The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Marvel's latest entry in the superhero action ring is the darker, more formulaic The Amazing Spider-Man: The Rise of Electro. It's one of the more anticipated films of the spring, with ads running on virtually every channel and marketing tie-ins ranging from the US Postal Service to Dr. Pepper, Kellog's, Evian, and of course, the fast food giant McDonalds, there are billions of dollars at stake. Director Marc Webb helms the sequel (could there be a better name for a director of Spiderman?) and with it, plans for a Spiderman 3, 4, and the introduction of the Sinister Six are already being discussed. Why wouldn't they? The Amazing Spiderman pulled in a whopping $750 million worldwide in 2012, with a production budget of only $230 million. Expectations are high for TASM2:TROE.

We follow the story of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), the conflicted high school graduate who moonlights administering justice on the seedy criminals of New York City. The police have embraced him as an ally, as have the citizens, but after making a promise to Gwen Stacy's dad on his death bed, Peter must stay away from Gwen (his real life love Emma Stone) despite their passionate love for each other. Everything is going great until he gets tangled up with a trio of villains du jour, Electro (Jamie Foxx), Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan), and Rhino (Paul Giamatti). There are hints of future bad guys, with appearances by Dr. Kafka and Alistair Smythe (look them up if you're interested) and a short sequence of The Gentleman walking past convincing images of Dr. Octopus and The Vulture suit prototypes, and some mentions of Venom, J. Jonah Jameson, and more Easter eggs. It is a bit overwhelming, even for someone who has some knowledge of the universe. The secret club of recognition will be lost on most of the moviegoers, and that is a real shame and a lost opportunity for the film makers. They are too ambitious and comic book nerdy.

One thing that stands out with this film is that it is considerably more dark than its predecessor. This is not unforeseen (I predicted it) as there must be some sort of trilogy arc that requires the second act to be despondent and hopeless with a third act that brings the fanfare and excitement of real conclusion. This is true with TASM2, but Spiderman never really seems to be in danger, unlike the first Sam Raimi trilogy where they nailed Spider-man 2 and the protagonist's flaws and weaknesses. TASM2 follows a fairly predictable Dark Knight approach, and you can't blame them as it is still the gold standard of superhero sequels, and may continue to be so for a long time. There are multiple bad guys, and some difficult decisions that need to be made by our hero. Andrew Garfield does a fine job, but there is too much time spent ruminating and not enough with him fighting crime. He is never happier than when he's in his suit, yet he's so reluctant to don it to protect those close to him. It doesn't translate well to the screen.

Another is that more focus is on the building of the Spider-Man universe than living in the two hour film itself. We have seen the rise of the Green Goblin before, but this time around it is lackluster with the odd looking and poorly executed Dane DeHaan. His Harry Osborn is fine, but his Green Goblin takes about an hour and 45 minutes to appear, and then lasts a mere couple of minutes. Jamie Foxx overacts as Max Dillon who has an accident that transforms him into an electrical storm of a bad guy. Spider-man dispatches him with too much ease in what are admittedly some pretty cool action scenes, but lacking any real tension or excitement. Finally, Paul Giamatti is completely wasted as the boneheaded bank robber Aleksei Sytsevich, AKA Rhino. He's too stupid to be taken seriously, and the mechanical Rhino contraption is about the coolest thing about the film, but unfortunately it doesn't get the screen time it deserves either.

The special effects are the highlight, and the star of the show. Unfortunately there are just too many scenes of intermission, and the bag of tricks is getting old very quickly. I am dubious how Spider-Man 3 or 4 will contribute to the legacy in any way other than a money-making blockbuster. There is no possibility of critical acclaim with this franchise from this point on. I actually liked The Amazing Spider-Man because it was different, but TASM2 is unoriginal and unrealistically ambitious.

I don't blame Webb, Garfield, or Stone, but the villains just plain suck. The writers should have brought Venom or the Vulture in for this one. There is so much material to choose from, and they are going in this direction anyway (Sinister Six), so why hold back any of the cool villains for the 3rd or 4th film? It just doesn't make all that much sense to me, but what do I know, I'm just the target demographic.

Don't get your hopes up too high as you walk into the theatre, you can expect some very average action, and some predictable story arcs, but you won't leave the movie satisfied. It just isn't what I was hoping for. 5/10.