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Spiderman 2 review12/28/2022 ![]() The Amazing Spiderman 2 then, is something of a mixed bag, its own disparate web of intrigue. It's also employed in more subtle and effective ways too, exploiting the medium' s potential for unexpected visual depth for scenes inside the sanctum of Oscorp itself and a disused subway station. The 3D is nevertheless absolutely spectacular, pushing the boundaries and gob-smacking effectiveness of the format to new and thrilling limits, sweeping us through the city's skyscrapers and inducing a giddying, exhilarating rush as Spidey web-slings his ways from one heroic action set-piece to another. Scenes are padded out and extra characters are briefly introduced and just as quickly excised, and the whole thing could have been snipped to fashion a punchier, tighter film. You always like to feel you're getting value for money - and you certainly do during the many frenzied, CGI-led action sequences (and with a reported budget of $200m the money's definitely up on the screen) - but with a running time of 142 minutes it would have benefitted from a judicious editorial trimming. More bang for your buck certainly, but at the expense of fleshing any of them sufficiently out.Īnd therein lays another problem: the length. As with Raimi's Spiderman 3, it comes occasionally dangerously close to packing in too many bad guys. Paul Giamatti even makes an appearance in the very first and last five minutes as a deranged Russian mobster and his eventual alter-ego Rhino. Electro himself growls, snarls and hurls bolts of electric charges from his fingertips in his destructive skirmishes with our webbed wonder, yet visually he seems a twisted, sparkling, translucent love child of Dr Manhattan from Watchmen and Mr Freeze.ĭane DeHaan plays Harry Osborn as a convincing pal to Parker, rekindling an old friendship in earlier scenes of affecting psychological drama that ultimately degenerate into inane grinning and cackling when he finally – and all to briefly – falls victim to an hereditary mutation that make him the Green Goblin. Jamie Foxx's Max Dillon is set up as Oscorp's gap-toothed, bespectacled nerdy lackey who transforms into Electro after plunging into a gigantic vat of mutant electric eels. There are also a few unexpectedly moving scenes between Peter and Aunt May (Sally Field) that deliver a surprisingly emotional wallop.īut if Marvel on celluloid is defined by anything it's the ability to deliver action-packed set-pieces and villains that kick monumental ass – and Spidey 2 delivers in bucket loads. They over-play it a little here, but there's an undeniable charm and chemistry with their interplay. Admittedly, the dynamic between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone works well, blending the kooky, lanky, charming awkwardness of Parker with the head-strong academic beauty of Stacey. The emotional epicentre of the Spiderman mythology has always been the love story, whether it's Mary-Jane or Gwen Stacey. On one hand it's a romance, sprinkled with the angst and torment of teen love and Parker's inevitable realisation that his web-slinging alter-ego will inevitably pose a threat to those he loves the most. It doesn't help that director Webb seems so often split as to which story he really wants to tell. A certain case of the law of diminishing returns. There's a prevailing and niggling sense of de ja vu with it all, exacerbated by the fact that practically every week ushers in the cinematic unleashing of a new Marvel movie. More back-story about Peter Parker's parents, more villains, more romance, more special effects, more spectacular city-destroying action. The Amazing Spiderman 2 gives us more of the same. It wasn't as good as Raimi's, but it wasn't a total disaster either. Whatever the reason, our favourite acrobatic arachnid – now prefixed with the Amazing attribute - was given a slightly different spin on an old and familiar comic book origins story. ![]() Tobey Maguire had barely hung up his Spidey suit for Sam Raimi's take on the web-slinging franchise before director Marc Webb cast Andrew Garfield and kick-started his own reboot.Įxactly why Spiderman needed another interpretation is open to speculation – some believe it's to make up for the over-stuffed, messy Spiderman 3, others that the studio wanted to retain the rights before they reverted back to Marvel. That said, there are plenty of thrills and spills amidst the expositional sojourns, and it's occasionally a perky, funky, vibrant take on the character's mythology. Some scenes could have in fact been cut and paste from previous Spidey adventures.
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