Duck Fox

The Amazing Spider-Man series is really a perfect parallel to the hero himself. Peter Parker is a scrappy underdog hero who gets bitten by a Spider and gains incredible powers, but initially misuses them and lashes out as any adolescent would. He only realizes that with great power must also come great responsibility when his uncle is killed due to his own inaction. So he becomes a full fledged superhero... Who is, on a good day, only mildly disliked by his adoring fans, and always hated by the press. Marc Webb's series has gone through its own underdog phase when pitted against the 2000s' Sam Raimi trilogy. And though The Amazing Spider-Man hasn't become so critically panned to the extent that I'm suspicious J. Jonah Jameson isn't in charge of all reviews, it definitely garnered what would be considered lukewarm reviews. Thankfully, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 completes the transformation, and is a real hero of a film.

 The film sees the major players from the first part return, including the perfectly cast Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, and Emma Stone as high school beau Gwen Stacy. Garfield brings the goofy affability we've come to expect from comic book Peter Parker to the big screen. He and Stone have a delicious chemistry that brings one of the most memorable comic book romances to life. Sally Field also repises her role as Aunt May and brings tenderness and poignancy to her limited scenes. But the real interest comes from the more outlandish villains. Jamie Foxx dials crazy up to 11 with his Max Dillon, AKA Electro, a Spider-Man fan whose harmless fanboying turns to obsessiveness when Spider-Man saves his life from a runaway vehicle driven by Aleksei Sytsevich AKA, The Rhino (Paul Giamatti, before putting on the actual Rhino armor, though). Dillon is generally ignored at work, but is suprisingly crucial when it comes to keeping Oscorp's power management facilities up to date.

Dane Dehaan, meanwhile, pulls his Chronicle persona out of cold storage and tries it on Harry Osborn. Dehaan has mastered the unimposing loner, filled with rage yet never letting it show. He colors adversarial conversations with Garfield with just the right amount of insanity, and yet becomes wholeheartedly friendly when Harry and Peter playfully diss each other and skip rocks. Given Harry Osborn is introduced in this film, it's easy to see that the plot is setting up an entire series of films likely culminating in Spider-Man facing off against The Green Goblin, or even the whole of the Sinister Six (who will be getting their own movie) lead by a version of the character.

And honestly, this is where the movie loses a lot of steam: it's clearly setting up a lot of chess pieces that are not going to be captured by the film's end. Although we do see a reasonable resolution to the arcs of the main villains, it's clear that a lot was held back for no other reason than putting together a more expansive franchise.

That being said, this slow burn of storylines should come as neither a surprise nor as a reason to hate on this franchise-- after all, this the exact same method of storytelling we've been seeing in comics starring the webslinger and countless others since the beginning of time. Each issue builds into an arc, which builds into an even bigger arc, with several pieces slipping through each mini arc and larger arc leading to a climactic "event" limited series or special. Seeing it on the big screen can be jarring, but if you're a fan of how comic storytelling gets done, it shouldn't be a deal breaker. On the contrary, by spreading pieces of the story-- like the continued mystery with Peter Parker's parents-- throughout the entire franchise while still crafting a solid main plot, things feel more modern. Interestingly enough, storytelling mechanics aren't the only thing that make The Amazing Spider-Man 2 feel like the sleeker, more tech savvy younger brother to Raimi's trilogy.

Whereas Sam Raimi basically transplanted the 1960s- complete with spitballs, buying cars from newspapers and hobbyist wrestling- into a 2000s backdrop. It was all very entertaining and nostalgic, but ultimately it didn't explore anything past 1980s Peter Parker. Not that I needed a clone saga, but Marc Webb's films have maintained a "geek chic" Peter Parker who could get the girl, and stands up to Flash without the baggage of becoming an outcast. I can tell you as someone who graduated high school much closer to the current series than the former that the current version of Peter Parker is more true to modern life. I don't think it's a mistake to consider him a derivative of the Ultimate Spider-Man comics version, and the general tone and scope of the current film reflect this. Especially in the action scenes.

Action scenes are inspired and incredibly detailed, although the overeliance on slow-mo may leave some falling asleep between Spidey's Spider sense activating and then the cut to the action as he maneuvers obstacles and dodges lightning bolts. Andrew Garfield's past as a gymnast clearly aids Spidey's fluidity, and I still find a lot of the action preferable to the almost constant CGI we got in Raimi's trilogy. The frenetic fight between Spider-Man and Electro is also accompanied by twisty, metalheadish music.

Opening up the can of worms that is spoilers, let me just say that there is a major death. And honestly, the film's treatment of this death is the one thing that kept it from being absolutely the most perfect Spider-Man film I'd ever seen (that honor still goes to Spider-Man 2). It's not that they make light of it exactly, but that it is kind of resolved over the course of five minutes purely because the run time was getting ridiculous. Ending on the death would have been a bold and inspired move, and was kind of what I expected to happen, but the movie blunted it in an attempt to reassure moviegoers that Peter would remain Spider-Man, a notion that was obvious to anyone who understands how comic books work. And yet, there was poignancy and originality in the final moments, enough to not consider the decision a complete wash.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a well executed step in a larger plan for one of Sony's favorite franchises. Though there are a lot of running storylines and some perfunctory handling of villains, the small mistakes are likely to be bearable in the long haul as with any comic storyline worth its salt. Solid action and a simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting tale make this installment a must watch all on its own.

8.5/10

• So... much... awesome...action!
• Chemistry between the Gwen, Harry and Peter trio. Jamie Foxx was also electrifying (did you really think you'd get away without an Electro pun?)
• A beautiful adaptation of one of comic books' most moving and tragic deaths.

• You're tired of Sony having the license to Spider-Man films.
• The slow build ain't your thing.
• You prefer Peter's origin to be "untainted" by any connection with his mysterious parents. Or you need a more prominent Norman Osborn.