"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" Feature Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

Everything Changes

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Release Date: May 2nd, 2014 (3D/2D theaters and IMAX 3D)
Studio: Columbia Pictures (Sony)
Director: Marc Webb
Screenwriter: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, B.J. Novak


Plot Summary: We've always known that Spider-Man's most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin.

It's great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.

Comments?

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[Sketch]

I'll be back with more thoughts later but I liked it. I didn't love it but I liked it.

 

[Spider-Man]

Just a warning there will be spoilers in this post.


I liked this movie but I thought it definitely had a few issues. The movie seemed to be all over the place at times and they tried to pack too much in. The movie easily could have trimmed things down to make it a little more coherent. Electro could have been completely removed from the movie and nothing would've really been lost. A few scenes, like that little crisis with the two plane son a collision course during the blackout, seemed unnecessary. And while the movie does have some issues I enjoyed it quite a bit. The scene with Gwen and her death? It was handled so perfectly. The entire approach to the scene, like how the webbing shot at her looked like a hand and the echoed "snap", was really nicely done. I really like how they handled Harry Osborn though I wish they focused a bit more on him. Like the first movie is seemed like a good amount of stuff was trimmed out based on the trailers. I will definitely see it again to try and get a better grasp of it.


Also, the little X-Men movie preview was poorly done. An edited out of context clip from the movie doesn't work at all.

 

[Gold Guy]

I am very, very mixed on this film. The things it did right, it did great. The things it did wrong...could sometimes be cringe inducing. I may post some more thoughts in a few days, once I collect them, but man. Such an uneven experience, and Rhino did not need to be in this film at all.

 

[langden alger]

I am very, very mixed on this film. The things it did right, it did great. The things it did wrong...could sometimes be cringe inducing. I may post some more thoughts in a few days, once I collect them, but man. Such an uneven experience, and Rhino did not need to be in this film at all.

He just seemed to serve as a bookend so that the ending had a clever little tie to the opening scene.....at least it was kind of different. I don't remember too many action/superhero movies where the opening fight scene actually comes full circle for the closing shot. Also just a means to show Harry's new plan unfolding for the new set of movies coming up.....but it did remind me of the ending shot from The Incredibles though.

I felt like overall it did seem like they crammed in a little too much into the film. I'm really glad now that they did cut the scenes they shot with Mary Jane....there will be plenty of time to work on that for the next film....overall though I did enjoy it for what it was....it was kind of nice to have another more 'comic book feel' to a superhero movie again, after so many realistic gritty takes we've had recently.

 

[sparkykandy]

Saw it earlier today. I give it a C. Thought that the main Electro plot was fine by itself, but the Harry subplot really needed to be its own movie. As a result, I didn't feel anything for Harry's and Peter's friendship at all.

Also, it felt weird that Peter cared more about his dead parents then Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Did like the part where Aunt May calls Peter out on this though.

Didn't mind the fact that Rhino should out of the blue at the end. Felt that part was a nice ending.

 

[the greenman]

Well as many have said it wasn't great, but was very good.

PROS:

The humor, not just from Spider-Man or Peter either.

The continuation of the parents mystery, which should have FOX knocking on SONY's door for money, alluding to mutant origin?

The science, and having both Gwen and Peter working together in that aspect was cool.

The "villain birth" of Electro for the 20 -30 mins it lasted was probably the best I have seen in film to date. They took their time to show his degression into the villain, and Foxx as an actor shined.

Some scenes literally felt like they were from the comic, even if they weren't like the aforementioned "birth" seeing him fall in the eels, then later seeing Spidey on the jumbotron screens.

Dane DeHaan was great in this film.

Felicia Hardy, huh.

Russian mob tie-ins create a Sinister Six connection. Was Oscorp working with them? Was that guy chasing Gwen someone we should know?

Kafka.

CONS:

The score. I simply don't like Hans Zimmer doing anything with all superheroes. He comes off excellent in the melancholy scenes for emotion, but the parts where he attempts to inject humor and stuff just doesn't feel right to me.

The Osborn stuff really should have been in part 3. Now mind you, I don't mind them introducing Harry, but making him the villain so quickly ruined it for me. Yeah yeah, I get the original source had Norman killing Gwen. This probably should have been just Harry and Norman's film with Rhino introduced and that's it.

Capt. Stacy ghost was good, but maybe once would've been enough.

Itsy bitsy spider gag was lame. Sorry.

Spidey considered a vigilante or not? Make it clear. This is the purpose of having someone like JJJ around. Bring JK Simmons back please.

 

[TheVileOne]

This could the worst Spider-Man movie I've ever seen. 12 years ago the first movie made $114 million on its opening weekend. And figure in inflation, IMAX, and 3D, and there has been quite a bit of softening up of the domestic numbers. But basically, the idea of a Captain America film surpassing a Spider-Man film in anyway is kind of absurd when you figure how huge the Spider-Man movie brand used to be and the first Marvel Studios Captain America movie only did about $391 million worldwide.

And to continue on what that, I have no idea what Sony is doing with villain movies like Sinister Six. To me, they are doomed to failure because no one will go and see that business.

Electro in this movie was Jim Carey's Edward Nigma from Batman Forever. I can't believe no one saw this. If I'm doing script notes, this is the first thing I point out. Also, Foxx's role in this movie is virtually pointless. He only has two actual encounters with Spider-Man. And because of that all the business with Norman/Harry/Peter is sidelined and marginalized.

To steal a criticism of Vince Russo in pro wrestling and compare it to this movie, that one bizarre extended scene with Harry and Norman is like two movie's worth of buildup all crammed into one scene.

A lot of what's happened in these films make me appreciate what Sam Raimi Did a lot more.

 

[mumbo]

I liked this movie a lot. A lot more than I expected going in.

The thing is, Garfield and Stone just win me over. I would argue that Garfield is the best lead in any of the currently running superhero movie franchises. He takes the cheesy quips and one-liners that drag down so many of the Marvel Studios movies and injects a likability into them. He's got this twitchy demeanor to him where, even though he's thirty, he's totally believable as a teenager, and not an irritatingly sarcastic or grossly self-absorbed one, but one you can actually identify with.

And Garfield and Stone have genuine chemistry. I could actually buy into Peter and Gwen. I actually rooted for their relationship to work out, knowing it was doomed - and I almost never care for the love interest. And it wasn't the writing, which was eh. It's that these two are just great actors putting on great performances, making the most of what they have to work with. This element of the movie is such a massive step up from the original trilogy.

That said, this is a superhero movie, not a romance. The plot was scattered and suffered from trying to stuff too many things in. I think the balancing was okay - Electro's story unfolded quite naturally and was well done. Harry's a bit less so, but he didn't feel shoehorned in. Having the big battle with Electro followed immediately by the big battle with the Goblin was an issue, though. It was an awkward transition and meant that both battles felt more abbreviated than they should have been.

I thought the action scene were handled marvelously. I get a bit tired of reading reviews where "CGI spectacle" is supposed to be a bad thing. Oh no, these scenes look awesome! How terrible! I know the criticism is that it removes the human element from the story, but as I mentioned before, the great performances from Garfield and Stone more than take care of that. But Spider-Man slinging around NYC has never looked better, the battles with Electro were thrilling, and the scene with Gwen's death was handled perfectly IMO, especially with the webbing forming into a hand, and how Gwen just hits the bottom and there's that sickening snap.

Did Rhino need to be there? No, he definitely was shoehorned in. But, that said, I never thought Rhino was interesting enough to support a movie, so I don't care too much. He's fine as an enforcer for the Sinister Six. Not every character has to be fully fleshed out. Some just exist to be supporting cast.

I think this movie was a big step up from the first one. I can honestly say this is one of the rare times where I don't understand the critical consensus at all. I'd put this in the 80% range rather than the 54% it's getting at RT. Of all the superhero movies out there, I would argue that these Amazing Spider-Man ones are the ones that feel most like an actual comic book brought to life on the screen. Webb really gets it, even if the execution of the plot is clunky at times. There just needs to be a little less focus on world-building and throwing in characters for use in future movies and more focus on telling a good story.

 

[Tohya]

I can honestly say this is one of the rare times where I don't understand the critical consensus at all. I'd put this in the 80% range rather than the 54% it's getting at RT.

80% is awfully generous. Id say its probably around 60%...maybe bump it up to the high 60s low 70s because Emma and Andy was so freaking charming. Anyways the critic consensus and awful word of mouth make sense. You got hooked on the leads ( so did I) but if your not a sucker for angsty will they or will they not plots then I dont see what kind of appeal this would have for critics. But critic consensus is moot and I agree that it had the most comic booky feel of the lot. Which is good because it made a mediocre film fun and enjoyable and it might mean that it might avoid the kind of % dropping the last "rotten" superhero film suffered.

 

[brickrrb2]

Electro- powers and abilities wise on spot. Character screwed to no clear ends

Green Goblin was awful. Made Goblin ranger look like a masterpiece.

Story screwed up legendary comic plots

So in a long run- Marvel studios would clearly have done a superior job

 

[Sonic_Eclipse]

Saw the film twice, I didn't love it but I didn't hate either. I enjoyed it more after a second viewing.

I loved Electro, if he only was handled a little better. Green Goblin still looks awful to me, Harry really should have only been introduced in this movie saving the Goblin for another film though.

Andrew Garfield IS Spider-Man! How anybody can prefer Tobey Maguire and still won't him in the role is beyond me. The relationship between Andrew's Peter and Emma's Gwen is always a joy to watch, it really is unfortunate what happens but it was inevitable.

Web-slinging has never looked better, it really is a rush to watch Spidey swing around the city.

I didn't like how Dr. Kafka is presented here. First off Kafka is a woman not a man. The Dr. Kafka I know generally cares about her patients at Ravencroft and does not perform experiments on them. Of course I only Dr. Kafka from the 90's series and The Spectacular Spider-Man, but I'm fairly certain the Kafka in the movie is nothing like the one in the comics.

I definitely could have done without The Spectacular Spider-Kid. I knew I was gonna hate that scene when I saw Spider-Kid in the trailers and pics. Its just cheesy and something you would see happen in the Raimi films.

Overall I liked the film, I feel there are definitely somethings that happen in the film that would've been done in an MCU film and fans would eat it up no problem. But since this isn't a Marvel Studios film it gets a lot of hate for that reason alone. But, It's a good film, if you love Spider-Man you will like this movie. I just wish there was less focus on setting up the Sinister Six movie, hopefully TASM3 has a better script.

 

[mumbo]

80% is awfully generous. Id say its probably around 60%...maybe bump it up to the high 60s low 70s because Emma and Andy was so freaking charming. Anyways the critic consensus and awful word of mouth make sense. You got hooked on the leads ( so did I) but if your not a sucker for angsty will they or will they not plots then I dont see what kind of appeal this would have for critics. But critic consensus is moot and I agree that it had the most comic booky feel of the lot. Which is good because it made a mediocre film fun and enjoyable and it might mean that it might avoid the kind of % dropping the last "rotten" superhero film suffered.

Yeah, I can see that...I just thought critics would focus more on the performances of the leads, which I can't say enough good things about. Obviously the script is full of flaws but those two just elevated the movie so damn much from what it would have been with two other leads.

So in a long run- Marvel studios would clearly have done a superior job

I hear this a lot and I get kind of tired of it. Marvel Studios is far from perfect, and I've found way too many of their movies follow the same template over and over again. Thor 2 is as mediocre as it gets, and you want to complain about a lack of development for a villain, look at how terrible Malekith was. Thor 1 and Cap 1 felt like they were only made so that they could make an Avengers movie later rather than out of interest in the characters. Iron Man 2 was just as scattered as this movie. And Iron Man 3 made massive changes to the source material.

I just feel like a Marvel Studios-made Spider-Man would follow the same template and be virtually indistinguishable from most of the other MCU movies. I actually like seeing other studios take a run with these characters, like Fox with the X-Men. It gives a little more variety and spice to things. We don't need one monolith studio mass-producing -all- of the Marvel movies like a factory.

 

[Spider-Man]

I also like seeing people say that being a Marvel Studios movie doesn't instantly guarantee a good movie. Iron Man 2 and Thor 2 are examples of that, an even Avengers has more than a few flaws. Being a Marvel Studios movie doesn't mean the movie is going to be instantly better and I hate seeing the Spider-Man movies and the X-Men movies getting slammed just because of that. Overall Sony has done a good job with the property even if they have made a few mistakes and the same can be said for Fox.


I actually really liked how this movie handled Harry Osborn and the Green Goblin. I liked the design and I thought the actor did a great job. I wish the movie just focused on Peter, Gwen and Harry. I would have enjoyed that much more. While the movie did have some problems namely Electro and the overstuffed plot, there were times when the movie really soared and delivered.

I also really liked the heroic theme the movie gave Spider-Man. One of my favorites from the past few years.

 

[Tohya]

When people say Marvel would of done a better job you need to understand the subtext of that statement which is, "this movie would of been a lot cooler if Spidey was part of the MCU". And to that degree I completely agree. Spidey would elevate the MCU to levels of awesomeness that Kevin Feige probably dreams about at night and the Spider Man brand is in desperate need of incorporation into a shared universe. I don't think anybody would argue IM2 or maybe Thor 2 were better movies.

 

[kid rabbit]

what if electro killed Gwen at the end and not harry
after beating him the first time electro comes back dr Manhattan style again and they have the final battle in the clock tower

 

[firefoxprime]

PRE STORY
I saw Amazing Spiderman 2 years ago. It was okay. I knew it was going to feel different, especially due to different "modern-ish" origin story-telling. Yet, I saw 500 Days of Summer and loved it. So, I was accustomed to Marc Webbs storytelling/directing style. The suit from AS1 was "okay". Had to differentiate from the Raimi-trilogy somehow. Spidey actually had jokes! Much more personality vs Raimi Spidey. By the way, I enjoyed the Raimi-trilogy, 3 was well....weak.

REVIEW

View Format:
I saw Amazing Spiderman 2 twice. Once on the smaller screen, and the other in 3D. I recommend 3D. I've only seen 2 movies in 3D: Avatar(blue ppl) and The Last Airbender. Spidey does it justice. Friggin awesome.

Acting:
The acting felt natural. That's big for me. It was comparable to the acting chops of 5 season tv show "Leverage". Just felt natural. People naturally talking and interacting with each other.

Some people across other forums and IRL claim Peter is a jerk. I honestly did not see that on screen. I may have to rewatch AS1, but in AS2? Please. Spiderman/Peter Parker is a troubled dude who has a great sense of humor. I think his weakest joke in the whole movie was introducing himself to the pre-Rhino. Something about "Just don't call me late for dinner, etc" When he's still in costume, and Aunt May questions the dirt on his face? He claims he was cleaning the chimney. She states they have no chimney, and he's expression "....Wuhhh?" Priceless. I understand the humor here, but many people are as I call them "straight-laced". They can't really grasp that form of humor, and it clearly goes over their head. Its like people who solely watch laugh track comedy vs tongue in cheek, ex: The Office.

Peter Parker has a personality. Gwen Stacey has a personality. Aunt May has a personality. Max Dillon has a personality. Harry Osborn has a personality. These actors/characters feel REAL. They feel EXTREMELY fleshed out.

Webb was tremendously tactful to not allow this movie to fall into teen/twilight territory(it almost did too)

Peter isn't just boo hoo, my parents left me. You can also see how he handles the pain. Its visually shown, and you verbly hear his coping habits, during his discussion with Harry. He wants to keep his girl. He wants to help his best friend from 10years ago. His parents died. Harry's father died. They connect It's all very very natural(personal buzzword ).

Gwen is a romantic lead with PERSONALITY. After watching 500 Days of Summer, I was blown away by the fleshed out characters(not back story per say, but just how naturally they interacted with one another). She isn't just someone to save(although it happens). She has her own aspirations(although they may have been a plot device, probably), but even in the first movie, she had personality. Her own quirks, and felt like a "natural" person. Definitely saw chemistry with Garfield. All their conversations, mannerisms, and body language was scripted, but they really felt like I was physically watching a couple work out their complicated relationship.

Aunt May's defense towards sharing Peter's parents history? Awesome. You can see her confusion and distress. Why would Peter waste time digging up the past, when she and Ben cared for him as their own son/ She works double shifts to support them, and hides the news from Peter, which results an arguement to hide her hospital uniform and his spidey costume. Great great work, and during all the chaos during Electro's attack on the city? Where's Aunt May? Helping out at the hospital. Very smart. Show one scene of what she's up to, and get back to the action baby.

When I watched the trailers with Harry Osborn, this actor(never saw him before) seemed a bit snively, but man oh man was I wrong. The dude sees his father at his death bed. Your pops is about to die and he calls you a failure. On top of that, shows no remorse for ruining your childhood. You can see the anguish on his face. Never says he hates his father though, mhmm. Osborn hands over the only tool that can save Harry's life, due to Harry's genetic illness. This immediately becomes a driving force for Harry Osborn. His desperation only escalates. Notice he calmly asks Peter for help, and Spiderman for help, and turned down twice. That board room meeting. Awesome. His voice annoyed me during the trailers, but it really matched his personality. He sounds heavy. Like he's holding back tears, whatevs. The kid puts the board in there place and you can hear the sarcasm drip from his remarks. His first meeting with Peter shows some genuine friendship. Harry's teamup with Electro? Greatness. They were both shafted and brushed aside by the same corporation. Their alliance also felt "natural".

Paid respect to Spiderman as a character. What I found that was really cool, was how Spiderman is Peter Parker, and Peter Parker is Spiderman. They are one. How Peter used his powers for not just defeating villains but for just everyday life. I saw VERY similar notes to Iron Man 3 that felt a bit surreal. Iron Man sprawled out in his couch waiting for Pepper? Awesome. Really nailed the character. When the mask comes off, he's still Spidey, and when the mask comes on, he's still Peter.

Dude, they even had the Spidey song as his ringtone. He's using real webshooters. He's using science to defeat his villians. You see him experimenting with batteries to upgrade his webshooters. Awesome. Costume popped right out of the comics. Acrobatic fighting style? Check. Spidey cracks JOKES!!! Using objects around him to defeat his foes? Check. Water for Electro is a good example. When Spidey saved that kid from bullies, and he introduced himself, that also felt natural too. Some claim the 2 oncoming planes to be unnecessary. I understand that viewpoint, but it added a bit more suspense to stopping Electro. The 2 planes showed that lives were in danger due to the blackout.

 

[the greenman]

This film and the previous are defintely much closer to nailing the character of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Let's just wait for Amazing Spider-Man 3.

Also did we ever see Norman die? A funeral procession? I kinda got a Agent Coulson feeling again.

 

[The Talon]

I'll be honest, this wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be, but I still didn't enjoy it. Electro felt like a villain from Joel Schumaker's Batman, and I zoned out through a lot of the fights. The weirdest part about this movie was how Peter and Harry were treated. Peter kinda felt like a creepy jerk with him stalking Gwen and then not giving Harry a reason for not giving him his blood. Hell, I felt the most sympathy for Harry despite a kinda awkward performance from Dane Dehaan. His dad taunted him right before his, he found he was gonna die soon, his best friend didn't try to save him when given the chance, then he got thrown out of his own company. I actually thought he had pretty good chemistry with Jamie Foxx in the five minutes of screen-time that they had together, I would've loved to see more of that.

But yeah, I'm at the point right now where I would rather want Sony to just stop making these movies entirely than sit through another one.

 

[Gold Guy]

Anyway, thinking more on it...I didn't hate it, or really enjoy it. It was middle of the road, with the goods and bads outweighing each other!

Gwen and Peter have great chemistry. Aunt May had a really great scene. The fights and CGI were really cool. Harry was better than I thought he;d be. A sometimes impressive score. Emotional ending.

VS

Lame, lame, lame villains. Annoying script. Some comedy so bad, I literally had to look away at some scenes. Pointless cameos that, yes, the MCU would have done better. When it wasn't good, the OST was just weird. Harry's Green Goblin was ugly and blah. Rhino who?