Amazing Spider-Man 2

[USO92]

I really don't understand the hate. I thought it was a great movie. I loved Electro and the Goblin. Rhino was....strange Ill give you that but everything else was great. It did leave me with questions at the end though. The climax of the movie was unbelievably heartbreaking even though we practically knew it was coming...I thought it was great movie but I was going in to it with a critical eye either.

 

[TylerDurden]

I really wanted to like this one. Reallyyyy did. But I hated it. I hate this reboot and all I could think about was how much better Raimis Spiderman was.

I thought the first ASM was abysmal. But I went into ASM2 thinking now that the origin story and exposition was out of the way, we could see something really cool and different. Unfortunately, it was just too much of a mess. Im not discrediting anyone who enjoyed the movie, but heres a fair warning to all who have yet to see it....

For one thing its way too long. It starts out very promising with a fantastic car chase, but the middle drags on and on. Im not an impatient person, either. But the "drama" scenes in this movie were so poorly written they really were hard to watch. Raimis Spiderman took enough time to develop its characters and made you care for them, and the exposition/romance was entertaining. In this movie, the dialogue was either joyless set-up for a third movie or build-up to the disappointing climax. Furthermore, the way the plot moved along was incredibly contrived which made it just boring. Spider-Man using Google to find a secret base where his father used to work from...seriously? Electro turninh from a mild-mannered Milton-type figure to a balls-out villain in a matter of literally minutes? Harry going from angst-ridden heir to diseased fanatic to cured evil mastermind? Nothing flowed naturally. It was as if the writers had a checklist and simply wrote the events they needed to show on-screen, rather than allowing for a natural flow of progression from setpiece to setpiece. Even more frustrating, to me, is the whole backstory with Peters parents and Oscorp being responisble for everything. I dont know, maybe thats how it is in the comics, but Spiderman works a lot better as a normal guy from Brooklyn who chooses to do the right thing...not part of a whole elaborate conspiracy plot.

I will say the film has some pros, however. Spiderman is a sarcastic jackass when his suit is on--I like that and that seems truer to the character. However, he lacks the quiet nerdy quality Peter Parker is supposed to have when the suit is off. Hes an obnoxious hipster in these movies. Another pro would be Emma Stone, and the chemistry between her and Garfield--I would have liked to see more of them had their scenes not been so poorly handled. The action is also phenomenal, with some of the best CGI Ive ever seen, and amazing fight choreography.

But this isnt a Transformers movie, where the action can save the film. Its Spiderman, we're supposed to care about the story, and whats going on. Im usually forgiving of superhero movies and I LOVED Spiderman 3. But this one felt off in nearly every way, no matter how hard I tried to like it. Sorry for the long post, but I cant hide the disappointment in too well

 

[UNIrd]

To be fair, Batman & Robin was released in a much different time. I have heard reviews saying that TASM2 is pretty much on the level of Batman Forever, and while it's not as bad as B&R, there are some scenes that could rival it.

I actually really got Batman Forever vibes while watching it. Not that I dislike Batman Forever in anyway. But I'm surprised it went camp so quickly when the first one seemed to be taking a different route.

 

[Brian G.]

But this isnt a Transformers movie, where the action can save the film. Its Spiderman, we're supposed to care about the story, and whats going on. Im usually forgiving of superhero movies and I LOVED Spiderman 3. But this one felt off in nearly every way, no matter how hard I tried to like it. Sorry for the long post, but I cant hide the disappointment in too well

Well there goes my respect for this review..

I keed.

 

[TylerDurden]

Well there goes my respect for this review..

I keed.

I figured that might happen But I really dont get the hate for SM3. It had as many villains as ASM 2, was arguably less rushed, and had less confusing plot strands. The only thing ASM 2 had on SM 3, IMO, is lack of emo dancing Peter Parker lol

 

[Brian G.]

I figured that might happen But I really dont get the hate for SM3. It had as many villains as ASM 2, was arguably less rushed, and had less confusing plot strands. The only thing ASM 2 had on SM 3, IMO, is lack of emo dancing Peter Parker lol

Well the emo dancing was the nail in the coffin for that movie.

See what's funny is that Spidey 3 has some of problems you mentioned as a negative for ASM 2. Convenient amnesia, convenient connection of Sandman to Peter, the lame random team-up of Venom and Sandman at the end. Nothing flowed naturally in that film. Furthermore, they made Mary Jane into this naggy, needy, bitch. Instead of feeling sympathy for her and her career nose-dive, I felt as if Peter should just leave her.

Goblin was the biggest letdown, as Harry had 2 movies to establish himself and have him get a major arc in 3. Instead, they just threw him in the beginning as a way to get the "Harry becomes Goblin" out the way, and they didn't even get Goblin right at all!

Venom was the best part of the movie, and that's because they screwed him up the least.

As far as the nerdy Peter, the director said this back when the first ASM came out:

Peter Parker is a science whiz. If you look back to the early Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comics, he’s a nerd with big glasses. The idea of what a nerd is has changed in 40 or 50 years. Nerds are running the world. Andrew Garfield made a movie [called "The Social Network"] about it. Nerds are no longer pariahs and knowing how to write computer code is longer a [mocked] quality. What was important in those early comics was this notion that Peter Parker is an outsider and how we define that in a contemporary context. That, I think, was one of the challenges for us — getting Peter Parker’s outsider status to be current. Peter Parker is a real kid. He’s not a billionaire. He’s not an alien. He’s a kid who gets picked on and gets shoved to the outside. The 90-pound weakling, that’s who Spider-Man is when he gets bit. So much of the DNA of the character is the fact that he was a kid when he got bit. He is imperfect, he is immature and has a bit of a punk rock instinct. In his soul he’s still a 90-pound weakling even after [the transformative bite].

 

[TylerDurden]

Well the emo dancing was the nail in the coffin for that movie.

See what's funny is that Spidey 3 has some of problems you mentioned as a negative for ASM 2. Convenient amnesia, convenient connection of Sandman to Peter, the lame random team-up of Venom and Sandman at the end. Nothing flowed naturally in that film. Furthermore, they made Mary Jane into this naggy, needy, bitch. Instead of feeling sympathy for her and her career nose-dive, I felt as if Peter should just leave her.

Goblin was the biggest letdown, as Harry had 2 movies to establish himself and have him get a major arc in 3. Instead, they just threw him in the beginning as a way to get the "Harry becomes Goblin" out the way, and they didn't even get Goblin right at all!

Venom was the best part of the movie, and that's because they screwed him up the least.

As far as the nerdy Peter, the director said this back when the first ASM came out:

Thats all very true. I hate the amnesia storyline and how Sandman all of a sudden wants to kill Peter despite trying so hard to be a sympathetic unlucky guy. And Venom was criminally underused. Youre right that both movies share a lot of the same flaws...I think they handled them differently though. First of all, SM 3 slowed down to breathe every now and then, and really treat Peter/Mary Jane like a real couple, whereas ASM 2 seems to throw in Emma Stone for the sake of her being Emma Stone and try to make those moments the comic relief instead of the bulk of Peter's (not Spiderman's) story...at least thats my opinion. SM 3 also had more emotional payoff. Yes, ASM 2 has a very emotional ending, but it seemed manufactured; Peter grieves for a few minutes and then the movie ends (I do hope they touch on it a lot more in the threequel); however, I felt like in SM 3 the arc of Peter/Mary Janes relationship is much more complete, with a perfectly understated closing shot and a series of events that build up through the whole movie (theyre in love, they fight, Peter becomes abusive, Peter saves her, he realizes his wrongdoings). I also felt that a real strength of the entire Raimi trilogy is its use of supporting characters that all feel real rather than props in a thinly-threaded narrative (for example, in the third film you see how the employees of the Daily Bugle have come to look out for Peter, a small almost pointless detail that adds so much context to the world Raimi created).

Basically, I think that while theres a lot wrong with SM3, the execution was better. Even something as ridiculous as the Harry amnesia thing worked in the end...sure, the writers lazily gave him amnesia to sit him out for a few scenes, but the climax where he comes to save Peter is a satisfying payoff to the three-movie buildup he was given. It was about fighting your demons and forgiveness. Amazing Spiderman 2 seemed much more superficial in its handling of plot elements in my opinion. Great action movie, for sure, but a much different way of handling what makes Spiderman Spiderman. I guess it comes down to what you look for in a movie, but I miss Raimi's handling of the non-action segments...sans emo dancing Peter Parker

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

You sure about that?

With the likes of Batman & Robin, Elektra, Ghost Rider, & Catwoman....

Dead serious. It's tough choosing which is the worst, but at least those were laughably bad. This was just bad. Maybe a few years down the line it will be laughable

 

[Brian G.]

Dead serious. It's tough choosing which is the worst, but at least those were laughably bad. This was just bad. Maybe a few years down the line it will be laughable

Didn't think it was that bad, but agree to disagree I guess.

 

[Jymmymack]

Sigh.

The thing that ASM got right was Peter & Gwen. The Lizard was a mess of a villain. I had hopes that they would learn from their villain mistakes and put things back on track. Well, it seems like they did indeed realize that villains were their weak point... so they decided to rapid-fire villains rather than waste time developing bad ones. That plan backfired. Electro disappears for a good thirty minutes in the movie. Goblin is literally in it for 3-4 minutes. As much as I hate to label people as out for pure commercialism... this film really established what Sony is going for. They want the Sinister Six, and they want them fast. It's already been confirmed that ASM 3 will feature Spidey vs the Sinister Six followed by a Sinister Six film in which they try to find redemption. That means that 4 new villains will be introduced in ASM 3 in addition to the 3 minute appearances of Goblin and Rhino.

This movie was a mess. And now without the chemistry between Stone and Garfield to look forward to, can't say that I have much hope for the future of the series.

 

[JungleSkip]

Sigh.

The thing that ASM got right was Peter & Gwen. The Lizard was a mess of a villain. I had hopes that they would learn from their villain mistakes and put things back on track. Well, it seems like they did indeed realize that villains were their weak point... so they decided to rapid-fire villains rather than waste time developing bad ones. That plan backfired. Electro disappears for a good thirty minutes in the movie. Goblin is literally in it for 3-4 minutes. As much as I hate to label people as out for pure commercialism... this film really established what Sony is going for. They want the Sinister Six, and they want them fast. It's already been confirmed that ASM 3 will feature Spidey vs the Sinister Six followed by a Sinister Six film in which they try to find redemption. That means that 4 new villains will be introduced in ASM 3 in addition to the 3 minute appearances of Goblin and Rhino.

This movie was a mess. And now without the chemistry between Stone and Garfield to look forward to, can't say that I have much hope for the future of the series.

FYI, it's the other way around.

Sinsiter Six comes first.

- - - Updated - - -

To be fair, Batman & Robin was released in a much different time. I have heard reviews saying that TASM2 is pretty much on the level of Batman Forever, and while it's not as bad as B&R, there are some scenes that could rival it.

Not even close. Batman Forever, B&R, Catwoman, Daredevil, Elektra, Ghost Riders and Punishers did NOTHING right.

ASM2 did quite a bit right.

 

[Jymmymack]

FYI, it's the other way around.

Sinsiter Six comes first.


ASM2 did quite a bit right.

Nope, ASM 3: June 2016. Sinister Six movie: TBD after 2016. Marc Webb has already given interviews about how he's talking with Drew Goddard (writer/director of S6) about who Marc Webb plans to introduce as the official S6 line-up and how their characterizations will play out in ASM 3. It doesn't really make sense to have a movie about the S6 before they fight Spider-Man. They will fight him in the next film and then get their own spin-off in which they are anti-heroes (with a cameo by Spidey).

 

[martymcflyy85]

Amazing Spiderman 2 > Spiderman 3

 

[Jymmymack]

Amazing Spiderman 2 > Spiderman 3

That's not saying a lot

It's not in any way shape or form the worst comic movie ever. It's just a confounding film that is at odds with itself. Even more so than the first film. It's just head-scratching to have gotten so much feedback about the first film and to somehow amplify those problems tenfold. Part of me wants to give them a little bit of credit for not playing by comic book film conventions... but then my rationality sets in and I remember that Electro had techno/metal inner monologue music complete with rage lyrics.

 

[TylerDurden]

Dead serious. It's tough choosing which is the worst, but at least those were laughably bad. This was just bad. Maybe a few years down the line it will be laughable

I dont know that its as completely awful as those movies you listed (although I find GhostRider to be a great take on a B-horror movie and something of a guilty pleasure of mine ). I think the main problem with ASM is that it tries to be too much. It crams in all these unnecessary arcs and characters for the sake of commercialization, in addition to these subplots about conspiracies with Peter's parents. It wants to be hip with its pop soundtrack and "contemporary" dialog between Peter and Gwen. Its a movie about a man with spider powers and making that as commercial as possible.

On the other hand, Sam Raimi's movies were, at their core, about a boy who loved a girl. He happened to have superpowers but at the base of the story is something we can all relate to. I can relate to juggling responsibilites, relationship issues, growing pains, etc. under all the action scenes. I cant relate to having parents who were involved with secret experiments and being great at everything I do...and thats what it seems Amazing Spiderman is about.

 

[yankees13]

Nope, ASM 3: June 2016. Sinister Six movie: TBD after 2016. Marc Webb has already given interviews about how he's talking with Drew Goddard (writer/director of S6) about who Marc Webb plans to introduce as the official S6 line-up and how their characterizations will play out in ASM 3. It doesn't really make sense to have a movie about the S6 before they fight Spider-Man. They will fight him in the next film and then get their own spin-off in which they are anti-heroes (with a cameo by Spidey).

If people aren't liking how this one had 2 1/2 villains then just wait til the 3rd one with 6 villains lol. I'm just fascinated to see how they play it out through the movies. Seems like ASM3 will be out first so I'm curious what role the Sinister Six will play in that film before there own movie

 

[Jymmymack]

If people aren't liking how this one had 2 1/2 villains then just wait til the 3rd one with 6 villains lol. I'm just fascinated to see how they play it out through the movies. Seems like ASM3 will be out first so I'm curious what role the Sinister Six will play in that film before there own movie

Given that there is the deleted post-credit scene floating around now in which it's revealed that The Gentleman (Fries) has Norman's head frozen and is going to revive him, I'm thinking that the set-ups will be: S6 vs Spider-Man in ASM3. S6 vs Norman in S6 Movie (they are already talking about this film having the theme of "redemption" so turning against OSCORP seems like the way to go).

 

[yankees13]

Hopefully that scenes on the blu ray. Would have preferred that over the X-Men preview

 

[RonaldsModernLife]

ASM2 did quite a bit right.

Like? Considering, without spoilers, they basically ruin the "everyman"-ness of Spider-Man, which is essential to the character, I can't imagine how this movie nailed Spider-Man more than Batman Forever nailed Batman.

 

[mbrou24]

Like? Considering, without spoilers, they basically ruin the "everyman"-ness of Spider-Man, which is essential to the character, I can't imagine how this movie nailed Spider-Man more than Batman Forever nailed Batman.

The way spiderman was portrayed in costume was probably the closest any film has gotten to the comics. I'd also disagree with the removal of the Everyman feeling. Richard Parker coded the spider DNA with his own not to make Peter destined but to prevent catastrophe. Everything about Peter being bitten is still coincidence and not destiny.