Comic book movies in recent years have tended to be greeted with great regularity with the description 'darker' or variations thereof. This culminated with the excellent but 'darker' The Dark Knight , which bordered on pitch-black and outright depressing (I still love the film nonetheless). However, the latest incarnation of the Spiderman movie series, the Amazing Spiderman 2 has followed in the footsteps of The Avengers by lightening up and getting back to the roots of the comic, with puns and one-liners galore giving the film a much more entertaining vibe than the convoluted and take-themselves-too-seriously original trilogy. However, the comedy generally doesn't overshadow the story too much, and themes of loss, love, responsibility and isolation are more deftly dealt with, making this new Marvel superhero film a more rounded experience, which again paves the way for yet another franchise.
The opening sequence at the very least ties up some loose ends on what happened with Peter's parents (something that was just dropped in the first film).There's a quick montage of Richard Parker experimenting with some Spiders at Oscorp before going against Oscorp when he finds out they want to use his research for unmoral things. The flash back from the first movie comes next before we see Richard and Mary on a jet. They're attacked by an assasin who has killed the co-pilot. The sequence is very brutal and emotional because Peter's parents sacrifice their own lives trying to expose Oscorp and its corruption. The plane goes down and we cut to black and there's a smooth transition where we see Spiderman's symbol appear from the darkness . With the upbeat score/soundtrack playing in the back ground, woohoos and yells are heard coming from our friendly neighbourhood Spider-man as he swings though the New York City skyscrappers in his new classic costume. Spidey's first mission is to deal with an armoured car heist. This is where we're introduced to Aleksei. The chase is filled with some breath-taking swinging scenes, some hilarious one-liners from Spidey and an over-the top performance by Paul Giamatti. Spidey is more energetic and confident than ever. The Amazing Spiderman 2 seems to belong to the Spiderman character. That means things are more elastic and energetic, with a new found emphasis on the kinetic motion of Spider-Man, swinging through NYC.
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https://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Edwardo2K14/news/?a=97730#fehf3k6KfZXjOu1y.99Undoubtedly the best thing about this film is the performances from the two leads in the film, Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker / Spider-Man) and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacey). At the core of this movie is the irresistible love story between Peter and Gwen, delicately played by Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Their chemistry that makes the love feel genuine. The acting is uniformly great, from Garfield and Stone especially. It's fair to say that Garfield's performance is not close to surpassing his incredible role as Eduardo in 'The Social Network', but that is certainly not a criticism. His performance is well-rounded, believable, and his ability to play adolescent so perfectly is certainly one of the best in the business right now. He gave his best performance in this movie. Similarly, Emma Stone is again very believable and the pair has a certain dynamic, an on screen connection, which is incredibly satisfying for the audience to watch as the narrative progresses. She's given a lot more depth and character development, something I found solely lacking in the first film. Their chemistry is undoubtely even better and felt more natural and less twilight like in the first film.
The supporting performances from Dane Dehaan, Jaimie Foxx , and Sally Field are excellent, although I can't help but wish they'd have given Paul Giamatti and his character Aleksei Sytsevich a bit more screentime. His performance as the character was over the top and cheesy but it provided some laughs especially during the chase scene and when he's in the Rhino suit. I was somewhat dissapointed with Jaimie Foxx's Electro. His character Max is in the same vein, Riddler , Killian and Syndrome. There wasn't that much they could have done with the character but only make him a powerful threat and a visually stunning villain. He did good with what he worked with. The real villain here is Oscorp, Electro is more of a pawn manipulated by Harry. Dane Dehaan is the highlight of the film. He is akin to how Two-Face appeared in Dark Knight. He certainly did a better job than Franco and he's Goblin was scary but fell short of Dafoe's Goblin. The character is given depth and you really have to pay attention to understand his motives. Sally Field was good given with what she had to work with. I just can't help feel that she's just there. Hopefully she's given a lot more to do in the sequel. Chris Cooper wasn't in the film that much and Denis Leary and Martin Sheen make cameo appearences.
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https://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Edwardo2K14/news/?a=97730#fehf3k6KfZXjOu1y.99 The film is visually stunning. The ending set pieces are satisfactory visually, and the audience get just the right amount of POV web-swinging shots to leave them satisfied and not left with motion sickness. This is the most fun we've had web-slinging with our wall crawler. An over-the-shoulder shot zooms in on the down swings and backs out with the up swings. Spidey's impressive acrobatics are on full display in slow more/ sped-up shots thanks to the Matrix (the new spidey sense borderlines on some matrix -esque slo mo shots highlighted in the Times Square battle.The action is dare I say it, spectacular! With the highlights being the Times Square battle and the Power Plant fight. Those were the most visually appealing sequences in the film, especially in IMAX 3D. The CGI is just perfect given the how far technology has advanced. There are a couple of times were you notice the CGI but it's barely noticeable. The final fight scene is probably the most intense fight scene I've seen this year. Here is truly where Dehaan's shines as the green goblin. He's crazy and menacing and him and Spidey duke it out in one of the most brutal fight scenes. I was on the edge of my seat and very anxious. The payoff is very satisfactory. You won't see it coming.
While it is unlikely this film will win any original screenplay awards, particularly given the mere decade that has passed since the original Spiderman film debuted, The Amazing Spiderman 2 is an enjoyable entry into Marvel's comic book film adaptation canon, dealing deftly with the familiar themes without beating the audience over the head. Orzi, Kurztman and Pinkett should be praised for their script in this film. It's a sharply written script with witty humour and very intense dramatic moments (in particular the final fight). Of course there's a few eye roll moments but it's a Spiderman movie, we should expect those but they're nothing severe. The script is very well constructed and pretty straight-forward.
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https://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Edwardo2K14/news/?a=97730#fehf3k6KfZXjOu1y.99Despite this being a clear superhero comic book movie film, the superhero antics seem to take a back seat (even though there's a lot of action) and we are allowed to delve deeper into the characters. Peter Parker is clearly over-confident and full of himself at the start of the film only to have his whole world turned upside down at the end. He's a guy who has grown up having a troubled life which isn't about to get any easier and the relationships he forms with his Uncle Aunt and long time friend Harry are all really well written, his relationship with Gwen Stacy (a vital part of Spider-Man history in the comic books) is dealt with wonderfully and with a huge deal of respect. You get a real sense that all of these characters are believable in their motivations, their friendships, their triumphs and short comings. The characters and the sequences in this film operate on a level of emotional depth that is several notches deeper than that in the first three Spidey-flicks. I won't spoil the ending, but it's very well done, It leaves you and anticipating the 3rd film even more. Director Marc Webb, who's only other director's credit before the first film was 500 Days of Summer, did a great job creating a gritty, modern-day Spider-Man. All the actors are superb, the action is great, the special effects are amazing (especially the first-person web swinging scenes), and the story is very well done. It's now clear this new universe is headed in a different direction.
For someone who wasn't fond of the first film, I must say this film did many things for me as a viewer. I literally sat back and watched as a very good love story for a adolescent character in a superhero film was shown before me.The characters are developed far more smoothly and emotionally, taking the humor the original trilogy had out of their growth and replacing it with serious backgrounds and story lines. This film really overwhelmed me, and surprised me in every way. With all the characters given respect, it goes without saying that the film also handles the spectacle with equal measure. Here, you'll believe a man really can do those death-defying swings. The action is brutal and intense, as are the consequences Peter suffers. There's a true sense of danger. But it's not all gloom, he's the wise-cracking web-slinger so many people had originally wanted. The humour is not of the juvenile kind that plagued the other films. It's well-placed here, smart and actually funny. Appropriate director Marc Webb ensures there's not a dull moment in the film, even during its 'slower' parts. It keeps you transfixed. This movie does contain a sense of sadness, romance, uplifting relief, and action-packed adrenaline. There are some scenes that remain calm at first but then jump right out at you. Every major gripe I had with the first film has been addressed here. This is by far the best comic book movie this year so far. I recommend you all go see it in IMAX 3D.
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