The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (internationally marketed as The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro) is a 2014 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film was directed by Marc Webb and produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach. It is the fifth theatrical Spider-Man film produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, the sequel to 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man and the second and final film in The Amazing Spider-Man duology.

The studio hired James Vanderbilt to write the screenplay and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to rewrite it. The film stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, and Sally Field.

Development of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 began after the success of The Amazing Spider-Man. DeHaan, Giamatti, Jones, and Cooper were cast between December 2012 and February 2013. Filming took place in New York City from February to June 2013. The film was released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on May 2, 2014, in the United States with two international premieres being held between March 31 and April 10 of that year. It received mixed reviews from critics and audiences and grossed $709 million worldwide, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2014, but the second-lowest-grossing Spider-Man film to date.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was originally envisioned as the beginning of a shared fictional universe, which would have continued with two sequels and several spin-offs, most notably films centered on Venom and the Sinister Six. Due to performing below expectations, all subsequent installments were cancelled and a new iteration of the character, portrayed by Tom Holland in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, began with the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War. The planned spin-offs were repurposed for a timeline separate from The Amazing Spider-Man continuity and the MCU, beginning with 2018's Venom.

## Plot

OsCorp scientist Richard Parker records a video message to explain his disappearance. Later, he and his wife, Mary, are aboard a private jet hijacked by an assassin sent to kill Richard and his wife. Richard and Mary fight off the man, but the ensuing struggle causes the plane to crash, killing them both, after he uploads the video.

Years later, Richard's son, Peter, continues to fight crime as Spider-Man in the present day. He pursues and apprehends Aleksei Sytsevich and saves Max Dillon before a taxi hits him. Later, Peter meets with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy at their high school graduation ceremony and, insisting he keep his vow to her late father, ends their relationship. Peter's childhood friend, Harry Osborn, returns to Manhattan to see his terminally-ill father, Norman, CEO of OsCorp. Norman explains his illness is genetic, and Harry is at the age where it first develops. Norman gives Harry a small device he claims contains his life's work. The next day, Norman dies, and Harry is appointed the new OsCorp CEO.

While working in an OsCorp laboratory, Max inadvertently shocks himself and falls into a tank of genetically-engineered electric eels. They attack him, and he mutates into an organic electric generator. Meanwhile, Peter attempts to maintain a friendship with Gwen, but she reveals that she may move to England for schooling. Before they can discuss it, Dillon wanders into Times Square, accidentally causing a blackout, and is apprehended by Spider-Man after a battle. Dillon is taken to the Ravencroft Institute, where he is studied by German scientist Dr. Kafka. Meanwhile, the first symptoms of Harry's illness are showing, and he uses the device Norman gave him to deduce that Spider-Man's blood could help save him. He asks Peter, who has been selling photos of Spider-Man to the Daily Bugle, to aid him in finding Spider-Man. Peter refuses, unsure of what effects the transfusion would have. Although he later comes to Harry as Spider-Man, he still refuses, and Harry becomes resentful towards Spider-Man. OsCorp vice-president Donald Menken frames Harry for covering up Dillon's accident, removes him as CEO and takes control of Oscorp. Harry's assistant, Felicia Hardy, informs him of equipment that could help him, so he makes a deal with Dillon, who now calls himself "Electro," to get him back inside the OsCorp building. There he finds a suit of armor and other equipment made by Norman, as well as venom from the now-destroyed genetically-altered spiders. The venom accelerates Harry's illness, and transforms him into a goblin-like creature, but the suit's built-in emergency protocol restores his health and keeps the transformation from killing him.

Peter uses information left by his father to locate the video message in an abandoned subway station's hidden lab. Richard explains that he had to leave because he refused to cooperate with Norman's plans to make biogenetic weapons. Peter then hears a voicemail from Gwen, telling him that she was offered the British scholarship for studying medicine at Somerville College, University of Oxford, and is heading to the airport earlier than expected. He catches her and professes his love for her, and they agree to go to England together. Electro causes another blackout, and Peter heads off to battle him as Spider-Man. Gwen follows, and together, they restore power, and overload Electro's body, causing it to explode and kill him.

The transformed Harry, who has now gone insane, arrives equipped with Norman's armor and weaponry. Upon seeing Gwen, he deduces Spider-Man's secret identity and, swearing revenge for being refused the blood transfusion, kidnaps her and takes her to the top of a clock tower. Spider-Man defeats Harry, but Gwen falls to her death, despite Spider-Man's attempt to save her. Mourning her death, the depressed Peter ends his career as Spider-Man.

Five months later, Harry is coping with the aftereffects of his transformation while incarcerated at Ravencroft. His associate, Gustav Fiers, visits Harry and the pair discuss forming their own team. Harry orders Fiers to start with Sytsevich. Later, an unknown team of men break Sytsevich out of prison. Equipped with an electromechanical suit of armor, Sytsevich calls himself the Rhino and rampages through the streets. Peter, inspired by Gwen's graduation speech, resumes his role as Spider-Man, and confronts him.

## Cast

* Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker / Spider-Man:

An orphaned teenage boy who received spider-powers after being bitten by a genetically altered spider. Peter first uses his powers to try to hunt down the killer of his uncle in The Amazing Spider-Man but soon decides to use his powers to fight crime as the vigilante known as Spider-Man. Garfield explained that the suit that he would wear in the film would undergo a new design. Garfield hoped to bring back the theme of him being an orphan stating, "I wanna keep exploring that theme of being fatherless, being motherless, searching for purpose and finding a purpose within himself". He felt that it was his responsibility to take on the role and that he does not take it lightly.

* Max Charles as young Peter Parker.
* Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy:

A high school student and Peter's love interest. When asked about Peter and Gwen's relationship in the sequel, Stone said, "She saves him more than he saves her. She's incredibly helpful to Spider-Man ... He's the muscle, she's the brains."

* Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon / Electro:

An electrical engineer who works for Oscorp Industries and later transforms into a powerful, electrical creature following an accident, then taking the alias of "Electro". Foxx described the character as "a nobody" who initially idolizes Spider-Man. He develops an obsession with Spider-Man after being saved by him and obtains his powers through an accident at Oscorp involving electric eels. Foxx revealed that the character would be redesigned to be more grounded, and that the villain's classic yellow and green suit would be omitted in favor of a modern look, as depicted in the film.

* Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn / Green Goblin:

Peter's longtime friend for 10 years and son of Norman Osborn. He was sent away to boarding school around the same time Peter's parents disappeared, and meets him for the first time. He eventually assumes the role of the Green Goblin after injecting a special serum of spider-venom into his body, initially injected to provide a cure, which instead turns him into a hideous, psychotic, goblin-like creature. As the Green Goblin, Harry dons a technological suit capable of healing him and can fly with the use of a large glider.

* Campbell Scott as Richard Parker: Peter's father.
* Embeth Davidtz as Mary Parker: Peter's mother.
* Colm Feore as Donald Menken:

Oscorp's Vice President and Head of the Board. He is often in dispute with Harry over his capabilities of being a CEO to Oscorp, claiming that because Harry is a boy, he is incapable of leading the company.

* Paul Giamatti as Aleksei Sytsevich / Rhino:

A Russian hired killer for the Russian Mafia, who allies with Harry and receives a massive, well-armored, robotic, rhino-like suit from him, deciding to call himself "the Rhino". Giamatti said of his character, "He's a Russian mobster. Russians are always good villains. I have an ability to just destroy things", he said. "My accent is pretty hammy. I loved doing it. It seemed to me like an opportunity to be as over-the-top hammy as possible. It was really fun."

* Sally Field as May Parker: Peter's aunt. Field was critical of the lack of depth in her role; during a 2016 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, she said that "It's really hard to find a three-dimensional character in [the film], and you work it as much as you can, but you can't put 10 pounds of shit in a five-pound bag."

Felicity Jones portrays Felicia, Norman's assistant at Oscorp, and later Harry's. While Jones was only credited as Felicia in the final film, her surname was revealed as "Hardy" in a marketing video for the film releasing on digital HD formats, in reference to Black Cat's alter ego Felicia Hardy. Marton Csokas portrays Ashley Kafka, the head of Ravencroft Institute, and B. J. Novak appears as Alistair Smythe, Dillon's boss and an Oscorp employee. Kari Coleman, Charlie DePew, Skyler Gisondo, and Jacob Rodier reprise their roles from the first film as Helen Stacy, Philip Stacy, Howard Stacy, and Simon Stacy, respectively, with the latter being uncredited. Chris Cooper, who portrays Norman Osborn, the founder of Oscorp and Harry Osborn's father, and Denis Leary, who reprises his role as George Stacy, appearing as a ghost in Peter's visions, are also in uncredited roles. Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee, has a cameo appearance as a guest at Peter and Gwen's graduation ceremony. Michael Massee reprises his role as the "Man in the Shadows" from the first film, with the character now credited as "Gustav Fiers (The Gentleman)". Aidy Bryant appears as a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty. J.D. Walsh appears as an online instructor demonstrating how batteries work.