Amazing Spidey 2

Well the second d of Marvel’s summer o’ movies is here: Amazing Spiderman 2.

After originally passing on the first of this reboot, I have since caught it on the movie channels. It wasn’t awful and has some descent comic book stuff there. The second installment is much the same.





The first film is another pointless retelling of the Spidey origin story. Why do we have to continue to suffer through these origin stories of the big 3 (Spidey, Supes and Bats)? Everyone should know how these 3 came to be who they are. Just get on with the story. Am I right? Sorry, off topic rant being stopped now.

Amazing Spiderman 2 has a plethora of story. You get Peter/Gwen late teen relationship angst, some Parker parents back story, OSCORP up to no good, Norman and Harry Osborn family crisis, hero worshipping shut-in that goes crazy, multiple Peter Parker guilt/regret/shame parties, shady business practices, the rise of Electro, another Green Goblin, the Rhino is made, there is crime, some torture (physical and mental) all mixed with some explosions and action. There is really a lot going on here.

There is a ton of fanboy service in here: Alistair Symthe, Felicia Hardy, the future of Doc Ock and Vulture, hints at the Owl, Beetle and a precariously placed astronaut suit in a few background shots, a load of computer files with various hints to the Spiderman universe, a clock face that tells what Spidey issue this story is based around, Ravencroft Institute, and a Mr. Fear (the Spiderman version of Scarecrow) laying the foundation for the Sinister Six.

Maybe it was just the Spidey fan boy was coming out a lot during the show, but I liked this Spiderman better than any of the previous Tobey Maguire films. Even the villains ,Electro and the Rhino, look better than they did in the comics. The Green Goblin was a bit lacking for me, but they really can’t do a guy in green scales, purple spandex, a rubber mask, a glider and flaming pumpkin bombs though. Gobby did fit the new bad guy aesthetic. This was a very busy Spiderman film. If anything that is one of my downsides.

Yup, the new versions are better than putting this on screen.

This new brand of Spider-man has a better look, much more like the comics I read. He has just enough snark with the goons. The web slinging looks much better and you get a lot of small signature shots of the drawn mid-air Spider-man poses. The action scenes do a good job of capturing the craziness of the comic book fights too. That isn’t to say there weren’t some annoying issues though.

My issues with the film are small. The first being the over use of slow motion. I hate this and every time it happens during this film it was annoying. There is a time and place for slow motion, that time is not in every action sequence. The second is that this could have been two movies, and maybe should have. There is just so much going on in here. I think this would have been stronger as two films exploring all this stuff. Then, why is Jamie Foxx playing Max Dillon (Electro)? Seriously why? Is he a huge Electro fan? Did he win a bet? Did the studio have a picture deal to fulfill? Did they really need a big name to get butts in the seats? Did a focus group say that Spider-man wasn’t “urban” enough? Was he really the best read for the part? I am still confused as to why he was in here. I don’t hate him as an actor, I’m just confused as to the why. It seems like a waste to cast him. Next, enough with Stan Lee. We get it! Yes without him there is no Spiderman, X-Men, Fan Four, Avengers, etc. I'm just sooooooo bored with his forced cameos. Always have been and always will. Finally, what was the damn point of the mid credit X-men clip? I saw it as we were filling out of the theater. It was completely pointless and is a waste of time. I guess if you can’t beat them, then kind of try  and join them?

Before I rant on the X-men movie universe, Amazing Spiderman 2 is good and better than anything previous.