A treat in many aspects

Rating: 6/10 (17 April 2014)

When set pictures of the characters from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 made their way online in early 2013, I was very excited to see what these characters were going to do to contribute to the movie's plot. But as the trailers started to roll out, I felt a lot of footage was being given away. I felt as if I had seen most of the film's major plot points. Thankfully, as I walked out of the theater after seeing this film, I was pleasantly surprised as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 not only has edge-of-your-seat moments and a surprisingly unique soundtrack, but it managed to give me a few surprises even with much of the footage released. The cast of this film are well-picked. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone reprise their roles as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy. The chemistry between the two is extremely well done and very believable, which is understandable considering the two actors are real-life couples. Andrew Garfield is the perfect Spider-Man to me. He is much funnier and relatable than any other iterations of Spider-Man that I have seen. The villain roles in this movie are given to Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan. Foxx plays Max Dillon, a lonely, self-proclaimed "nobody" who idolizes Spider-Man after bumping into him. But after a wiring accident, he turns into Electro, a being with the ability to control electricity. Although Foxx slightly disappoints in this role due to lack of development for the Max Dillon character, he still manages to pull of a sinister performance without making the character dull or uninteresting. DeHaan plays Harry Osborn, a childhood friend of Peter's who is looking for Spider-Man. DeHaan shines throughout the entire film. Not one moment did he seem uncomfortable with the role. He has a creepy edge to his performance that keeps you hooked on him every time he appears in a scene. The CGI in this film is also very credible and was one of the big highlights of the movie for me, especially considering that I saw it in 3D. There's a mid-film Time Square fight which is beautiful to watch. Colours and electricity seem to leap off the screen but at the same time, are not too distracting. As I mentioned earlier, the soundtrack for this movie is unique and impressive, thanks to the combined efforts of Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams and a handful of other composers. Some segments of the soundtrack are bright and cheerful, like Spider-Man's heroic theme, and some segments are dark and demonic, like Electro's theme, a fast-paced whispering voice which relays the thoughts going on in Electro's head. It is timed perfectly and makes up for the lack of character development. Overall, what do I think of The Amazing Spider-Man 2? It's a marvelous entry into the Amazing Spider-Man series even if it does feel slightly rushed. With likable characters, heart-pounding moments, stunning special effects and a great soundtrack, that's more than enough for me to give this film a well-deserved 8 out of 10.