At least it's better than 3

Rating: 5/10 (21 July 2014)

Personally, I'm a big fan of the Marvel film series and comics, especially the Spider-Man movies, and despite being left a tad underwhelmed by the last Spider-Man reboot and especially underwhelmed by #3, I was eager to see this entry, hoping for a better outing this time.
Thankfully, it's far from the train wreck it could have been. Jamie Foxx delivers what is arguably the best performance in the movie as Spider- Man's adversary Electro. It is hard not to sympathize with him as he is initially a mere worker at Oscorp who admires Spider-Man, but one day endures a horrific accident and comes to despise him as a result of some major misunderstandings.
On the other hand, there are too many subplots in one movie to focus on, and there are too many adversaries, an issue that immensely plagued the third outing if you remember. Thankfully, this alternative origin story is an interesting one, which is what prevents this sequel from feeling as overblown like the third outing was.
Additionally, Andrew Garfield once again makes for an unconvincing Spider-Man: Tobey Maguire wasn't a perfect fit either, but he displayed a much stronger and emotion-filled performance than this. An actor of great ability like Paul Giamatti gets very little screen time in a rather disappointingly small role.
Overall, the special effects are as great as ever and the movie never ceases to entertain. Far from being the best in the series, or in the Marvel saga, but doesn't unseat the third movie from its throne as the worst film in the series, either. Just keep your expectations low.