The Amazing Spider-Man 2; The movie I loved and hated

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2014)

I've never been known to write reviews of movies before in my life, ever, but this one was different for some reason unknown unto me. It might just be the way that this movie blends so perfectly in opposition to other movies, and the one overlying theme is portrayed so well throughout the movie all the way to the bitter, yet necessary, end (Gwen's death). The overlying theme in this movie, as best as I can determine, is time and is first exemplified as Rick Parker is rushing his way out of the Oscorp building with his research in it's entirety. Rick has been accused of foiling Oscorp's research when really he was simply trying to protect it from the wrong hands. Nonetheless this provides a means for someone to go after Rick and his wife, and while on a private jet attempting to escape they are attacked by someone seeking that which he possesses. In his last moments he uploads the data that he and his wife were trying to keep safe moments before the plane crashed. The next example the theme is Gwen's Vale Victorian speech at the beginning of the movie where she lists how people, teens in specific, think of themselves as having unlimited time with which to do whatever they see fit. She then goes on to say (ironically) that time is limited and that people should use it to make an example they would approve of unto others. Even Max Dillon (the antagonist) is an example of time. In his duties at Oscorp he is undervalued as a person who contributes anything, this enrages Max but that is beside the point, and his time is so undervalued that even on his birthday (a TIME of celebration) he is told that he could not participate with his colleagues in an event of importance, rather he is told to go repair an electrical system. Other examples of time throughout the rising plot of the movie include Harry and Norman's limited time as they are infected with a Green Goblin disease of sorts. At first it's Norman's very brief time left which then shifts to Harry's very brief time later on in the movie. Harry, unlike Norman, sought healing through Peter Parker's relationship to Spiderman who is known to have self healing abilities (unlimited time). Further along towards the end of them movie time is made an example of so much that it made my brain ache. Once the Green Goblin captured Gwen and dropped her Spiderman caught her and broke her fall into a, who'd have guessed, clock tower. The Green Goblin wasn't finished there though and he also goes into the clock tower and begins to fight Spiderman whilst Gwen attempts to find safe haven. Further along Spiderman knocks The Goblin off his glider which breaks the supports below Gwen. Spiderman launches a quick web to catch Gwen, but doesn't go unnoticed by The Goblin who then proceeds to lock Spidey's hand in place holding the web with Gwen attached on a chopping path between the cogs of the clock tower. Spidey wraps a web around The Goblin's head and then puts a choke hold on him using the clock tower's cogs, the same ones keeping Gwen safe. Next the obstruction holding "time" at bay is unhinged pressing the already overloaded spider to place his foot in it's place. This is what the whole movie has built up to, and an audience can feel that too, "time" is "stopped" in spidey's efforts to preserve the moment of safety in the storm. If he just has one more minute, he'll get it right? Right? Wrong...in a swift motion the tower breaks one of the cogs free allowing "time" to flow again. The Goblin gets slammed against the tower's wall, spidey gets free, and Gwen proceeds to fall. This is it, the moment of truth, spidey dives after Gwen and shoots a web in a last resort effort to break her fall, the web hits her abdomen, spidey grabs a suspended pole, Gwen stops instantaneously. The anxious spidey jumps down to check on his girlfriend...but what's this? She's...dead...spidey is in disbelief, I was in disbelief, you were in disbelief, and the remorseful spidey wishes he'd been a second quicker, or stuck both her hands to the taxi. Sadness ensues in both the spider and his audience and the rest of the movie is uneventful in terms of the theme, all except one bit. In the end Aunt May states "I'm going to take one last look at it then put it where it belongs, (behind me)" , and while she didn't say this to Peter she implied it and Peter read it. She was referring to Ben as can be told by her stashing his belongings away, but had a sense that Peter was also having trouble letting go, and gave him advice. This advice hurled him back into his suit from his 5 month depression and he began his vigilante work once again.
TL;DR: It's a great movie...the theme is always there in one sense or another and the theme radiates a positive message but also supports a great plot.
I would watch this movie again and again for the way it is presented, but I would hate the ending again and again for what happened. Is this really a bad thing though? Wouldn't it mean that movie was better for making me hate what happened at the end so much? I don't know, what I do know is I suck at writing reviews though and probably won't do this for any other movies, like honestly I just switched from review to telling the plot as it is. Awful review by me, but seriously this movie was great. Top of the line, would watch again because it makes me bawl at the end more so than The Great Gatsby would. The feels are just inexpressible.