Disappointed. Truly.

Rating: 4/10 (18 April 2014)

I don't know why everyone seems to be showering this film with praise. Having been a Spider-Man fan from I was a child, and thoroughly enjoying the original Amazing Spider-Man, I was eagerly anticipating this title.
We are initially hit with some standard Spidey action, and some mind- blowing special effects, in a visually stunning and typically sarcastic intro. There is some cheesiness to be taken with the beginning but this won't bother any self-respecting Spider-Man fan. At this point I was expecting more of the same throughout, cleverly broken up by Peter Parker and Gwen's story in order to add an element of realism and something for the female audience...
Sadly, it was too much of this and too little of that for me. I spent the entire first hour and a half (that might even be generous) wondering when Spider-Man was going to have his first proper fight scene. Too often I found myself watching Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone going around in circles in their "complicated" relationship. A touch of the real is nice but when it's this overwhelming in a film that you'd expect to be pretty action packed, it really just wastes time, regardless of how good the chemistry on screen is.
That is my biggest criticism of the film, the fact that it would probably be more accurately titled if it was called "The Amazing Peter Parker". However it is not the only flaw. They clearly were not confident enough in Electro as the main villain, considering there is a Harry Osborne/Green Goblin sub-plot. I really do believe that one or the other would have sufficed, with not enough time dedicated to either of the main villains. I think that in terms of screen time, both villains were short lived. The transition from Max Dillon to Electro was fairly quick and we don't see enough of him in action between the first and last encounter with Spider-man. That said, watching him at his best was entertaining, and the combination of incredible effects and a bit of slow-mo in the final face-off was satisfying, if too short and a tad too easy for Spider-man.
The Goblin sub plot had even less time dedicated to it and while I feel that it was in preparation for the third film, I also feel that it was a poor attempt at making Spider-man's life that little bit harder. In my opinion the primary focus should have been on Electro's development as a villain, ultimately leading to Spider-Man having ONE seriously powerful enemy to dispose of. This aside however, I do feel they are building towards a sinister six film and so the inclusion of Harry Osborne is likely crucial going forward.
In conclusion, the film felt as though it focused too much on the love story, for reasons that become obvious, but it was lacking in everything you'd want to see in a Spider-Man film. The action is good, the effects are unbelievable as expected but the balance is not right. Too much realism and too little spidey is a bad combination, here's hoping the third instalment doesn't dwell so much on The Amazing Spider-mans relationship difficulties. Disappointing, all in all.