The summer blockbuster movie season of 2014 has officially begun... And it's led by the release of a sequel of a film everyone's been waiting for and featuring a familiar webslinging hero of Marvel returning to the big screen!
Of course, I'm talking about your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man... More specifically Andrew Garfield back as Peter Parker and his alter ego in Marc Webb's sequel to his 2012 reboot of the Spider-Man franchise with "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"!
As the second film in the rebooted franchise after Sam Raimi's epic trilogy and based on the life of Marvel's flagship character, Sony Pictures and the filmmakers behind this project have up the ante and gone through great lengths to make this sequel more daring, action-packed, and full of all the emotional twists and turns that goes with Spidey's complicated life as a hero. The themes of responsibility, hope, and heroism still lie intact, as does the love and chemistry the wall-crawler shares with his loved ones, New York City, and of course his flame and love interest played once again by Emma Stone, Gwen Stacy.
With a new primary villain to face in the form of Electro (Jamie Foxx), some deep secrets related to the disappearance of his parents, and the mysterious return of an old childhood friend in Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) Peter's tangled web just got a lot more complicated to navigate... With tons of adventure and danger to face as his heroic alter ego. After mixed emotions from the first reboot entry, I can truly say this film redeems and steps the game up impressively, while adding a few nods to the source material and swinging viewers into a new treatment of the legend on its own thread.
So without further delay, here's my review for ASM 2, and Special Thanks goes to Columbia Pictures PH, Sony Pictures, and Marvel for bringing this film to our shores!
Movie: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Release Date: April 30, 2014 (Philippines/ International), May 2, 2014 (US)
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHann, Sally Field, Paul Giamatti
Directed By: Marc Webb
When we last left Peter Parker, he fully acclimated into his dual life as both a student living a normal teenage life... And serving his fellowman as the costumed vigilante known as Spider-Man. Two years after battling Dr. Curt Connors and defeating his mutated alter ego The Lizard, Peter now balances his heroics with new responsibilities, including being a fresh graduate out of High School and preparing for the next step to go to college. However, his romantic life has been complicated with Gwen Stacy, avoiding a relationship with her to honor the last request of her father, the late Captain George Stacy, who sacrificed his life to help Peter save New York from The Lizard. Spidey's life is all but simple, yet he still remains steadfast to protect New York and honor his own Uncle Ben's memory that "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility".
Despite the promise, Peter's feelings for Gwen are strong, and he ultimately gives in to seeing her whenever he can. Unfortunately the dangerous life of being Spider-Man comes at a price, as a new villain emerges in the form of Electro. The power-surging villain is another accidental twisted result of the illegal experiments conducted in OsCorp Industries - the same company Peter's father worked in years ago and which ultimately gave him his powers. His difficulties in being a hero are further complicated by new secrets uncovered on his parents' disappearance, as well as the return of his old friend Harry Osborn, who is seeking Spider-Man for something only the webslinger can give.
In the end, everything comes to a head, and only Peter Parker can resolve everything by accepting his destiny and inspiring others as the hero he was born to be.
So it's been two years since The Amazing Spider-Man came out... And a lot of improvements have been made by director Marc Webb and the team behind the new film series to warrant that this film is truly a certified hit! As someone who appreciated Sam Raimi's vision and bringing the original Spider-Man film franchise to the big screen, it was hard to see a new direction and franchise born in 2012, especially when a retelling of the origin story many already know wasn't necessary along with a few missteps. Still, the heart was there and it took time to appreciate from a fan and viewer's point of view. Ultimately opinions for the first ASM movie were slightly mixed bordering on ok, and the new costume, while realistic and dynamically different, was an unnecessary change for the sake of distancing itself from its predecessor.
Now the casting is just sheer wonderful the second time around, and Andrew Garfield proves without a shadow of a doubt that HE IS SPIDER-MAN. Sure he was angsty and a bit of a rebellious teen too much in the first film, but he gets the feel of playing Peter Parker and his webbed counterpart so well in Part 2 that I am all for this fellow's portrayal right in this sequel. What's more, his chemistry and relationship with Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy is just so... REAL. You will literally be sucked into Peter's emotions and lovestruck moods whenever he's seeing the love of his life in front of him... As well as feeling the determination and drive to do what's necessary to keep her safe and out of harm's way. Emma Stone's portrayal of Gwen is just as convincing, showing that this girl cares for the guy he likes and is willing to go through lengths to be with him... But only as much as she can do if he allows her to be by his side. As they truly are a genuine real-life couple, Garfield and Stone hold that spark that's rarely seen in on-screen romances, and that's something that pays off big time and in spades with the numerous sequences ASM 2 has to offer.
As far as the villains go, viewers don't get just the core baddie with Jamie Foxx as Electro/ Max Dillon, but also the inclusion of Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn and Paul Giamatti as Aleksei Sytsevich. The latter two of course hold the villainous identities of The Green Goblin and Rhino, but their introductions and roles in this movie come into play through determined circumstances. Foxx's Dillon is the major guy Spidey faces down, and unlike his comic book counterpart he's portrayed here as an OsCorp employee who has a serious obsession with social recognition and Spider-Man. Literally, Electro is another fine example of a tragic villain, who eventually gets corrupted by his own bias and opinions of being misunderstood by the world. More of that and the power playing is shown with DeHaan's version of Harry Osborn, who's inheritance of OsCorp and ties with Peter Parker eventually lead to a fate that will change the relationship of both friends. It's a radically different portrayal of Harry than the one seen with James Franco in the Sam Raimi films, Not to mention that of his father Norman. Pretty much it's a new twist to things, and yes Paul Giamatti exhumes awesome in his short but outrageous take as Aleksei Sytsevich, aka Rhino.
So to bottomline the verdict, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is simply something Spider-Man fans and newbies will adore, talk about, and get all excited about - simply because it just has so much adrenaline rush, action, and chemistry in it that it is now on the charge for some great things along the way. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are definitely the highlight performances here, and Spidey action has never been this AMAZING. Some odd and slow bits like the inclusion of Peter's parents and the mystery behind their disappearance are a bit too much and unnecessary in the grander scheme, but at least it brings the plotline started by the 2012 film full circle. The musical score by Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six also works for the upbeat atmosphere this film has, and again 3D or IMAX 3D can be considered a must to see this film in. The pieces have been set and this is a big step and game changer in the right direction for Marc Webb and Sony Pictures as far as future sequels are concerned, and the nods and leading the story to its own unique destination are top notch.
Rating - 5/5
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