Hey guys, here is my review of the film below. Overall, I really enjoyed it, despite some major problems with the screenplay at times. I was really missing the Mary Jane scenes and would have been happy to see them despite how busy the film was.
Warning Mild Spoilers Contained Within
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in the context of the whole comic book movie genre, that has blossomed and reached it`s middle phase, represents an interesting quandary for the nature of films in the genre. The question is this, what is more important in a comic book movie, the hero or the villain? Does it matter that the ratio of good representing one of these fundamentally overshadows the other. In the case of this picture, the focus is primarily on Spider-Man and his alter-ego Peter Parker, which is a great thing. However, this comes at the expense of the villains, who for the most part feel sketchily developed.
This does not spell doom and gloom for the film, as in this case I could forgive the latter problem. This is because I thought each of the villains served the thematic elements of the screenplay and story. The main idea at play being what it really feels like to be Spider-Man. This is not only from the good aspects which come in the form of a great showcase of his web swinging and power set. But also, the personal and public perception of him, which on the one hand the villains represented.
Taking aside Rhino, who just fulfils a larger ambition of the film and turns up in what is the closest thing, the Spider-Man movies will come to a Bond pre-credits sequence. Electro, who was the weakest written, represents the negative aspect of Spidey, what his example and heroism can spur of in people, with his casual misguided qiuping. Harry Osborne, represents someone who has been rejected too, in this case his very life being denied, because Spider-Man refuses to save him. This is due to a fear of his blood been exposed to his best friend and the consequence that may come from it.
Elsewhere, the screenplay feels very packed, almost looking like it is going to physically burst sometimes scenes. There is a lot of set up with characters primed for future instalments, lurking in the background. This is coupled with a bit too many contrivances. Exactly how many creepy guys does Gwen encounter in her workplace lift, that go on to become big bads?
While watching the picture, you are almost convinced it is going to be a running joke on the part of the writers. Perhaps the worst mistake of the screenplay is with simple solution of the epicentre for all villinary and skullduggery in New York being Oscorp. It calls into question, the logic and motives of the creation of a certain team, and does not bode well for the franchise's future.
Andrew Garfield, returns as the web swinger and true believers, the impossible has happened. With just a second turn as the character, Garfield has etched himself into the upper echelon of comic book actors, that include the likes of Bale, Reeve and Jackman. For all his time in screen, Garfield represents the pinnacle of what Spider-Man should be. This comes from his comic timing, movement in the suit and all his combustible nervous energy, as Parker is endearing to watch.
Emma Stone equals Garfields acting, with fantastic comedic skills, emotional pathos and a real inner strength. Elsewhere, Dane DeHaan plays his dual role like an out of control, rock star who is on the edge of burning out and his intensity works very well in eliciting Harry with sympathy. Jamie Foxx is commendable as Electro, with a cool vocal performance and manic energy. But his pre-transformation performance, is a little unbelievable, due to the actual casting itself which is not Foxx`s fault at all. Finally, Paul Giamatti, looks like he is having a lot of fun, feeling as though his inner five year old has suddenly awakened and decided to put on a performance that even all the back row can hear.
Hans Zimmer took over scoring duties from James Horner and the result is perhaps his most experimental score to date. Teaming up with collaborators such as Pharrell Williams and Johnny Marr, Zimmer creates interesting themes, two of which stand out. The first is the Spider-Man theme which in its use of trumpets and natural film sounds, combine to create the youthful energy of the character. The second is Harry`s theme which sounds like a background alarm going off faintly in the distance, combined with a real melancholic edge which is illustrated with its great use of violins.
The strength of Amazing Spider-Man 2 will depend on exactly how much cheese you can take with your villains. There is a line in the picture in which Peter states that his superior pays him wages that would be acceptable in 1961, that about sums up the depth of the baddies. This is contrasted with a very strong hero journey, romance and portrayal, that fundamentally make the film worth checking out, this Easter.
