I went to see it last night, May 2nd, with the girlfriend for my Birthday - despite it being a few days early. We went to Outback first, then to the movie. She payed, because, in her words "I love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much." We also got free popcorn, so that's a plus.
Let's start with the basics, the plot.The film centers on the relationship between Peter and Gwen, in sort of a will they or won't they remain together. This narrative arc wraps around the development of Electro and the Green Goblin, while also dealing albeit briefly with the mystery behind the deaths of Mary and Richard Parker, Peter's parents. Ultimately the film boils down into a simple idea, self identity. Peter and Gwen, as previously stated spend most of the film trying to figure out who they are and where they belong, this isn't particularly uncommon for comic book films, as that was the central focus of the first Iron Man and every single time the Hulk is used, that's the focus on his character. Peter knows he's Spider-Man, and damn does Garfield knock it out of the park again (but more on that later), but he doesn't know how to be both Spider-Man and Peter Parker, this is the journey he must go through, and the realization he will come to be the films end. Gwen on the other hand, is offered an interview and opening at Oxford, her decision is whether or not to take it, or remain in New York with the man she loves.
Now onto the damn good special effects. I'm normally not one to boast about how good something looks blowing up, or how nice lightning looks shooting from someone's finger tips, or how blue that guy is. But the visual effects in this film were just fantastic. They knew just when to hit the slow motion and just when to pick it back up so you weren't being bashed over the head with slow motion. If you're not sure what that's like, watch 300: Rise of an Empire, people stand still in slow motion - it's ridiculous. By the way, on a complete side note, I burnt my finger, and it hurts, that is all.
Zap. Zap. Zap.
Seriously though, Electro looks great, once he turns blue and stuff. Before that, he's just some weird guy with a comb-over. Props to Jamie Foxx though for being able to play such a convincing Spider-Man obsessed creep. Though we are supposed to sympathize with him, he's lived his whole life as just another face in the crowd, nobody remembering his name from day to day, going so far as to make himself his own "Happy Birthday Max" card, just so someone might notice that it's his birthday. So when he's finally noticed, and put in the spotlight, only to have a heroic deed by Spider-Man take it away from him, making him yet again another overlooked face, he snaps becoming the villain and wanting Spider-Man dead.
I'm just going to casually flick lightning at you, no big deal.
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I glow red when I get angry.
Electro's suit, when he gets it, is just plain awesome. Though where he gets it is totally unexplained. Does he just spontaneously make this amazing looking suit? Was there one in Ravencroft where he was being held? Did Harry make it for him? It looks nice, but it comes out of no where. Then there's Harry.
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Sleep well, children.
Harry becomes the Green Goblin this go around as opposed to the usual Hob-Goblin, and he looks worse for the ware. Say what you will negatively about Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films, but at least the costumes there, Emo Peter Parker aside, wouldn't give children nightmares. I'm an avid Dane Dehaan fan, the kid can do no wrong in my eyes he's a brilliant actor and steals the show in literally everything he is in, this is no exception. He is the best thing about this movie, and to a lot of people (not including myself), the only good thing. So yeah, not only are the VFX top notch, that make-up department killed it with Dehaan's Goblin design.
Garfield is still the perfect Spider-Man, whether or not he's a perfect Peter Parker is another story, for another day, between people who aren't some guy and myself. He's still a better Peter than Maguire ever was, and I'll keep touting that to the grave if I have to. Perhaps it's just the better writing, and a better standard for acting in this type of film, but God, looking back the only redeemable quality of that original trilogy was Doc Ock in the second film. Many are claiming that no one can do Otto Octavius better, so I guess we'll have to wait for the Sinister Six film, or Amazing Spider-Man 3, whichever comes first. The Sinister Six, through the teaser within the credits, appear to be Rhino, Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, and either Mysterio, The Lizard, or Chameleon; that last one is a bit ambiguous (source).
Mini-tease confirming at least Doc Ock and Vulture.
The visuals themselves weren't all that striking. There weren't any amazing camera angles or shots that blew my mind. There weren't any crazy lighting choices or anything in the mise-en-scene that seemed peculiar or notable. Peter's scene with Gwen atop the bridge was rather beautifully shot, but it's nothing that hasn't been done before or better.
The melodrama this go around was definitely heightened, Peter's struggling with hallucinations, his relationship is on the rocks, and as stated before he suffers from an identity crisis throughout most of the film, especially in the closing ten or so minutes. I'm not going to spoil what happens for the people that actually want to see the film for themselves, but I will say that you probably already know the big spoiler from other dicks on the internet, or just by knowing the source material.
Okay I lied, there is one sequence that was fantastic, and it was the tower sequence you can see above. The camera for the most part takes either two positions, looking up at Peter in Spider-suit, or down at Gwen. When it takes a different position, neither of them are seen in the frame. The camera, at one point focuses on Peter's web as Gwen is falling, and the end of the webbing takes on the appearance of a hand, and the camera stays on that for a decent amount of time. I just think the sequence was done masterfully.
There isn't much action in this one, and to be honest I don't think there was in the first, I can't recall just how much action there was in the first. There are three big sequences here, four if you count the last two minutes. They're spaced out quite a bit, about half an hour a piece, there's your opening sequence with Rhino, minus the suit, the first confrontation with Electro, then the battle with Electro/Green Goblin, and the final confrontation with a suited up Rhino. The action, as par for the course, was executed beautifully. The fights are choreographed well and work like a charm. And while the rest of the film for the most part is without "action" that isn't to say that nothing happens, because a lot happens in the near two and a half hours of Spidey-goodness. There just aren't that many fights.
My only real complaint of the film comes with the storyline of the parents death and research. My main issue with this stuff as it does literally nothing for the advancement of the plot, or narrative. It only serves for more melodrama and suffering on Peter's behalf. There's even a scene with Aunt May, where she tells Peter to stop caring about this stuff because it's only going to hurt your feelings and stuff. He basically tells her, "I know, but I don't care I want to know anyways." I will say, however, that the lab he finds was pretty neat, despite its being there not making much sense.
There was also this great scene at the start, where Peter is trying to get to his high school graduation, but he forgets to take his mask off and almost walks onto stage wearing the mask. That's about as spoilery as I plan on getting. I felt the need to mention the scene mainly because of this meme, so you can thank the meme for that little tangent there.
All in all, I'm not sure if I can say that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was better than the first one. Rotten Tomatoes certainly doesn't think so. To be honest, I'm even having trouble deciding. There isn't much a difference in the way the two films were made for me to say one was definitely better than the other. With the other three films already telling Spider-Man's origins the first one did come off as a bit of a retelling, despite ten years separating the first films of both respective franchises (and five years separating the horrendous Spider-Man 3 from The Amazing Spider-Man).
I'm starting to dislike giving movies a score out of ten, because the scores change over time. I could give the movie an 8/10 this week, and then after my third or fourth viewing, on Blu-Ray of course, it could be a 6,7, or 9. So where does that leave me, because I've got this whole summer season thing coming up, and everyone rates things now-a-days, how will people know that I enjoyed the film despite its minor misgivings. Maybe I should just stick with the good ol' */10 rating system and just keep my revisions to myself.
As of right now I'm going to give The Amazing Spider-Man 2 the aforementioned 8/10, which is about where I would rank it predecessor at the moment despite having initially loved the first one enough to give it a rather high ranking spot on my top ten of Summer 2012 (I believe I gave it the #1 slot actually.) To be fair I judge movies differently than I did back in 2012. Hell, I judge them differently every month, or so it seems.
So the rest of the summer holds quite a lot in store for me. I likely won't review everything that I see, but I will more than likely discuss the good stuff, or the horrendously bad if I end up seeing something that is just straight-up terrible this summer. Next week is, hopefully, Neighbors, with Godzilla following the week after. I'll see you then. Have a video.
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