It was the Best of Spidey's; it was (almost) the Worst of Spidey's

Rating: 4/10 (4 May 2014)

Here we are again: I wrote a similar headline for the similarly-frustrating Skyfall a couple of years ago. I didn't expect to find another overlong, hopelessly uneven movie I had such high hopes for this soon. Maybe I shouldn't say "high" hopes: I had my fears going-in based upon the trailers and the abundance of villains, so my expectations were pretty well-metered before the opening scene. TASM2 is, at the end of the day, a fairly punishing, draining watch. Unlike the stellar Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which precedes it by just a couple of weeks and had me instantly wanting to see it again as the credits closed, TASM2 left me dreading the thought of ever sitting through it again...DURING the big battle scene in the final quarter of the film.
Was it ever as bad as Sam Raimi's King of All Bad Superhero Movies, Spider-man 3? Thankfully, no. I WOULD watch this again any day over that fine mess. But TASM2 is just so up-and-down, yo-yo, through-and-through. There are so many great action sequences & web-slinging rides through the city, which really make IMAX 3D the only way to see this (if you're not going to heed my warnings). There are absolutely wonderful Spidey quips & small heroic touches ripped out of the comic pages just for you (I wont spoil these gems; they're part of the "best of Spidey's I refer to). The interaction between Garfield & Stone as Peter Parker & Gwen Stacey is even better than the first TASM, and really seals their great love affair with a silly smile on your face. Also, I enjoyed the briefly-played, but well thought-out friendship between Parker and Harry Osbourne. Dane DeHaan gives a great performance (at least, before he rather abruptly transforms).
But, amidst all that, we get the lamest villain origin in Electro since Jim Carrey as The Riddler in Batman Forever. Why did Jamie Foxx have to play Max Dillon as a total societal outcast, complete with overstuffed pocket-protector? And, considering how sleek everyone else who works at Oscorp is, how in the world did he ever get hired? If he's as intelligent as they make him out to be in very short, broad strokes, why is he ultimately such a painful imbecile? Add that dreadful portrayal to the big fight scene at the end, in a location apparently impervious to damage. Spidey swings his way to it in a few minutes with ease, but another character is able to DRIVE there through a city in a blackout gridlock in what would have to be comparatively LESS time. Immediately, you are able to sense the sucker punches to come as some of the absolute worst of plot-contrivances.
Some people are commenting that Giamotti as The Rhino is the most interesting villain in the film, for all of his very brief scenes. I was not that enthralled, since his performance is so way over-the-top. But, it does showcase an element which consistently makes Sony & Fox & most DC films bad, whereas Disney Marvel & Christopher Nolan Batman films consistently shine: Rhino is a real villain. He likes to steal, has no shame in it, and he's just a bad dude.
I challenge you to name a single other Spider-Man movie villain (from ANY of the five films) that isn't 'reluctant' or a victim of unfortunate circumstance. From Iron Man to Thor to Captain America to The Avengers, Disney Marvel films are unafraid to depict REALLY BAD GUYS. No apologies. They might be multi-layered, but that comes more from their general (twisted) belief structure, and less because life just handed them a raw deal.
TAMS2 sets up a lot of threads for more big-name villains in the next installments. Here's hoping we get at least one with a character who with full knowledge and with no regrets, decides to 'don the evil'; because the "villain takes unadvised serum or makes unadvised mistake"-routine is way last its prime in the Spidey films.