What does "amazing" give?

Rating: Null/10 (2 May 2014)

For those who, like myself, have not seen the reboot of Spider Man franchise under a title enhanced with "amazing", it helps to clean the slate first. The most significant difference you may notice is the persona of the new Spider Man. While Toby Maguire oozes melancholy, Andrew Garfield is practically bubbling with flippancy (although that is not so say that there are no poignant moments). On the romance front, Mary Jane Watson is nowhere to be seen as lovely Kirsten Dunst is replaced by equally lovely Emma Stone playing Gwen Stacy. Harry Osborn we are unlikely to forget as portrayed by James Franco in an agonizing transformation into the Green Goblin after his father, through episodes of the Maguire series. Now, we have Dane DeHaan, with the said transformation happening only close to the end. Entirely new is Spider Man's nemesis for this movie, one "Electro" played by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx.
Not having seen the first "amazing" can be a plus. Spider Man is already established and fighting crime in New York, a controversial figure hailed by some and resented by others. That we haven't witnessed the budding of Peter Parker's romance with Gwen doesn't really matter. In a way, it's really neat to start with them already deeply in love, with no secrets – she knows he is Spiderman. At the same time, they are also torn by his agony in feeling that to keep her safe he has to stay away from her. This, we understand, comes from something that happened in the first episode – her father died because of him. That is enough as far as I am concerned. The beauty is in Garfield and Stone playing out their scenes convincingly, especially with the tender moments touching but not sappy.
As I alluded to, on the villain front, Harry Osborn that we know so well takes a back seat, at least in the role of a villain. We see him coming back from a decade-long exile to his father's deathbed, resenting and not understanding. While initially aloof, he accepts Peter Parker's initiation of rekindling their childhood friendship. DeHaan and Garfield show good chemistry in this part, making it a joy to watch. Things then start to turn nasty, which we all know from the Maguire series.
The key villain in this movie is a bit of a cop-out in terms of character development, especially when they have engaged an Oscar-caliber actor. The character of Max Dillon cum Electro is somewhat by the book – an extremely introvert, modest and generally ignored and taken-for-granted individual acquires through a freaky accident enormous power. An emotion dam bursts, letting out a roar of bottled up resentment and hostility to the world at large. The explanation offered by the movie makers for why this hostility is directed with such intensity to Spider Man may as well be "We need it for the plot". Foxx does what he can but even an Oscar-caliber actor can do only so much to salvage a hollow character.
But, no matter. The special effect and action sequences are nothing short of excellence. The acting of the principals, as already alluded to, are all creditable. There is also a strong support cast including Sally Field, Colm Feore and Paul Giamatti.
So, back to my summary line – what is in "amazing". I cannot speak for the first one but as far as this one goes, it reinforces a trademark that the movie makers can be proud of. "Amazing" #3 is certainly on my awaiting-with-expectations list.