Much Better Than People Would Lead You To Believe

Rating: 8/10 (18 February 2015)

So much negativity for a film that is far, far superior to the Raimi cheese-fest astounds me that it's a kin to praising Pearl Harbour over Saving Private Ryan in my opinion.
This version, like it's prequel, is so much better than any of the Raimi films in all aspects from action, story, and CGI that it's no contest for me. In saying that though, I think the only part of this version I didn't really like was the way the Green Goblin was portrayed. He actually looked like a cross between Wolverine and a leprechaun and he was more laughable than menacing. Other than that however, this is a much more enjoyable film than any of the others.
The story for the film, while being pretty predictable, is very decent for a super hero movie. I mean, how many super hero movies can have an Award-winning story that is NOT original or predictable? They are all the same in one way or another so for this story to be criticised more over others is a bit laughable. There is more of a "love story" with this sequel as well between Stacy and Parker, but unlike the way the annoying relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson was portrayed in the Raimi films, this one is not insufferable. And that's coming from a guy who hates any sort of romance in movies.
The main cast done a stand-up job once again with Garfield and Stone doing well with their continuation of Parker/Spider-man and Gwen Stacy. Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan were excellent in their roles as Electro/Max Dillon and Green Goblin/Harry Osborn respectively, especially DeHaan as Harry Osborn who brought a sly, sneaky, and very snake-like menace to the character. I also liked the Stan Lee cameo again in this one....it wasn't as good as his cameo in the 1st film, but it was still a nice touch.
Sam Raimi may have brought us a more up-to-date take on Spider-man but Marc Webb has made the franchise more enjoyable with less cheese. Ignore the hate and judge for yourself....you may just enjoy it as much as I did.