Spidey Swings in Hit-and-Miss Chapter 2 of the Reboot

Rating: 7/10 (5 May 2014)

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (2014) **1/2 Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Chris Cooper(Cameos: Martin Sheen, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott, Denis Leary, Stan Lee) Second chapter in the unnecessary reboot to the Marvel franchise with Spidey facing some big challenges, namely his on-again/off-again relationship with main squeeze Gwen Stacy (real chemistry still burns between Garfield and Stone) and a couple of new foes in the unlikely forms of nerdy tech specialist Max Dillon (Foxx who quite frankly is wasted in the role and barely seems to be enjoying the gig as a villain) AKA Electro (after a freak accident, natch, at Oscorp) and long- lost 'best bud' Harry Osborn (DeHaan -suggesting Leondardo DiCaprio on a meth binge) who is more frenemy if anything (cue - Green Goblin - resembling Gollum on a meth binge) in his to-the-manor-born heir of the nefarious aforementioned conglomerate. While returning helmsman Marc Webb keeps things moving relatively sprightly (including some POV slo-mo action ala "Matrix" when the web head is in action) with his CGI pyrotechniques in overdrive (they don't call him Electro for nothing') the screenplay collaboration of Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner and James Vanderbilt is hit-and-miss in its attempts for balancing darkness and the human element of its tortured Hamlet in tights. Still it is way-cool factor in the fight sequences and battle royal climax cueing up the inevitable Round 3.