The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Amazing Spiderman 2 - User Review Thread! - SPOILERS! - Part 3

[LizardMan07]

I'm actually considering going to watch the movie again today, although I'd have to go by myself this time (lame). I'm feeling very Spidey-feverish right now, reading both my comics and also the illustrated version of the James Cameron scriptment (awesome take on Electro, by the way). I listed my negatives on another thread, gonna list some positives, just for the hell of it.

- Everything up until the end of the Times Square sequence is very watchable, very fun and entertaining. It's like drinking a Spidey-themed slurpee, but for the brain.

- The thing with the bullies, and even the cheesy bit at the end with the same kid defying Rhino. It's gonna make little Spidey fans all over feel validated and inspired and addressed to. That's very cool.

- The humor and how it worked on the audience. I love, love, LOVE feeling that audiences are enjoying themselves, seeing them respond positively to something. I definitely felt that with TASM2 in several spots.

- The little musical montages that Webb puts in. I like his song choices, I like seeing that modern, hip vibe in a Spider-Man film.

- Mostly everything about the romance, from the web writing on the bridge to Hans Zimmer theme for Pete and Gwen. I think that's the thing that's gonna earn the film repeated viewings when I get it on DVD.

- The awesome acting by Sally Field in a particular scene between May and Peter. It was awesome seeing them make up for the misuse of her talents in the first film.

- The visual style. This is pretty far removed from MOS's drabness. It's vibrant, it's eye candy. It's a very fun movie to look at.

- The last, what, fifteen, ten minutes? The movie gets back on track just like that, snap, and it becomes special again. And if you let it, it will leave you with a good taste in the mouth.

Good points! I agree with all of those.

The bullies thing was actually Andrew's idea according to one of his friends who have been posting on here! I thought that was pretty cool

 

[SpideyK]

Slightly off topic, but I just gotta ask because I never really understood this while watching the movie:

Was there a 1 year time jump, or not?

 

[Nemeres]

Good points! I agree with all of those.

The bullies thing was actually Andrew's idea according to one of his friends who have been posting on here! I thought that was pretty cool

Yeah, I read that! It was a pretty cool way to end the film. Kudos to the guy.

 

[LizardMan07]

Yeah shows his calibre in other aspects of filmaking. He's got a big future ahead of him

Hopefully you like the film more on your second viewing!

 

[Red]

A particular scene that was unnecessary and destroyed the investment in the movie was last Ravencroft scene. They have Peter at Gwen's grave, coming back, coming back time after time, music is brilliant and then they cut to Ravencroft. No, you don't do this, there's nothing more important than Peter's "emotional" development, it's the biggest thing that happened to him and it's gonna scar him forever. You wanna show that, you want to get into his mind set, so you can end the movie the way they do.
I think that you can edit this movie, cut some scenes and you would find a really great movie. One that would be much more focused and streamlined.

Absolutely agree on this point! Seems like it was a more studio and producer
driven choice.

 

[Slag]

Long time reader first time writing...

So I just came back from watching the Amazing Spider-Man 2 in an IMAX theater in Poland.

Honestly I didn't feel this disappointed in a Marvel movie since watching the Rise of the silver surfer. I know some people are invested in the franchise so they might not agree with me on some things. For me most of the movie was serviceable (not great), but some parts of it were just plain terrible.

Starting with Electro - probably the worst villain in a comic book movie since Schumacher stopped making Batman movies with suit-nipples.

Ok I get that his motivations seem to stem from his insecurities (he sings happy birthday to himself in case the audience didn’t pick up on him being a looser after watching him get shoved constantly while walking on the street). Ultimately everything about him seems like lazy writing („Electro wants to kill Spider-Man because of reasons&#8221. He is portrayed in a way that makes him seem like a cartoon character. Seriously, the guy is basically the IR Baboon of this movie, quickly becoming a caricature of himself. Unfortunately most of the scenes with Electro were so bad, it kinda made the whole movie seem campy and not in a good way.

Other villains are OK. Harry is probably one of the most compelling characters in the movie and he is also well played. As for Rhino - I would say he served his purpose. He might serve as a fine Henchman/Comic Relief in future installments.

Aside from the villains - we jump from one plot point to the next and the movie does feel somewhat cramped. There is definitely too much stuff going on that detaches you from the main story. The whole thing with Peter's parents should be cut from the movie quite frankly. There is little plot impact (the shocking reveal isn’t shocking at all), and emotionally it kinda falls flat because the relationship between Peter and Gwen takes the spotlight. It’s not Batman, it’s not about the parents. If you want to make it about the parents, you have to at least develop them well enough for the audience to give a d**n.

It was definetly too long, my friends at the theater wanted it to be over after what looked like act 3. Some scenes were just too cheesy and some action sequences (like Electro hitting cords while battling Spider-Man) were just too out there.

Things I liked were the look of the film (some really great shots in IMAX), some of the humor was Ok, and probably the chemistry between Peter and Gwen (however their love story seems a little too teen-angsty to me, maybe that's just me getting old at 27).

Seing as how Marvel can do 2 solid movies a year I really have no idea how Sony can’t do one solid Spider-Man movie once every 3 years. How the hell this movie holds a 70%+ rating on RT is beyond me. This really has potential to be a franchise killer, once more people get to actually see it.

Rating 2/5

 

[Joe_Kickass]

Well, I finally just saw it. Proof? John Hopkins. And yeah I pretty much agree with the consensus, a lot was going on, but at the same time it felt like the movie was just running in place.

I was surprised at the lack of action in it, I thought at least the movie would have some banging action setpieces, but nothing in the movie even felt at the level of the high school fight in the first one. In fact, the final fight with Electro gave me the exact same vibe as the final fight with The Lizard (despite Marc stating that this film would have a lot more action in one of the featurettes), and I actually think Connors had more screentime and development than Max.

The opening was pretty promising, but the second Max popped up, whew. That room scene was, pretty, pretty uncomfortable to watch to say the least. A lot of the dialogue felt really stilted and unsubtle at times ("I want you to make Spider-Man bleed!"), and the whole Captain Stacey apparitions felt so extremelly heavy handed.

A big positive though was the performances which were pretty consistent throughout from everyone which was definitely it's strongest point.

I also enjoyed the little Spidey montage at the beginning, but man, this movie, in my opinion, was not worth the wait. I feel like this movie is comparable to the game, it feels like the amalgamation of a bunch of different parts put together, and not put together particularly well.

All in all I give it a 2.5 maybe a 3 out of 5. While I enjoy it more than SM3 as a whole, I'd say SM3 had much stronger individual scenes and definitely action setpieces. In comparisons to the last one (TASM) I'd say the same thing.

 

[Joe_Kickass]

Slightly off topic, but I just gotta ask because I never really understood this while watching the movie:

Was there a 1 year time jump, or not?

I don't remember a particular reference to the exact period of time, but it certainly didn't feel like a year. Maybe a couple of months.

 

[gugumugats]

Slightly off topic, but I just gotta ask because I never really understood this while watching the movie:

Was there a 1 year time jump, or not?

It did feel like a couple of weeks/months, but Gwen does mention taking summer classes at Oxford, and since Peter mentions he's already at ESU, one could assume that its the summer a year after their graduation. I could be wrong though.

 

[The Clairvoyant]

Slightly off topic, but I just gotta ask because I never really understood this while watching the movie:

Was there a 1 year time jump, or not?

The news report towards the end mentioned Spider-Man being gone for five months.

 

[AnneFan]

“Too bad about that spider guy, too bad he’s disappeared, seems everybody really needs him...
...where are you going…Peter where are you going?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know, it’s so funny I’ve been trying to clean up around here to be more organized and putting some of Ben’s stuff in boxes, and it’s so funny, the heavier the box gets the lighter I feel.”
“You’re throwing his stuff away?”
“No, god no, I couldn’t do that it’s part of me, I’m just finding a better place for it. I’m going to take one last look, and I’m going to put it where it belongs.”

What a powerful scene, coupled with Zimmer’s ‘Ground Rules’. Afterwards, Peter goes into his room and looks at the old pic of him and Gwen, and watches her graduation video. He took on May’s advice. Treasuring the memory of Gwen, but going on, out to help his City who needs him.

That scene and that cue is the one that really tears me up. Bravo to all involved.

 

[LizardMan07]

Don't forget the "No place like home" track to Gwen's speech in the background, her talking about mortality and having Peter stopping buses and stuff, so powerful. Having him absolutely destroyed inside but still having hope and making Gwen proud, powerful stuff.

"Ground Rules" is a really Gwen-Peter title too once you've seen the film

 

[AnneFan]

"It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today. But there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days when you feel all alone, and that is when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold onto hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you is to become hope. People need that, and even if we fail, what better way is there to live? As we look around here today, and all the people who helped to make us who we are, I know it feels like we are saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything we do next. To remind us who we are, and who we're meant to be. I've had a great four years with you. I'll miss you very much."

Dem feels.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is Spider-Man.

 

[LizardMan07]

Ah damn, powerful speech the way it was delivered, like she was talking right to his face. Made me tear up just a little thinking about it right now

 

[Eggyman]

I didn't need to read that in work.

 

[Joe_Kickass]

"It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today. But there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days when you feel all alone, and that is when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold onto hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you is to become hope. People need that, and even if we fail, what better way is there to live? As we look around here today, and all the people who helped to make us who we are, I know it feels like we are saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything we do next. To remind us who we are, and who we're meant to be. I've had a great four years with you. I'll miss you very much."

Dem feels.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is Spider-Man.

I don't know, she might as well have just said "Yo Peter, I'm gonna die. But man up homie."

 

[Joe_Kickass]

The news report towards the end mentioned Spider-Man being gone for five months.

I think he's talking about the beginning.

 

[Galactus123]

I saw it yesterday. It was ok and I liked it more than the first one. Few thing that I didn't like were the Green Goblin and Rhino. Their character design was not good at all in my opinion.

 

[AF3619]

Spoiler

Personally I thought it was a bit of a mixed bag. I thought the first Amazing Spider-Man was an average movie and my least favourite of the franchise. I liked the Peter & Gwen relationship, Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, the early Curt Conner scenes and Captain Stacey's character and actor. I would probably give that movie 3 out of 5.

As for TSM2 I liked Garfield more here, he was less emo/hipster and closer to how I envision Peter Parker. The Peter/Gwen scenes are the highlight and their chemistry was electric (no pun intended) and will be solely missed. Harry as a villain was great IMO, he shifted between being sympathetic and creepy effortlessly. I liked the design and DeHanne's performance. I don't mind Harry being the first Goblin at all as I think we've seen the Father to Son story played out already, so why not see something different. Plus I think having an archenemy the same age as Peter/Garfield creates a different dynamic we haven't seen before. What I liked most and what has stayed with me after the credits rolled was Gwen's death. From the moment Peter agreed to go to London I knew they were actually going to go through with it. The moment itself was played beautifully. The acting, music and direction were perfected. The icing on the cake was Peter listening to Gwen's speech and it inspiring him to not give up. I'm paraphrasing but Gwen's message to "be better than what we suffer" is a great message and one I hope is carried over as the central theme of the 3rd entry.

What didn't work for me; I feel there were two story's fighting for attention throughout the movie. That being the Peter & Gwen relationship and the history of Peter's parents. This was my criticism of the first movie in that we need a through line. Say what you like about the Rami movies I feel they have a clear story arcs and themes for Peter.

Villain wise as stated above only Goblin really clicked for me but I agree he did seem rushed. Electro looked great on screen but lacked any true menace and lost the sympathetic angle as soon as he's locked up in Rravencroft. As for Rhino Paul Giamatti certainly looked like he was having funny but is barely worth a mention. I liked his opening battle with spidery but thought his appearance at the end was out place and didn't fit with the tone. For me the ending should have been more somber and bitter-sweet. Something like Peter watches Gwen's speech, hears police sirens and looks at a picture of Gwen and then his costume and the movie ends there. It seemed like they sacrificed that emotional punch to setup TASM3 and Sinster Six.

What are your thoughts? Post a link if you have already put them in the thread. I've keen to read other people thoughts

my initial thoughts:
http://forums.superherohype.com/showpost.php?p=28501941&postcount=100

 

[khasanovabror]

Finally got to see the movie and without a doubt I give it a solid 8.5/10.

WARNING - LONG READ AHEAD.

Firstly, let me say that throughout the shooting of this movie and during the promotional campaign, with all the footage released I was beyond pumped for this movie, I kept thinking about how Amazing this movie will be! But with great expectation, comes unexpected reality!

When early reviews have been released for this movie and our friendly-neighborhood got a nice lump of hardcore bashing, my expectation were lowered, is this movie as bad as they make it to be?how can Spidey have forced humor? IS IT REALLY BATMAN AND ROBIN of the Spiderverse?!

Thankfully it wasn't, because when I was watching the Spider vs Rhino money shot, all my doubts or fears disappeared.

As a viewer and a fan, the AS2 gives me the Spidey that I know to love and care for, the Spidey that really enjoys being the hero of his city, protecting those around him, whilst doing in it in a very light-heart joking fashion. The reason why I believe THIS Spider-Man to be the best one is, Andrew Garfield. I really enjoyed his portrayal in the first movie, but in this movie he really steps up and on par with his character really grows into the symbol! His portrayal, is confident, witty, funny, emotional and brings THE Spider-Man to life straight from the comic book pages. In this movie the only person that does better than him is Emma Stone.

Emma Stone brings to Gwen Stacy something so more and meaningful in the movie, that her comicbook character never had. The Gwen Stacy of this movie, is a character that you simply cannot dislike, she is greatly written, greatly acted and by far the best character in the movie. The relationship that Gwen and Peter have is beyond believable, I personally I have never ever seen in a comic-book movie a better on screen pair that is Garfield and Stone, they are great together, they have the spark and create something special working of each other, that basically makes the whole movie worth watching and create the most emotional character passing in a comic-book movie.

The villains of the movie are not necessarily the best, but the force behind them in the face of Jamie Foxx and Dane Dehaan, bring something different to the table. In my opinion Jamie Foxxs Max Dillon is an example of a modern outcast i.e. invisible. He is a person, that just lives day to day without being acknowledge or noticed, and with the right or wrong push in a direction can bring the sociopath out in him, thus creating Electro. For me it was very easy to understand what pushed him to the edge, I mean look at all the crazy teenagers recently, that kill their classmates/teachers/realtives because they were bullied or didn't get what their want. You never know what is inside in a crazy mans mind, that's what Electro represents, a power given to a person who was bullied, never noticed and most importantly betrayed by his idol. Even though Electro visually is a stunning enemy, as a character you don't really feel anything for him, apart from being slightly sorry. He is a villain in this movie, for the sake of being one. At the same time, I don't remember Electro ever being a great villain, Spidery always beat him up, but I might wrong don't kill me for it.

Now on the other hand, we have Harry Osborn, the son of billionaire,genius, philanthropist and crazy man Norman Osborn. Dane Dehaans Harry is a character I truly enjoyed in comparison to the "I have it all" Francos Harry. This Harry has better motivation than Max/Electro. You have a character that had everything he ever wanted, only to be told he is dying from incurable disease and is waste of a son!
But not only that, just when he thinks he finds a cure, it is denied to him. He is given an alternative option, but with that option he loses all his wealth, his power and access to the cure, thus leading the character to desperate actions,deals and breakdowns. Harrys Goblin, sadly is a very short lived character as he just appears in the movie to create the climax of the movie, and be the main force for the Sinister Six.

Another actor that deserves praise is Sally Field, her Aunt May is fantastic,emotional and her interaction with Andrew Garfield is moving and funny and represent that love they have for each other.Additionally, this movie included some characters such as Felicia or Dr.Kafka, that were pretty much waste of screen time, it's not that they were badly acted, no, it's just the characters for this movie were pointless. Dr. Kafka could have been easily substituted by Doc Oc and it would have made more sense.
Last but not least is Paul Giamattis Rhino, who in the movie works perfectly as the gag villain that Spider-Man should always have!

This movie suffers slightly from the inconsistent tone of the movie, but it did not put me of at all. The humor, the effects, the action, the amazing soundtrack and amazingly written relationship of Peter and Gwen, are the things that make this movie A MUST WATCH. This movie is as great Spider-Man 2, but very different in its own AMAZING way.

8.5/10

Overall:
Story+
Action+
Characters+
Soundtrack+
Effects+
Humor+

Long Story -
Wasted characters-
Slightly inconsistent tone-

 

[starkresilient]

"It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today. But there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days when you feel all alone, and that is when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold onto hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you is to become hope. People need that, and even if we fail, what better way is there to live? As we look around here today, and all the people who helped to make us who we are, I know it feels like we are saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything we do next. To remind us who we are, and who we're meant to be. I've had a great four years with you. I'll miss you very much."

Dem feels.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is Spider-Man.

definitely one of my fave scene. Her beginning speech, peter's watching the speech and afterwards were really damn good

 

[Hmarrs]

All in all I give it a 2.5 maybe a 3 out of 5. While I enjoy it more than SM3 as a whole, I'd say SM3 had much stronger individual scenes and definitely action setpieces. In comparisons to the last one (TASM) I'd say the same thing.

But why did they do that what was the rush it was as if they tried to lump up what could have been Six sequels in one.See how that's what hurt Sp3 why not take that as a learning tool?Why do the same thing?For the Sinister Six issue???
This must have been a Studio decision.This storyline could have been drawn out over a period of films what a waste.
What they don't realize is that less is MORE!

 

[Hmarrs]

A particular scene that was unnecessary and destroyed the investment in the movie was last Ravencroft scene. They have Peter at Gwen's grave, coming back, coming back time after time, music is brilliant and then they cut to Ravencroft. No, you don't do this, there's nothing more important than Peter's "emotional" development, it's the biggest thing that happened to him and it's gonna scar him forever. You wanna show that, you want to get into his mind set, so you can end the movie the way they do.

You know whats funny I remember think that very same thing at the end of Spider-man 2 when him and Mary Jane get back together get back together then they cut to the Harry scene.I felt it was unnecessary or at least for the most part the scenes could have been switched.

 

[UltimateWebhead]

"It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today. But there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days when you feel all alone, and that is when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold onto hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you is to become hope. People need that, and even if we fail, what better way is there to live? As we look around here today, and all the people who helped to make us who we are, I know it feels like we are saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything we do next. To remind us who we are, and who we're meant to be. I've had a great four years with you. I'll miss you very much."

Dem feels.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is Spider-Man.

"We have to be greater than what we suffer." I really love that line. That kinda sums up the existence of Spider-Man in just a few short words.

 

[Jumpman]

“Too bad about that spider guy, too bad he’s disappeared, seems everybody really needs him...
...where are you going…Peter where are you going?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know, it’s so funny I’ve been trying to clean up around here to be more organized and putting some of Ben’s stuff in boxes, and it’s so funny, the heavier the box gets the lighter I feel.”
“You’re throwing his stuff away?”
“No, god no, I couldn’t do that it’s part of me, I’m just finding a better place for it. I’m going to take one last look, and I’m going to put it where it belongs.”

What a powerful scene, coupled with Zimmer’s ‘Ground Rules’. Afterwards, Peter goes into his room and looks at the old pic of him and Gwen, and watches her graduation video. He took on May’s advice. Treasuring the memory of Gwen, but going on, out to help his City who needs him.

That scene and that cue is the one that really tears me up. Bravo to all involved.

All of this. Bang on. Excellent scene.