On Sunday, 4 May 2014, I met Thomas K.Y. & Kai-Yin H. and Bruce K. at the Landmark Embassy Cinema in downtown Waltham, Mass., for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. We enjoyed lunch at The Grill on Pine St. and the latest superhero sequel.
Plot: Amazing Spider-Man 2 takes place shortly after the events of 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, which rebooted Sony’s franchise of the 2000s. Our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler has successfully defeated Dr. Curt Connors/the Lizard but at the cost of the life of NYPD Capt. Stacy, the father of Peter Parker’s girlfriend Gwen.
Haunted by tragedy, Spidey isn’t able to rest for long, when a Russian gang member, a onetime fan and industrial accident victim, and an old friend challenge his vow to protect his fellow New Yorkers, especially Gwen.
Peter also learns more about the mystery surrounding his parents’ disappearance years before. I didn’t think it was necessary to tie Spider-Man’s origin so tightly to his parents or to the creation of various villains, but superhero movies tend to do that.
Acting: Since Amazing Spider Man 2 focuses on Peter more than his costumed alter ego, it’s good that Brit Andrew Garfield is a strong anchor to the film. Despite his lanky frame, he conveys both Peter’s world weariness and Spidey’s joy in swinging through Manhattan’s steel canyons.
Garfield is again ably supported by winsome Emma Stone (his real-life girlfriend) as Gwen Stacy and Sally Field as hard-working Aunt May. Jamie Foxx gets the most screen time of the villains as dweeby Max Dillon, who becomes Electro, but Chronicle‘s Dane DeHaan provides more emotional resonance as Peter’s wealthy childhood pal Harry Osborn.
I’ll try to avoid “spoilers” beyond what you may have seen in posters and previews, but any Spidey fan knows what happens to troubled Harry. Of course, creator Stan Lee has a brief cameo. Paul Giamatti’s appearances as Aleksei Stytsevich/the Rhino are almost as brief and clearly setup for the inevitable “Sinister Six” sequels.
Direction and cinematography: Marc Webb, who directed this film’s predecessor, clearly understands the characters, and he wisely focuses on Peter’s relationship with Gwen, his Aunt May, his absent parents, and Harry. Amazing Spider Man 2 starts out a little slow, with a few set-piece battles, and it gradually picks up speed.
The web-slinging and fight scenes are very good, but not ground-breaking. I’m glad to see Spidey’s classic costume restored. As much as I appreciate the occasional slow-motion scene, showcasing poses from the original Marvel Comics pages, audiences have become a bit jaded by plentiful computer-generated visual effects and pyrotechnics.
As a native New Yorker, it was nice to see an upbeat portrayal of my hometown despite all the destruction, as well as the celebration of everyday heroism provided by police, firefighters, and brave civilians. While Disney/Marvel has little to fear, it’s the one area where Spidey complements and competes with the four-color Avengers.
Soundtrack: The Amazing Spider-Man 2‘s musical score is good, with optimistic themes that Man of Steel could have used. It’s not quite as stirring as for the earlier Spider-Man flicks, but I noticed it more than for several other recent films. Peter’s cell phone ring tone also harkens back to the 1960s cartoons.
Rating: Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which has gotten mixed reviews. Yes, like most superhero sequels, there are too many villains and leaps of logic, but the acting and dialogue make up for obligatory fisticuffs.
I’d give The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which is rated PG-13 for violence, a B or B+, a 7.5 out of 10, or three and a half out of five stars. I liked the first Spider-Man 2 and Captain America [2]: the Winter Soldier slightly more, but this is a solid entry for Spider-Man fans and certainly better than Spider-Man 3.
I’m looking forward to the latest incarnation of Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past (which got a non-sequitur of a teaser during Spidey’s end credits), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (I recently saw and liked Rise of Planet of the Apes), and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Gene's Worlds 
I still have not seen this one. I am going to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier tonight because its been out longer and also because its probably a better movie. I still want to see Godzilla too, and the X: Men, so I might wait on Spider Man2 until second run or video.
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Steve, I hope you enjoy Captain America: the Winter Soldier, which I also thought was the better movie.
I hope to see the latest Godzilla in the next week or so, and I’ll eventually catch X-Men: Days of Future Past and Guardians of the Galaxy. Don’t get me wrong, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was decent, but you’re right to be picky with your time.
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