A review of The Amazing Spider-man 2 (2014)

Okay so I’ve a few questions,
Why is Oscorp’s lab powered by electric eels?
Is this supposed to be New York City or Bedrock?!?!
Do the employees of Oscorp clock out and slide down the neck of a brontasaurus on their way out the door?
All this and more on my long past overdue review of the much maligned The Amazing spider-man 2

For starters I don’t think this movie is anywhere near as bad as its reputation makes it out to be, was I disappointed with it back on its release? Sure, I thought it was pretty dreadful in almost every way, but time has definitely been kind to this one from the perspective of what makes a movie “fun”.
Also I did watch it over two days as its much easier to digest in two sittings.

One of the movies more common complaints is how bloated it is and I definitely agree on that, however the thing that bothers me more is just how much setup for the future of the series is put at the forefront instead of the story the movies trying to tell.
Seriously it’s insane just how many name drops, Easter eggs and references the movie throws at you all with an elbow nudge and sly wink like “hey keep an eye on that guy” and “remember the sinister six” wink wink.

The problem is that the film spends so much time winking that it’s eyes are pretty much closed for the duration causing it to veer off course and end up in a tonally confused ditch.
Had it spent more time focusing on the immediate threat of the two and a half villains they already had and less on the secret Oscorp rouges gallery basement of Christmas future things would have made a lot more sense and been a hell of a lot more focused.

On the subject of bloat this could have been waaaay shorter without all the unesassary business with the Parker parents and their secret underground C.H.U.D hideout and the Spencer mansion coins for keys spy crap they were into, Mr and Mrs Parker? More like Mr and Mrs Smith the cardigan years.

Don’t get me wrong I’m perfectly happy to sit for two hours and forty minutes to enjoy a movie but this had no business having such a runtime and definitely needs someone to take a hatchet to it and release a shorter cut with better pacing. For starters we could have spent a little more time building the Harry and Peter relationship and fleshing it out to more than just skipping stones and clumsily dumping expository dialogue.

Now onto the positives before it seems like I’m just dumping all over it, and we can start with the cast.
Jamie fox is either the worst thing about the movie or just having fun with it but either way i really enjoyed him hamming it up with his wacky take on Electro which seems to be him channeling Jim Carreys riddler via urkle, and while I’m normally hot and cold when it comes to Dane Dehaan i actually quite like him as Harry, well up until he turns into a cross between Leprechaun and a meth head at least.


Andrew Garfield is always great as is Emma Stone and their chemistry is undoubtedly fantastic, however as Parker i always found Garfield a little too cool for school and I felt an important aspect of the character was lost for that reason.

The effects are great and its definitely one of the best movies when it comes to seeing Spider-man swinging around the city, plus it’s one of the best costumes we’ve had in live action.

All things considered it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other when it comes to The Amazing spider-man 2, it’s one part rollercoaster ride of great actors giving fun and pitch perfect performances but on the same hand it’s a two hour and forty minute back door pilot for an expended cinematic cheque that Sony realised it couldn’t cash.

I’ve always enjoyed this short lived incarnation of spider-man and this world as it’s own little pocket universe and with the upcoming release of No Way Home it looks like my head Canon may actually be justified.
Love it or hate it, it’s a fun and bizarre outing that’s neither great nor terrible, good nor bad, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel nor does it rest on It’s laurels, and that’s why I’ll give The Amazing spider-man 2…….Two and a half Russian Paul Giamatti’s out of five.