The Watchlist // The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review

Andrew Garfield’s wisecracking super spider is back for another spin around New York City in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The second feature in the Marc Webb helmed Spider-Man reboot is everything it promises to be, an action packed ride with cool effects and a dose of romance. A bit more ambitious than 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, this one runs long, it clocks in at two and half hours, and you can feel it.

For those unfamiliar with The Amazing Spider-Man series, it doesn’t tout the “with great power comes great responsibility” mantra Sam Rami’s Spider-Man features seared into public knowledge. While the sentiment of the message is still important to the character, it’s the tragic losses he suffers while donning the red and blue suit that define this version of the superhero, and cement him as lone wolf in the mean streets of NYC. The second film ends the origin story of Spider-Man. By the end of the Peter Parker truly understands his responsibilities as the webslinger, why Spider-Man belongs in NYC and that Peter Parker and Spider-Man must always exist separately. It’s a true continuation of the first film and begins by flushing out some of the loose ends of the last film.

The film starts with a look at the last 24 hours of Richard Parker’s life. Oscorp’s leading scientist – and father of the young Peter Parker – is caught destroying his lab and experiments as he dashes out of the ominous OsCorp facility. Seemingly safe at home, he begins uploading a video detailing his experiment and why he destroyed it to (the world’s first cloud server?) Roosevelt. Richard is interrupted part way by the cries of his young son who has discovered his father’s office ransacked. Seeing only one way to keep his family safe, he drops Peter off with his aunt and uncle before fleeing the country in a doomed plane. Luckily, his research is safely stored on Roosevelt, research that holds the key to Spider-Man’s abilities and may result in more powerful beings like him.

Fast forward to present day, where we reconnect with Peter as he travels with ease from one high rise building to another as the vigilante superhero, Spider-Man. Stunning 3D effects make Spidey’s journey across the Big Apple feel like a wild roller coaster ride. Our hero soon finds himself chasing after a Soviet crime syndicate who have hijacked an OsCorp transport of plutonium. An almost unrecognisable Paul Giamatti plays the thickly accented, heavily tattooed and highly caricatured getaway driver. Giamatti returns as a weaponized suit-wearing Rhino later in the film, but he’s no super villain, just a funny bad guy that kids are sure to love.

The opening chase sets a very juvenile tone for the start of the movie – a tone that will eventually be crushed by the realities of Peter’s high risk lifestyle. It’s on this frenzied chase that Spider-Man first saves the meek and forgettable OsCorp electrical engineer, Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx). That interaction leaves Max with a renewed sense of purpose, to aid Spider-Man. That is until a workplace accident transforms Max into Electro. The once doting super-fan is quick to turn on Spider-Man after the hero embarrasses Max, stealing his rare moment in the spotlight. Imprisoned at the Beloit Mental Institute and experimented on by OsCorp, Electro vows to bring darkness to the city and kill Spider-Man.

A phone call from girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) reveals Peter’s missing his own high school graduation – and more importantly her valedictorian address – in favour of crime fighting. Needless to say the suave teen makes it in the nick of time to grab his diploma, smile for pictures and indulge in a public make-out session with Gwen. Spidey’s on top of the world but we feel the dread of the origin story looming over us once again – throughout the film the ghostly apparition of Gwen’s father Captain Stacy (Dennis Leary) appear to Peter reminding him of the promise he made as Captain Stacy was dying in the first film… a promise that he’d stay away from Gwen to ensure her safety (which he clearly hasn’t kept). The stern apparition is a bit heavy handed, we get it – Spidey’s not a selfless hero yet, he’s still a kid clinging to his first love. Peter’s overwhelming guilt for not keeping his word eventually leads the pair to break up – right as summer begins. Gwen delves into her co-op at OsCorp while Peter spends his time stalking her from rooftops and flagpoles as well as selling pictures of Spider-Man to The Daily Bugle. The pair don’t stay separated for long though, and their star crossed love story is the focal point of the film. Even with three bad guys to face Spidey’s biggest challenge is by far the “complicated” status of his relationship. Stone delights as Gwen, her natural charisma and charm shine through in the confident and smart leading lady. Garfield and Stone share a remarkable on screen chemistry, perhaps a testament to their real life romance.

The last of the three bad guys is Peter’s childhood best friend, Harry Osborn (Dane Dehaan) who returns to Manhattan to take over OsCorp. Peter and Harry haven’t seen each other in 10 years and their attempt to reconnect is somewhat awkward. Once they do find that common thread again though, they quickly make up for lost time in an almost romantic series of scenes that has the pair reminiscing and catching up all around town. DeHaan is proving himself a powerful performer and does a good job as Harry, despite the arch of the character being a bit unbelievable. We learn that Harry has inherited more than just a company from Norman Osborn. The heir of OsCorp suffers from a rare incurable disease that is sure to kill him as it did his father. Now in his 20s Harry’s symptoms have begun and the realization that he will one day die a terrible death plunges him into a quest for a cure. His search causes him to reach out to Peter to ask for Spider-Man’s help as he delves deeper into Richard Parker’s original spider research. It seems odd that Harry would start to deteriorate at a rate much faster than his father (who died in his 60s) or that he would be consumed by hatred and rage so early into his search for a cure. Harry does a compete 180 from the cunning playboy we first meet to the insane glider-riding Green Goblin. Either way, DeHaan shows his incredible range, and we’re definitely on the Dane Train.

As for Spidey himself, Garfield continues to impress as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Garfield manages to be stalwart in a movie with many meandering plot lines. Three bad guys is a lot for one superhero, but unlike Rami’s disappointing Spider-Man 3, I found that the screenplay allowed for each villain to be fully realized to the point they needed to be. Electro was the big bad this time around and Foxx’s turn from bumbling unnoticeable Max Dillon to the demanding power hungry Electro is engaging. The effects used to create Electro are also dazzling and truly transform Foxx. While I was disappointed with the Green Goblin arch, I understand that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is not the Goblin’s film (that’s sure to come) this one is merely the set up. And it’s quite the setup! We’re introduced to two more potential baddies within OsCorp, Felicia Hardy (Felicity Jones) and Alistair Smythe (B.J. Novak). In the comics Felicia moonlights as cat burglar The Black Cat while the young geneticists Smythe eventually transforms himself into The Ultimate Spider-Slayer.

Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 might please hardcore fans more for the small details than the overall production which has a flair for teen melodrama as Peter and Gwen work out their relationship issues. But with Spidey one thing is a guarantee: one heck of a trip to NYC.

Reviewed by Vithiya Murugadas.