From A Fan

Rating: 8/10 (28 August 2014)

My first memory is of my dad taking me to a basketball court near our townhouse, and watching me throw around my first Spider-Man action figure, which came with a parachute. I would toss him up countless times and watch him fly down and I was so overjoyed. I still have that toy to this day. That was the day I fell in love with my favorite superhero. Spider-Man was such a huge part of my dad's childhood, and he shared this with me, and it has become a big part of me as the years go by. I watched the nineties cartoon religiously, I read whatever comic book I could find, and I got as many action figures as I could and created my own adventures, and would draw my own comic books too.
When the original Sam Raimi film was announced, that was an exciting time. I would watch the movie trailers over and over again, and once the movie came out (my dad and I were there on opening day), it was like a dream come true. Not too long after that, Spider-Man 2 came out and is still to this day the best time I've ever had at the movies. This was the true realization of the Spidey character in film, and had a villain in Doc Ock that was absolutely unforgettable. Cannot forget to mention the fight on the train, it's one of the best fight scenes in film ever. It seemed like this franchise was going nowhere but up. Then, Spider-Man 3 Personally, I don't think Spider-Man 3 is a bad film, but it's certainly not a good one. It's a solid mix of some great things, and some horrendous things, there's really no in between. The disco dance crap still haunts me to this day. Anyways, after that failure, Sony decided to reboot the franchise. I remember being really upset by this, but was willing to give it a shot because it was Spider-Man. I actually consider The Amazing Spider-Man to be the biggest low-point for the franchise. Why? There was a complete lack of fresh ideas and an abundance of underwhelming ideas. Andrew Garfield was great (better than Maguire), and his chemistry with Emma Stone as Gwen was the best part, but I couldn't get past the "been there, done that" feeling. Everything had been done better before. I pretty much forgot about the movie after I saw it, and was actually starting to stop caring. Honestly, my expectations for the sequel were very, very low.
When The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opened to mixed reviews, it seemed like my predictions were coming true; that the movie was a mess. Still, my dad and I went and continued our tradition of seeing every Spider-Man movie on opening day. As I watched it, I wondered what other people had been watching. When the credits rolled, my dad and I sat in silence for a few moments, and then turned to each other, and both agreed that we had just seen a great movie.
I complained that the first Amazing Spider-Man was an abundance of underwhelming ideas, but the very beginning of the sequel is powerful, and absolutely unforgettable. I could already tell that director Marc Webb had become more comfortable and experienced with filming action sequences; his inexperience sometimes painfully showed in the first film. It doesn't let up from there, with an energetic action sequence with Spidey against a really over-the-top (sometimes maybe too much so) Paul Giammatti, and again, much more entertaining than anything in the previous installment. There were complaints about it not being well shot, unfunny, and other stuff that clearly contradicts the truth of the end product. Then, we get more of the wonderful chemistry between Peter and Gwen that absolutely energizes this movie. Universally, this is a praised component to the new movies. Peter and Gwen will make you smile, laugh, cry, and then cry some more. Rarely do we see chemistry so strong on screen, and a love story we believe in so much.
Some people have said they don't care about the Peter-Harry friendship and think it's uninteresting. Huh? If you know these characters and know their history, it's not only well-done and believable, but also nice to see again, despite the always depressing spin that seems to happen to almost all of Peter's relationships. Dane DeHaan makes for a much better Harry Osborn than James Franco. He's more of the awkward and troubled Harry we saw in the comics, and carries the role well, and I can say I was truly terrified by his portrayal of the Green Goblin. When it came to Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon, aka Electro, I really did feel sympathetic towards his character, kind of like how I felt towards Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2.
Speaking of emotional depth, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is packed with it. It's bookended by two incredibly powerful scenes, the last scene very moving, and has a lot of emotional force in between. It's this emotional depth that makes the movie work and rise above the little blemishes, and what makes it stand out compared to the other films. Gwen's death is unexpected and heartbreaking, and oh so well done. Peter's discovery of the truth about his parents was wonderful. There's so much to be emotionally invested in. The story is not perfect but engaging. Personally, I haven't actually met a person yet that doesn't like this movie. I've only come across people on the internet who have given it condemnation. I just don't see it as a franchise filler; it's so much more. I loved this movie, and can't understand the hate.I could be wrong (and I often am), but The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is great. It brought me back to the joys of playing with Spider-Man at the basketball court, and the joys of experiencing Spider-Man at the movies. Thanks to Marc Webb and the team! Sincerely, A Fan