an hour too long, a lot of talking without really saying much

Rating: 4/10 (8 May 2014)

Went in to the theater expecting a fun, action-filled superhero movie, came out of the theater disappointed. For a 2 1/2 hour long movie, TASM2 was not able to tell a very coherent story, nor was it able to really develop any of its characters in a believable way, with the possible exception of Gwen. Both villains went through too quick of a transformation for me to suspend belief. While the romance between Peter and Gwen had some merits due to the real-life chemistry from the two actors, it over-saturated the film and was a major distraction from what the movie was actually about - Spiderman. The action scenes were too short and sparse in between for the number of villains present in this movie (3!!!) I came away not really knowing what this movie was about.
Is it about the love story between Peter and Gwen? (But how does that make it a superhero movie) Is it about the evils of corporations? (They referred to it, but it was mostly in the background) Is it about the dangers of self-absorption? (yes, it was the cause of both major villains, but again, point not emphasized). Compare with the Marvel Studios movies that came out recently, one is able to pinpoint to exactly their themes: Captain America - a clash between ideologies on how to achieve world peace, emphasizing on American freedom, with very clear villains (Hydra); Thor - a fantasy story where previously evil defeated creatures try to plunge the world once again in darkness and must be overcome by the good guys, not as deep as Captain America, but nevertheless entertaining because it follows a clear plot line; Iron Man - the struggle of someone who's coping with PTSD and struggling with his identity, exploring the ideas of people wearing masks and deception. Not to mention that the Marvel Studio films were jam- packed with action and keeping the viewer absorbed throughout the entire run-time. Compare that with TASM2, where I was wondering where the villains were and what the conflict was half way into the movie and thinking that it was way too long. This movie could do itself a lot of favors by sticking to just one villain (Electrode) and develop him further, and cut out the romance by half. As it stands, while this movie had some beautiful effects and cool first-person views of Spider Man, it falls short in the story department.