The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the sequel of the comic book movie reboot that stars Andrew Garfield as the latex-clad superhero, premieres this weekend across the country.
In the sequel, Spider-Man, alter-ego of geeky high school student Peter Parker, faces a pair of dangerous villains. The one is the Green Goblin, the new and improved Harry Osbourne (Dean DeHaan); the other is Electro – the electrified, awkward Oscorp employee Max Dillon, played by Jamie Fox. While trying to eradicate New York City of the evil forces at work, Peter also struggles to maintain his relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).
Though critics across the board agree that Garfield and Stone’s chemistry is palpable and engaging, they’re mixed when it comes to the effectiveness of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as a whole. Director Marc Webb tried to find a middle ground between a dark and evocative superhero film and one that’s more of a feel-good thriller. While some felt Webb succeeded, others felt he missed the mark.
“The trouble with director Marc Webb's disappointing sequel is it wants to have it both ways: to take seriously human connection and loss and also spin the spectacular and pulpy. When superhero movies pull this mix off, they are a thing of pop-culture beauty. Spider-Man 2 never locates that sweet spot.” – Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
“In its rush to cram a few decades’ worth of plot into 140 minutes, Spider-Man 2 — written by the team that thought it was being clever keeping Khan’s identity top-secret in Star Trek Into Darkness — does too much, and it’s often not enough. […]Spider-Man 2 can’t quite decide what it wants to be, when what it should be is right there: highflying, a big grin, the “fun” in funny book. When it is, it’s great: When Garfield conceals Peter’s confused-angry-betrayed scowl beneath that shiny red mask, Spider-Man 2 summons the giddy derring-do of the best Iron Man offerings. It’s a good movie that could have been great. And that might bug you.” Robert Wilonsky, Dallas News
“Even bad movies can succeed in the international market, where audiences continue to consume action eagerly. How bad is this one, though? Amazingly so. Villainy abounds, but the villains are strident contrivances. Spider-Man flies, but does so dutifully, without joy. By the same token, a number of New York City police cruisers perform impressive cartwheels after epic collisions. That, too, is amazing, for sheer repetitiveness. It's like a default setting for the ragged script. When all else fails, cop cars take flight.” – Joe Morgenstern, The Wall Street Journal
"There are scenes in this sometimes clunky, unwieldy movie, written by the Lost/Alias team of Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner, that give the picture a stitched-together feel, and the seams show. But even though the ride is bumpy, the final destination is more than worth the effort. […] The heart of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, just like the previous film, is the bond between Peter and Gwen, and now that the actors have become a real-life couple since making the first picture, their chemistry is even stronger and more natural now.” – Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, rated PG-13, is currently in wide release.
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