The Amazing Spider Man 2

Rating: 9/10 (13 September 2014)

Initial Review: The Amazing Spider Man 2 is definitely one of the best movies of the year! I also believe that it is the best Spider Man film to date. Marc Webb masterfully fuses action, romance and comedy into a film that is fun and moving for everyone.
The Positives: I liked the first "Amazing" that was released, but there were some problems I had with it. I think this film took these challenges head on. I felt like there wasn't much fighting in the first movie, but this was vastly improved. The romance was top-notch much like the first film, and the special effects went above my expectations. *(Spoiler)* I may be hated for this, but I thought it was a good move to kill off Gwen Stacy this go around for two reasons: it needed to follow the comics and it set a much darker tone for the rest of the franchise (which will be needed for future films like "Venom Carnage" and "The Sinister Six." Towards the middle of the movie I was really getting the vibe that this was mostly a kid-directed movie, but the death of Gwen brought it back to the tragic feeling of Spider Man that was so popular in the comics (God I'm going to miss her). I really enjoyed the villains which added to the fun of the movie.
The Negatives: Now this film wasn't all roses but it was exceptional. One problem I had was the little screen time provided for the Green Goblin (after transformation) and the Rhino. Critics often referred to the film as having three villains, but it really felt like one with two side battles to tease the next film. The character who dons the rhino suit has all but 12 minutes and the Green Goblin (once again, after transformation has like six minutes of screen time (approximately). However, I do agree with the critics that the back story for Harry Osborn felt awkward, and there was one two many story lines running through this movie.
Conclusion: I gave this movie 9 out of 10, due to the facts that it has so many positive aspects and with minimal negative issues (that are really more of a nuisance than anything else. I highly recommend this film for everyone.