It's okay - could have been worse

Rating: Null/10 (15 June 2015)

Of the five Spider-Man movies to date that have been made, I feel that "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" ranks second just behind the 2004 "Spider-Man 2". I wasn't expecting much with this being a sequel to a reboot, but I was pleased to find some good things here. What pleasantly struck me most of all was how much more relaxed the movie felt compared to other modern Hollywood blockbusters, superhero oriented or not. The movie does make an attempt to add some humanity to the movie by a number of scenes with the characters just talking. That isn't to say that the movie doesn't deliver when it comes to action. There is a good amount of action, and it's directed in a way that's both exciting and much easier to follow than the frenzied approach in other modern day action movies.
However, not everything about the movie is successful. One disappointment is with the character of Electro. While his scenes at the beginning of the movie promise that the character will be multi- dimensional, the movie soon makes him your standard screaming one note villain. The subplot with Peter Parker's friend Osborne doesn't seem quite finished; you don't get the feeling that they are close friends. And the end sequence involving the Rhino is embarrassing, from it being one villain too many to the special effects grossly betraying what the character was like in the comic books.
When you weigh the good against the bad, the movie ends up being okay. I've seen better, I've seen worse. But to be honest, I think that the last drops of potential with a cinematic Spider-Man have been milked out with this entry. I would urge Columbia Pictures (and Marvel Entertainment) to not go any further and let the character rest for a number of years before trying again with a perspective that would then be fresh.