The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Marc Webb, 2014) Review

Yeah, I was supposed to do a review shortly after The Matrix. However, I was planning in reviewing City Slickers but there was promise of watching The Amazing Spider-Man 2 so I postponed it...until my trip to the cinema was delayed and...well, here we are. Upon rewatching the first film, I will admit that my opinion was lowered a tad bit but hopefully this won't damage my perception of this long awaited sequel, right?...right?

Now seen as a hero to New York under the guise of Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds himself brought back into the mystery surrounding his father and his work with Oscorp. Harry Osborne (Dane DeHann) steps into take over Oscorp and begins to bond with Peter while Peter's relationship with Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone) begins to get rocky. As Harry descends into darkness over a horrifying discovery, an Oscorp scientist named Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) gets caught in a catastrophe leaving as the electrified villain Electro. Now Spider-Man has new villains to face while juggling his quest for discovery.

First things first, my issues with The Amazing Spider-Man are resolved. The world was been expanded with the addition of new characters despite still revolving around Oscorp. Electro is a great new addition and leads to some brilliant action scenes. Heck, this is just a great year for action. First we have the flawless combat from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and now we have the spectacular special effects and explosive action of this film. I also have to congratulate the cast on some good acting. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone show signs of some excellent chemistry on screen and they become the centre of the film. I also love the tone that the film has settled on. This is the first time in any Spider-Man film that I felt like I was watching the real comic book Spider-Man on the big screen. Mixing a lot more humour into the mix brought the character to life and helped develop the world of the film.

While they ironed out the flaws with the original, it does bring some new ones into light. The major one I found was that, looking at the runtime of 2 and a half hours, the film comprises of 2 hours of set up for half an hour of amazing...ness. What I find ironic is that, with the trailers showing off Electro, The Green Goblin and Rhino, everyone though this film would be cluttered...because it's the opposite. Towards the second half, the film begins to lack something. An element seems to fade in the second act however the film picks up significantly for a spectaular climax that had my heart racing.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2, while having a few glaring flaws, still lives up to the Spider-Man name. The cast deliver improved performances with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone sharing strong chemistry and Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHann bringing strong performances along with them. Yes, it does take a while to set up the climax but it's a climax worth waiting for. The action alone is worth seeing. It's a spectacle to watch, especially on the big screen.

Verdict:
8/10
Topped with some amazing action scenes and great acting, this sequel delivers an enjoyable superhero flick.