While feeling a bit bloated and heavy on villains and other ancillary characters from Spider-man’s corner of the Marvel universe, this follow-up to 2012’s 

“Amazing Spider-man” carried forward with the same tone and top notch production value of its preceding film.  

 

I know I am in the minority when I say that I prefer Andrew Garfield’s portrayal of the web-slinger to that of Toby Maguire.  My reasoning is that while Maguire did his Spidey justice in the Rami trilogy, Garfield brings more of the Peter Parker who enjoys being Spider-man like I am used to from the comics.  His delivery of his Spidey quips and witticisms during some nicely produced action sequences are what I expect from a Spider-man film.

 

There are some pacing issues and there are times in the film where your attention can wane, but the one clear piece to this story is the Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy element.  Emma Stone gave a great performance as Peter’s first love interest in the reboot.  So much so that it felt like Gwen Stacy walked right off one of Gil Kane’s pages.  The connection between Peter and Gwen is not only believable, but probably the most endearing element to this film.

 

Marc Webb and the writing team of Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner made sure to give service to the fanboys with plenty of Easter eggs.  There are references to the Sinister Six, the “Gentleman” has returned and even Alistair Smythe makes an appearance.  So it looks like we will get an appearance of the Ultimate Spider-Slayer in a future installment.  What tickled my fanboy fancy was Harry Osborne’s assistant “Felicia”, which I assume is Felicia Hardy and means that we will get to see the Black Cat in ASM3 as the internet has rumored.

 

With all the aforementioned characters stuffed into this film, we get the story bookended with Paul Giamotti’s Rhino and I still have not mentioned the main villains yet!  Jamie Foxx delivers an Electro who is truly electrifying.  I thoroughly enjoyed the look and the effects the production gave us for this villain.  My main disappointment with the film and this version of Electro was Max Dillon and the weird portrayal of a deeply disturbed genius.  The hammy lines and clunky dialogue was almost too much to get past until we got this film’s version of the electro origin story.  People that were with me in the theater commented that falling into a vat of electric eels was a ridiculous origin story.  Is it really that ridiculous considering it happens in a movie centered on a guy who got his powers by being bitten by a radioactive spider?

 

We also are introduced to this franchises version of the Green Goblin.  Dane DeHaan’s performance as Harry Osborn came off a bit stiff and stoic.  However, once he transformed to the Green Goblin DeHaan’s performance ramped up and ignited the screen.  However, I stand by my initial reaction to DeHaan being cast as Gobby though.  I think they could have cast an actor that has experience in giving a more consistent tone to his performance.

 

I would be remiss to not mention the synergy between Andrew Garfield and Sally Field whose interactions leave nothing behind.  The actors do more than portray these characters.  They showcase their acting skills through the relationship of Parker and his Aunt May.  The backstory of Peter’s parents fits in nicely as well, although the Roosevelt aspect and what Peter discovers is a bit over the top.

 

The climatic sequence of the film does not disappoint.  I do not want to spoil what happens, but I will say that it provides a great homage to a classic Spider-man tale from 1973 while giving a different spin on the story that makes it this movie’s own.  

 

With the various narrative choices made, the revelations we are given and the sometimes questionable characterizations, the seamless action sequences and amazing special effects serve the film so well that the positives of this film outweigh the negatives.  “Amazing Spider-man 2” manages to overcome and get the audience caught up in the drama and the characters while providing a display of beautiful special effects and stunts.  The camera work is flawless and a cinematic treat.  ASM2 is simply a fun flick to watch and leaves you thinking about the sequels to come.

 

I did not get everything I wanted in this film, but it did live up to my expectations for the most part.  I want to give it 4 stars out of 5, but some of the problems with the film, while offset by the positives, forces me to give it 3.75 out of 5.