have him on speed dial.

But aren't Peter and Harry friends? Why doesn't Peter just give him the blood?

Well, it's complicated. First of all, they were friends when they were 10, and then Harry got sent away, and came back a decade later and then suddenly they're BFFs, and then Harry tells Peter he needs Spider-Man's blood and Peter gets all weird about it.

But why does he get weird about it?

Peter's afraid it will kill Harry.

Harry is already dying.

A good point. One Harry makes, actually. But Peter's also worried it may have… other effects.

So? Doesn't Harry have a massive science corporation that would presumably test the blood? I mean, Harry's not planning on just drinking it or something, is he?

Actually, I think both Harry and Peter manage to forget about Oscorp and the scientific minds and technology that could be used to identity potentially harmful side effects before Harry ingests the blood, which is kind of impressive because Harry and Spider-Man actually have this conversation inside Oscorp itself.

Then how does Harry become the Goblin?

Because of course Oscorp kept some of the spider venom in the "Secret Projects" basement. Harry finds it, instantly injects himself with it despite the fact that no one has any clue what it does and even though had the spider-venom worked perhaps Harry's dad would have taken it and not died earlier in the movie and despite the fact that Harry should, by all accounts, have at least 30 more years before the disease kills him so there's no rush whatsoever. The disease transforms him into the weirdo you've seen already, and at the exact same moment the transformation is complete a random door opens up in the same room Harry's in, containing the new Goblin armor.

What?

Yes. They keep the radioactive spider venom and the Goblin suit and all the other tech that will eventually outfit the Sinister Six down in the basement. And there's apparently come kind of special protocol where if someone injects themselves with radioactive spider venom, the door to the Goblin armor unlocks.

That's kind of dumb.

Unfortunately, that's what a large part of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is — dumb, inexplicable coincidences.

Can I ask you about a random assortment of these bizarre coincidences individually?

You certainly may!

Why did Peter Parker's dad hide subway tokens in his calculator? Even if they were some special "get into the secret" lab coins, isn't sticking them in a calculator infinitely more suspicious than if he just carried them in his pocket like a normal person?

Probably.

How the hell did Peter's dad get a special lab in an abandoned NYC subway station? It couldn't have been through Oscorp because then Osborn would have had it ransacked looking for the research. And if you're making a hidden lab in an abandoned subway station, why on earth would you bother to make it look like a subway car? Especially when anyone with a view of any of the windows — the windows, by god — can see it's full of science ****?

Peter's dad was a weird dude.

Why did Peter's dad upload his confession video exposing Osborn's nefarious plan to his secret lab, the one place that technically no one else on the planet knew existed, thus ensuring that unless his 20-year-old son threw his calculator against the wall, exposing the tokens and then putting together his father had a secret lab hidden in an abandoned subway station, no one would ever possibly have a chance to watch it?

No idea.

Wouldn't it have made more sense for Peter to have discovered the video where Peter's dad explains the spider venom makes people without Parker DNA all crazy before Spidey tells Harry Osborn he can't have his blood, so that Spider-Man's refusal would be avoid dangerous and known consequences as opposed to weirdly just refusing to help his friend from dying?

I'm gonna say yeah.

Why, after being accepted to Oxford, would anyone decide to fly immediately to England without saying goodbye to her family, friends or loved ones, dealing with her job at Oscorp or other social engagements, or even packing?? What kind of crazy person books a flight for later that afternoon? How much money would that cost?

And how, when Peter hears Gwen's message about heading to the airport and immediately leaving the country, does he somehow know that she's still stuck in traffic, where she's stuck in traffic, and how to position his "I LOVE YOU" so her cabbie can see the message and point it out to her?

/looks embarrassedly away

If rebooting the power grid was literally just a matter of pushing a button, did Gwen really need to come "operate" it? To the point where she decided to apparently steal a cop car?

It's very technical.

Are there any conversations between Peter and Aunt May or Peter and Harry where everyone doesn't talk like everyone knows Spider-Man's identity?

Nope.

Why the holy hell is Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. the Black Cat, Harry Osborn's executive assistant in this movie?

The same reason Gwen Stacy is a high school intern at Oscorp with access to the highest echelons of the company's files and data. Everyone has to work as Oscorp. Frankly, I'm surprised Aunt May isn't head of HR or something yet.

Okay, that was… fun. But the movie can't be all random coincidences, can it?

No it is not. There are also ridiculously contrived circumstances, such as the creation of Electro, which features sad-sack Max Dillon being ordered to fix a giant loose wire in the room where they keep the man-eating electric eels. This giant, frayed wire is positioned directly above the tanks containing the man-eating electric eels, and these tanks are of course completely open on top. Now, of course, Oscorp runs the entire city's power grids and is a multi-billion dollar corporation with the strictest safety measures in pace, but whoops, the one guy in charge of shutting down the electricity for that wire isn't about to let someone's life get in the way of leaving work at 6pm? And of course, Max, as a brilliant electrical engineer, decides to stand precariously over an open tank of man-eating electric eels to grab both ends of the giant, sparking frayed wires as anyone with his education and experience would do. The fact that he falls into a giant tank of man-eating electric eels while holding two ends of a giant live electrical wire is an outcome no one could have foreseen.

Jesus.

And it was Max's birthday. Obviously.

Obviously. Why did the electric eels need to also eat him?

I have no ****ing clue.

Is there anything redeeming about The Amazing Spider-Man 2?

Sure there is! The fights scenes are all great, and Spider-Man in this go-'round is much funnier and has better quips. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are irritatingly adorable together, and her death scene is done very well. Honestly, if you can just ignore all the bits where ASM2 pretends its telling some kind of coherent story it's quite fun.

Why does the "scientist" "examining" Electro have a German accent, love torture, and seemingly sends shocks to a man made out of electricity? What was the point of the two planes nearly crashing when Spider-Man literally had no idea it was happening and his saving them at the last second was completely incidental? How can Gwen cut through Spider-Man's web with a penknife? Why would Peter believe an FBI agent who told Aunt May 10 years ago his parents were traitors? Why did they bother to add B.J. Novak as Alistair Smythe as a mid-level executive dickweed? Why would the movie decide to have Harry discover his father's "secret projects" by accidentally dropping the doodad while effectively popping a giant zit on his neck?

Lazy storytelling, cheap drama, lazy storytelling, cheap drama, why the **** not, no ****ing clue.

Hey, what happened to the Rhino? What about his armor?

Oh! Well, by the end of the movie, Harry is in a straitjacket in the insane asylum. Someone mysterious meets with him, and it's clear Harry has a plan centered around killing Spider-Man involving a group. A sinister group, one might say. The amount of people in this sinister group is as yet unknown.

Move it along.

Well, somehow Harry's plan begins by giving one guy the Rhino armor and letting him loose in NYC with no determinable agenda, and Harry and Harry's mysterious pal chooses the moron from the beginning of the movie, because giving someone smart the armor would be… less good than giving it to an idiot?

Sigh.

That's not the worst part, though! See, earlier in the film, Spidey rescues a little science project kid from getting beaten up by bullies ad walks him home and compliments his project. It's actually a sweet moment, and a really good Spider-Man scene.

Okay…

Well, when the Rhino comes back in his new duds, Peter has quit being Spider-Man for several months to feel bad about getting his girlfriend killed. Aunt May has a talk with Peter where she essentially tells him "The best thing you can do is hide all the things that remind you of your deceased loved ones in the closet, and try to not think about them."

The hell?

I don't even know, man. But anyways! So The Rhino is rampaging through NYC, although he's really just hanging out in one location and shooting police cars. Now, there are huge crowds watching this from behind police barricades, because of course when a man in a giant suit of armor with two huge machine guns on its arms is trying to shooting randomly at people, everyone would just there stand and watch. Well, that nerdy kid from before is there on the front line with his mother, and this little idiot decides to go confront Rhino.

No, seriously — the hell?!

So course the cops manage to restrain the mother from grabbing her kid, but no member of the police force sees this kid toddle the 30 or so feet from the barricade to stand directly in front of the Rhino. The kid puts on his Spidey mask, the Rhino seemingly respects his new-found foe as an equal, then Spidey shows up and the Rhino kindly lets Spidey and the kid have a short conversation and fist bump before the two of them finally battle.

My god.

There are so many bizarre, insane things happening in this scene. It didn't just break my suspension of disbelief, it shot it gangland execution-style, and buried it in a shallow grave out in the woods.

Anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

I think Electro might be ****ing the movie's soundtrack. Because whenever he's onscreen the music literally just starts chanting whatever's in Electro's head, and it's ****ing insane. I have to assume the character and the soundtrack are in some kind of relationship, and that's why Electro gets this special treatment.

Was The Amazing Spider-Man 2 amazing or not?

Well, if you use amazing without any of its normal positive connotations — is in, "I was amazed by this movie, both because of the quality of its action scenes and its ridiculously nonsensical plot," then yeah, it was pretty amazing.

Like I said earlier, I loved the first movie! LOVED IT! But this sums up what I saw earlier tonight. A convoluted mess. My friend who knows nothing of the comics walke dout and said WTF did I just watch? He even said after Cap 2 he thought Marvel was doing the best stuff in movies and this fell short so I had to explain that this is not Marvel Studios.

I am so disapointed in this that I will treat Sony's Amazing Spiderman like I treat Fox's X-men and that is a lifetime ban on getting any money from my wallet!

 

[Visualiza]

This was horrible. I just got out of the theater 30 mins ago and I couldn't figure why this was so bad, even though I loved the first film. Then I found this article and it explained everything perfectly



Like I said earlier, I loved the first movie! LOVED IT! But this sums up what I saw earlier tonight. A convoluted mess. My friend who knows nothing of the comics walke dout and said WTF did I just watch? He even said after Cap 2 he thought Marvel was doing the best stuff in movies and this fell short so I had to explain that this is not Marvel Studios.

I am so disapointed in this that I will treat Sony's Amazing Spiderman like I treat Fox's X-men and that is a lifetime ban on getting any money from my wallet!

This type of thing is very disheartening to me. WTF did I just watch...to a Spider-Man movie of all things. That's the last thing that should ever come out of somebody's mouth after watching a Spider-Man movie. This character rocketed to the top of the comic book movie echelon back in '02...and until SM3 at least, Spider-Man was the gold standard for how to adapt a superhero for the silver screen. Just look at him now...now I think I really know how Batman fans felt after BF and B&R. Only this time, I don't foresee a Christopher Nolan swooping in to save us when the studio seems to content to run the character into the ground even further with such brilliant ideas as a Venom and Sinister Six movie...when both of those ideas have either not been introduced at all or took a backseat to Peter's hamfisted love life.

I don't know about anyone else...but for me...it's a bad time to be a Spider-Man fan in terms of the films.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Dude I feel ya, it scares me man. This is a joke and not what we should get. Remember I LOVED the reboot

 

[socool]

I don't know about anyone else...but for me...it's a bad time to be a Spider-Man fan in terms of the films.

And the games, and the television shows...the only thing (seemingly) working for him right now is the comics.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

The comics which he just came out of being taken over by Doc Ock and had his whole life turned upside down

 

[AsteroidM]

I heard alot of negative reviews before seeing this movie. I went into the theater not expecting much at all. I was told it was the worst Spidey yet. I had it stuck in my head that Sam Raimi's version of Spider-Man couldn't be touched. I put his Spidey on a pedestal, a very high one. Because I respect Sam Raimi as a filmmaker. I feel like my bias had prevented me from enjoying the first Amazing Spider-Man on any level. Although I still think that film butchered one of the greatest origins in comics. The unresolved nature of Uncle Ben's Killer left a disgusting feeling in my gut. I also wanted to hear that classic line "With Great Power Comes great Responsibility." I guess I'll just have to watch Spider-Man to relive it. Or you know read the comic. But nonetheless I went into the theater expecting the worst.

This movie brought me back to feeling like I was 10 again, trying to rush home so I could catch the cartoon on Fox. There wasn't a whole lot I didn't like about this movie. I feel like they actually managed to capture the tone of Spider-Man, with some great special effects and some really talented actors. I wasn't bored for a second. And to me that's worth more than the price of admission. I was able to forget about my life for 2 hours and feel like I was in Spider-Man's world.

Loved the quips. Loved the various references to the mythology. I'm not sure the webslinging has ever looked more convincing. Emma Stone is the perfect Gwen Stacy. Sure this wasn't my ideal version of Electro with the starfish mask. Nor my ideal version of the Goblin Legacy. A Jameson appearance would've been nice. But that's what makes this series great is that its a contemporary version of Spider-Man that nails the tone. I can forgive my expectations because Peter Parker felt like the Peter Parker. The character I was always interested in reading and watching. More so than previous attempts. Personally I can't wait for the next episode to see what happens next. I'm sure another Spider-Man can be made that trumps this one. Its bound to happen. But for now this is my favorite Spider-Man film. My ten year old self would have loved to have seen a movie that gets so much right. Maybe a 8 out of 10? I thought it was worth 2 hours of my time and I'm impressed with the direction this series is taking.

 

[spider-neil]

...

Your review perfectly sums up my feelings towards this movie. There are suerhero movies that are far better paced, scripted, narrated, this is a flawed flawed movie but this movie is my absolutely 'FAVOURITE' CBM. I've never felt the range of emotion watching a CBM before. Will be interesting to see if it remains my number 1 after a couple of years.

 

[First Avenger]

I just got back and I'm not even sure how to describe my opinion of it because I don't think I've ever had such conflicting feelings toward a movie.

On one hand, I loved, loved LOVED so much about this movie. This version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man is THE definitive screen version for me through and through. Andrew's performance and the way he was written was just perfection to me. I feel the same way about Gwen Stacy. In fact, I like this version of Gwen better than I've ever liked her in the comics, and she's now one of my favorite "superhero love interest" characters in movies, period. In fact, I think she's surpassed Pepper Potts as my favorite. Every scene Peter and Gwen had together or with other characters just worked so well, imo, and I credit that both to the actors and Marc Webb's direction of them.

I also enjoyed the action scenes more than any Spidey movie, including SM2. They were easy to follow yet still extremely kinetic with a very distinctive style of their own. I really loved the overall tone, and and the visuals were stunning (saw it in IMAX 3D). It just had the personality I've always felt like a Spidey movie should have (I've mentioned several times before that Raimi's tone just went too camp too often for me). All of that, I have to give kudos to Marc Webb for, because honestly, I don't think this script could have been directed any better.

...which is where we get to the "conflicted feelings" part. Because despite all the lovely character and action moments and visuals, this movie is a narrative mess. Yes, I guess Webb deserves some blame for that, as a little more work in the editing room could have possibly helped, but honestly I feel like the crux of the problem lies with the screenplay and Sony's grand franchise plans seriously weighing it all down. There's just too much they're trying to do in the grand scheme that they forgot to focus on THIS individual story and what it has to say. It feels like nothing more than a continuation meant to lead to bigger things, and doesn't work as a standalone narrative. Electro didn't need to be in it at all. I mean, he lifts right out of the story, except he's there to give Spidey someone to fight until Goblin shows up. And then when Goblin DOES show up, since Electro's been the major villain so far and is the focus of the climactic spectacle, he undercuts the payoff of the Goblin story, turning that whole storyline into one big anti-climax. It's like, Electro could have been the main villain in one movie, Goblin could have been the main villain in another, but throwing them together cuts down on their time to be developed and undercuts each one's effectiveness. It makes them both seem like undercooked afterthoughts in a way. Then there's all the other stuff, with Oscorp, Peter's parents, and obvious setups for the Sinister Six, and it all just starts to be way too much. The only character development that didn't suffer from this was Peter and Gwen's. Everyone else just felt like cogs in a machine, despite some good performances (I didn't care for Jamie Foxx, though).

So yeah, I basically have to rate this on 2 different scales - one as a Spidey movie, and one as a film in general, because my feelings on how it works as each of those things are so dramatically different.

As a Spidey movie - 9.5/10. As I said, this is the best interpretation of the character I've seen thus far, and the portrayal of his interactions with everyone from Gwen to Aunt May to his many foes were just perfect to me. I had such a grin on my face throughout these scenes. It pretty much had everything I've ever wanted to see in a Spidey movie, in tone, action and character (at least with the protagonists).

As a film - 6.5/10. Mostly great performances, stunning visuals (shout out to the production design too!), good music (still prefer Horner's theme, but Zimmer did a good job), and great action scenes. All hampered by a super-weak narrative and undercooked villains.

So my overall score would have to be an average of the two which is an 8/10. I really enjoyed this movie, despite the completely bungled narrative. And while I accept that SM2 is a MUCH better-crafted story than this and won't argue with anyway who declares its superiority over this sequel, I personally still enjoyed this more than that one, because of how much I prefer and enjoy this version of the main characters.

This is pretty much spot on.

 

[AsteroidM]

If you want Spider-Man with some depth read Kraven's Last Hunt or Spider-Man Blue. This is a 2 hour film made for kids. I realize the Spider-Man I read as a child is dead. They ruined my ride with Sins Past/One More Day. Marvel/Sony is trying to get the next generation of fans hooked on buying the books watching the cartoons and yes buying the toys. My time has come and gone. I don't feel like I'm allowed to complain too much about things like Electro being blue and Rhino being a Megazord. The ultimate version of the characters basically.I'm just happy they finally nailed the character of Peter Parker on film. I've been waiting a really long time just for that. I'm willing to forgive the filmmakers for not doing every little detail how I would have done it.

Sorry this post is a rant. But I'm going to leave it here. Because its how I feel.

 

[jerkhero]

I really liked the first Amazing Spider-Man, I thought it was taking Spider-Man movies to the right direction. Unfortunately, I didn't like the sequel. I felt that instead of moving forward, it went back towards Spider-Man 3 and "silly" comic book movies (saw the comparison to Schumacher's Batman movies, and I partially agree).

At first it was really hard to say why I didn't like this movie. But I think it's that all the little things added up. I felt awkward too many times watching this film. Too many characters were just silly, they didn't act like "real people". For example pre-Electro Max Dillon, Sytsevich, Kafka. It was like watching a comic book movie parody. And no, when I say 'real people' I don't mean I want my Spider-Man to be dark and grounded to reality.

I liked the action scenes..althought there is some things to nitpick, like in the truck chase scene, why didn't Spider-Man just, you know, stop Sytsevich instead of risking lives? Also really liked the Gwen's death scene. But even that had a problem: The Green Goblin. I felt like he was the Sam Raimi's Venom of this movie: A character that should have a huge role in the story that is just thrown in at the end.

Just some random thoughts i had to get out of my system.

 

[spider-neil]

With regards to Spider-Man movies, I don't think we have seen the definitive Spider-Man movie yet.

Spider-Man.
Good origin story (one of the best frankly).
But I thought Spider-Man himself was completely off (from the comics) and Peter was a little too nerdy for my tastes.

Spider-Man 2.
Brilliant 'movie', expertly told, fantastic action and the exploration of what it is to be a hero (costumed or simple citizen) and sacrifice everything for the greater good. Great story telling, long lasting themes. But again, for me, Spider-Man is not the character I recognize from the comics.

Spider-Man 3.
Not sure what you would take from this movie.

ASM.
Great cast, I think I liked all the leads in this movie better than the leads in the original trilogy. Peter comes across smarter than the original trilogy. Spidey is jokey but a little unlikeable. Story telling isn't as strong as the Raimi Spidey movies (1 and 2).

ASM2.
Cast is great, action is great, Peter is way more likeable in this movie and Spidey himself is pitch perfect. Story telling is pretty all over the place, pacing issues and underdeveloped characters.

Basically, imho we haven't had all the best elements of all Spider-Man movies in one movie. We'd had;

1) A pitch perfect Spider-Man

2) A fully fleshed out villain (that doesn't have to mean an origin story) with clear desires and a motivation that makes sense within the context of the movie.

3) A complex and layered storyline, good pacing with solid movie structure that has memorable themes that linger long after the credits have finished rolling.

I think we've had elements of each over the course of 5 movies but not altogether in one movie. The reason why ASM2 is my favorite Spidey movie is because number '1' is most important to me to the point where I can forgive '2 and 3'. Others can't and that's their choice.

Spider-Man 2 is the best made 'movie' but ASM2 is the best 'Spider-Man' movie (for me) but I'm hoping that I finally get the Spidey that I want (ripped from the comic page) with a story and character interactions that do the brilliant cast justice.

 

[sephiroth61787]

I don't understand rating it as a Spider-Man movie versus as a film. As if just because it's a Spider-Man movie, expectations are automatically lowered as to what the film can be.

You either liked the movie or didn't. The way Spider-Man was portrayed can be a highlight for you, but you can't judge the movie on that alone.

 

[UltimateWebhead]

Spoiler

I just got back and I'm not even sure how to describe my opinion of it because I don't think I've ever had such conflicting feelings toward a movie.

On one hand, I loved, loved LOVED so much about this movie. This version of Peter Parker/Spider-Man is THE definitive screen version for me through and through. Andrew's performance and the way he was written was just perfection to me. I feel the same way about Gwen Stacy. In fact, I like this version of Gwen better than I've ever liked her in the comics, and she's now one of my favorite "superhero love interest" characters in movies, period. Actually, I think she's surpassed Pepper Potts as my favorite. Every scene Peter and Gwen had together or with other characters just worked so well, imo, and I credit that both to the actors and Marc Webb's direction of them.

I also enjoyed the action scenes more than any Spidey movie, including SM2. They were easy to follow yet still extremely kinetic with a very distinctive style of their own. I really loved the overall tone, and and the visuals were stunning (saw it in IMAX 3D). It just had the personality I've always felt like a Spidey movie should have (I've mentioned several times before that Raimi's tone just went too camp too often for me). All of that, I have to give kudos to Marc Webb for, because honestly, I don't think this script could have been directed any better.

...which is where we get to the "conflicted feelings" part. Because despite all the lovely character and action moments and visuals, this movie is a narrative mess. Yes, I guess Webb deserves some blame for that, as a little more work in the editing room could have possibly helped, but honestly I feel like the crux of the problem lies with the screenplay and Sony's grand franchise plans seriously weighing it all down. There's just too much they're trying to do in the grand scheme that they forgot to focus on THIS individual story and what it has to say. It feels like nothing more than a continuation meant to lead to bigger things, and doesn't work as a standalone narrative. Electro didn't need to be in it at all. I mean, he lifts right out of the story, except he's there to give Spidey someone to fight until Goblin shows up. And then when Goblin DOES show up, since Electro's been the major villain so far and is the focus of the climactic spectacle, he undercuts the payoff of the Goblin story, turning that whole storyline into one big anti-climax. It's like, Electro could have been the main villain in one movie, Goblin could have been the main villain in another, but throwing them together cuts down on their time to be developed and undercuts each one's effectiveness. It makes them both seem like undercooked afterthoughts in a way. Then there's all the other stuff, with Oscorp, Peter's parents, and obvious setups for the Sinister Six, and it all just starts to be way too much. The only character development that didn't suffer from this was Peter and Gwen's. Everyone else just felt like cogs in a machine, despite some good performances (I didn't care for Jamie Foxx, though).

So yeah, I basically have to rate this on 2 different scales - one as a Spidey movie, and one as a film in general, because my feelings on how it works as each of those things are so dramatically different.

As a Spidey movie - 9.5/10. As I said, this is the best interpretation of the character I've seen thus far, and the portrayal of his interactions with everyone from Gwen to Aunt May to his many foes were just perfect to me. I had such a grin on my face throughout these scenes. It pretty much had everything I've ever wanted to see in a Spidey movie, in tone, action and character (at least with the protagonists).

As a film - 6.5/10. Mostly great performances, stunning visuals (shout out to the production design too!), good music (still prefer Horner's theme, but Zimmer did a good job), and great action scenes. All hampered by a super-weak narrative and undercooked villains.

So my overall score would have to be an average of the two which is an 8/10. I really enjoyed this movie, despite the completely bungled narrative. And while I accept that SM2 is a MUCH better-crafted story than this and won't argue with anyone who declares its superiority over this sequel, I personally still enjoyed this more than that one, because of how much I prefer and enjoy this version of the main characters.

Excellent review flickchick85. I agree with many of the points you've made and when I finally get around to writing my own review, it's probably gonna read just like this one.

I don't know about anyone else...but for me...it's a bad time to be a Spider-Man fan in terms of the films.

I know this is gonna sound incredibly strange and well, a bit contradictory, but as much as I loved ASM2, I still feel this way. It's not a good time to be a Spidey fan. I can't really explain why I feel this way...I just do.

 

[spider-neil]

You either liked the movie or didn't. The way Spider-Man was portrayed can be a highlight for you, but you can't judge the movie on that alone.

To be fair, I can judge a movie on any terms I like. I could be a cinematographer and the most important thing to me could be lighting and composition or an screen writer where the most important thing to me is the script. I'm a Spider-Man fan and the most important thing to me in a Spider-Man movie is Spider-Man himself. You have your barometer and I have mine.

 

[spider-neil]

I absolutely agree it's a bad time to be a Spidey fan.

ASM2
ASM2 video game
Ultimate Spider-Man (animated series)
The Spider-Man comics

are all taking a beating critically. It's heart breaking.

 

[The Joker]

Is the ASM 2 game taking a beating critically? I've seen most gamers say it's a great game.

 

[daddydivine]

To be fair, I can judge a movie on any terms I like. I could be a cinematographer and the most important thing to me could be lighting and composition or an screen writer where the most important thing to me is the script. I'm a Spider-Man fan and the most important thing to me in a Spider-Man movie is Spider-Man himself. You have your barometer and I have mine.

You are a very polite individual sir. I would have just said who the @#$% are you to tell me how to judge anything. If the guy said he liked the movie but only after eating gummi bears, that still is as legitimate as the 1500 word essays we get on here.

 

[JJJ]

I don't know about anyone else...but for me...it's a bad time to be a Spider-Man fan in terms of the films.

Spoiler

 

[JOE]

IMO, Spidey needs WAY more quipping. He quips 24/7 in the comics, it's one of his best features. They shoehorn it in to give us the Spidey feel, but if I was writing the script he'd be quipping constantly in battle. Look at SSM and the 90's series. He doesn't shut up.

 

[spider-neil]

Is the ASM 2 game taking a beating critically? I've seen most gamers say it's a great game.

Really? All the YouTube videos I've seen say it's awful. I just assumed it was a poor game.

 

[spider-neil]

IMO, Spidey needs WAY more quipping. He quips 24/7 in the comics, it's one of his best features. They shoehorn it in to give us the Spidey feel, but if I was writing the script he'd be quipping constantly in battle. Look at SSM and the 90's series. He doesn't shut up.

The balance is about right.

Spidey could tell Electro in Times Square was unbalanced and on the edge, so no quips.

No quips in the Goblin fight for obvious reasons.

So that leaves the Electro hydro plant fight and he does throw out a couple.

 

[Par Avion]

IMO, Spidey needs WAY more quipping. He quips 24/7 in the comics, it's one of his best features. They shoehorn it in to give us the Spidey feel, but if I was writing the script he'd be quipping constantly in battle. Look at SSM and the 90's series. He doesn't shut up.

You want more than what was in TASM2? Seriously? Sometimes what works in on paper or in a cartoon doesn't quite work in a lve action film. We have to be able to take the character/moment seriously from time to time. I just find it unbelieveable is all.