What the heck?

Rating: 5/10 (2 May 2014)

Spiderman's web misfires so much the web of the Amazing Spiderman 2 becomes too tangled, leaving comic and movie fans stuck in their tracks. It's not that the actors are bad. It's not that the story is weak. But execution always trumps the previous two elements. It does have some good things going for it. Andrew Garfield, Emma Thompson, Jamie Foxx and Sally Field have good talent and work well with what they have. Also, towards the end of the story, we have good action laced with good battles, and good conflict. The problem is it takes way too long to get there with uneven and hackneyed direction. The story begins with Peter Parker on top of the world, chasing bad guys with the public of New York mostly behind him. In one scene, he saves a nerdy Oscorp employee, Dillon Max (Jamie Foxx). He is so eager to be liked, he assumes he and Spiderman are friends and develops an unhealthy admiration. But when Oscorp kicks him to the curb - or rather into a vat of eels that is hit by power rods, he turns into Electro. When his powers spark (no pun intended) fear, Spiderman steps in and he is shocked (no pun intended again) that Spiderman is not the friend. Meanwhile, Harry Osborn returns home to see his father die from a debilitating disease. He finds out he has it and needs help. Unfortunately, the things he needs are not available - and he is forced out of Oscorp. At the same time, Spiderman/Peter Parker is discovering the truth behind his father's disappearance. Gwen Stacey is interviewing for a chance to go to Oxford Peter and Gwen's relationship is rocky - and so is the friendship between Peter and Harry. Understand the problem? All these stories fold unevenly, and behind way too many special effects that try to dazzle the eye. Then, plot holes pop up so large, Spidey could never plug them up with enough webbing. Hospitals and airports have their own emergency generators off the grid. In the end, we have a dark, violent Spiderman, far apart from the Raimi/Macguire Era. Moreover, Garfield does not have the nerdy quality that the original star had to nail the role. Frankly, too many villains, too many special effects, too long a movie all make The Amazing Spiderman 2 too terrible to watch. It might even make you prefer Raimi's final installment to this one.