9 May 2014

The Amazing Spiderman 2 - Film Review

Caution: Spoilers!

Peter Parker is loving his new life as Spiderman, and even though he promised her father he wouldn't, he is also loving going out with Gwen Stacey. But things don't stay peachy for long when an accident at Oscorp creates an electrically charged villain, intent on seeking the attention he has craved all his life. Peter thinks things are looking up when his friend Harry arrives back in town, but he is dying, and Peter refuses to let him have some of his healing Spider-blood. To make matters even more complex, he also finds out some new information about his parents, and why they left him.

A lot of people are saying that this film has too much plot going on and too many bad guys, but I completely disagree with that. The plots are easy enough to follow, and add a lot of interest into what will surely be a brilliant third film. The film-makers are really setting up for the Green Goblin showdown, but the fact that they featured Electro as the main bad guy was really good. Funnily enough, you really do feel for Electro, even when he turns on Spiderman, because we all know that all he wants is for people to notice him, and to need him - I'm sure we can all relate to that. On the Green Goblin note, the film is also gearing up to include a couple more villains; we can see the famous Doc-Oc claws at Oscorp, as well as a lovely pair of Vulture wings.

Peter Parker as a character continues to grow and change as he struggles with his guilt about the death of Gwen's father, his own parents abandonment of him and hiding his superpowers from an inquisitive Aunt May. Still, when he is Spiderman, he manages the quick, witty remarks that come with the outfit. The film surprisingly manages to combine wit with action and emotion, making it all very well-balanced.

The music in the film is never really something I get into unless it is a musical, however, here the music was used to great effect as a way to enhance Electro's role, particularly in the fight scene. Whenever the electricity strikes something, the music reflects that, and creates a song and rhythm for us. This is a really interesting technique that I'd like to see more of, and made the scenes a lot more memorable.

Now for the shocker. There is this one moment where your heart is utterly in your mouth, or possibly spilling out of it all over the floor. Comic book fans, you know what happens, but I really don't want to spoil this moment for anyone. I teared up, because it was the most heartbreaking but strangely, beautifully poignant thing. In a superhero movie, these moments hardly exist; it's all about the action, and the hero, but in that moment he didn't matter so much. 

I can't think of that many bad points; the acting was fair to pretty damn good (Jamie Foxx being just plain awesome as the slightly man villain), the plot was fast with no room for boredom and you can just tell that the third installment is going to be a jaw-dropper as every plot-line culminates. I just hope that this time Peter has someone to give him a hand

9.5 (I should note that the 0.5 is taken off because it could be considered slightly too full-on in terms of plot, and also because the Green Goblin story seemed rushed through) out of 10. 


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