By Carly Gaspari
Staff Writer
While nearly every generation is able to recognize “The Amazing Spider-Man’s” significance in film, the web-slinger’s newest, unremarkable release begs the question of why the hero is not dubbed “The Lackluster Spider-Man” instead.
While Marvel’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” delivers with thrilling action and passionate acting, it is bogged down with a complicated web of characters and conflicts, leaving the film as a decent but forgettable installment of the “Spider-Man” series.
The film centers around Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), a teenager who is turned into a superhero with spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. The story follows Parker as he moves toward high school graduation, works to maintain his relationship with his girlfriend, Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone), and mulls over his future.
The conflict arises when Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), a former friend of Parker and leader of the scientific research company Oscorp, seeks out Spider-Man, believing that Parker’s mutated blood will cure his unknown hereditary disease.
After Parker refuses to help Osborn, believing his blood will instead kill him, Obsorn allies himself with Electro (Jamie Foxx), a former electrical engineer turned electric-powered supervillian after an industrial accident, in order to hunt Spider-Man down.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” would have been far more concise and entertaining if Spider-Man’s sole adversary had been Electro. Having two makes the movie unfocused and overly complex. Because of Osborn’s whiny, spoiled and altogether obnoxious attitude, the issues he concocts between him and Peter are simply irrational. Osborn’s presence in the movie is completely unnecessary and weighs down the film.
Such overwhelming nature is also seen in the film’s overlapping storylines. Parker struggles with personal conflicts as well, including trying to make ends meet financially, mourning the death of his uncle, trying to find the cause of his father’s death and dealing with his relationship issues with Stacy. None of these angles are fully developed, resulting in a constantly unsatisfactory feel.
Luckily, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, as it is full of gratifying, action-packed scenes, such as exploding electric plants, burning buildings and crumbling clock towers. This persistent visual stimulation lends the film constant intrigue, but not enough to outweigh the difficult-to-follow narrative.
However, the main draw of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” comes from the emotional connection between the central characters. Garfield and Stone brilliantly sell their characters’ romance through the dynamic, compelling chemistry and genuine sincerity. The overall result of their relationship is both believable and engaging, serving as the film’s crux.
Yet, this dynamic proves a crushing tease, as it is forced to share screen time with the movie’s overwhelming tendencies. The result is a fun, action-packed superhero film that unfortunately is too difficult to follow to be worth remembering.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is rated PG-13 and is playing in theaters nationwide.
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