Some things went right, some things went wrong.

Rating: 7/10 (8 May 2014)

Let just start by saying, the excessive amount of comic book movie releases lately has set the bar way higher than were it was when Sam Raimi's "Spider Man 2" came out.
I'll try not to make comparisons between both movies unless i feel the need to do so, and just to put you in some context, i like this saga better than the last one mostly based on the fact that Andrew Garfield is a better casting choice for Peter Parker than Toby McGuire.
It was exciting, sure, but like I said, the bar for comic book movies is higher, and we just don't settle for action sequences and cool super powers anymore. Which leads me to the first mistake: the story. Although is not the reason we watch comic book movies, it is what makes them good. Sequels are hard because it's not about the transformation, or obtaining the super powers anymore, which would steal about 45 minutes of the movie. This time we had major plot wholes just for the fact the story wasn't very well written. Harry and Peter were somehow (and I quote Peter) "Best friends" which the only reference we had about said friendship is a 10 minute scene were they share why they have drifted apart (which for me felt like the writers just felt obligated to write it since Harry wasn't on the first movie.) Also Harry is sick, and apparently the very existence of OsCorp is helping that kind of sickness. They never even explain what it is or how they got it, apparently it's just some kind of mutation.
Peter is working taking pictures of Spider-Man (of course we know that is what Peter does) but we never get a glimpse of how he got the job, or how long he's been doing this or J. Jonah Jameson.
Apparently OsCorp is hiding big corporation secrets, but not big enough to stop people who know them. OsCorp staff spends about a 5-10 minute period chasing Gwen, but after that, they must have thought "Meh, she already knows anyway" because we never see what happens with this.
Why this happens?
In my opinion they spent too many time focusing on Peter and Gwen's relationship. It's like the whole movie was written around (SPOILER ALERT!!!!) Gwen's death at the end.
THE VILLAINS
There wasn't much story to tell about the villains, Jamie Fox does an excellent job playing a nerdy janitor leading you to think how does HE become such a bad ass later, and when it finally happens, it's just like he decides he's angry so he will become evil. The Office's BJ Novak's only job was just pissing him off and lowering his self stem to give Jamie Fox a reason to become the bad guy.
Also, what a waist of Paul Giamatti, just screaming one liners inside a huge Rhino suit, which really could have resembled any other beast in the animal kingdom, but, you know, the Rhino was a villain in the Spider-man comic books, so even if there's no reason whatsoever OsCorp had a rhino-shaped tank... Well, the suit had to be a rhino.
GWEN STACY
Probably the best element of the whole movie. Emma Stone is just so freaking enjoyable, and I am probably saying this as one of her biggest fans, but her role in the movie was great. How Gwen deals with Peter being Spiderman, and having to brake up with him, but still wanting to be her friend, it just made the whole story really human. Although the movie as a whole is not as good as the movies from The Avengers Saga (Thor, Iron Man, Captain America), Emma Stone is probably the only element that's at the same level (Comapairing her with Natalie Portman and Gwineth Paltrow). (SPOILER ALERT!!) Casting a Mary Jane to replace her now that she's dead, will be a hell of job (which Shailene Woodly would not be able to pull of, in my opinion).
PETER PARKER Quirky, fun, better than Toby McGuire.