Movie Review - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Super hero movie fatigue has started to set in.

There was actually some good acting in this movie. Several scenes between Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and his Aunt May (Sally Field) were the highlights of the movie. And scenes with Parker and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) were also touching. Teenaged love at it's best.

You tend to forget that Peter Parker is a high school student. He's at most, what, 17? In a scene that was supposed to be touching but actually isn't Parker, visits Harry Osbourn who has returned to the city after over 10 years away at school, because his father is dying. Peter tells Harry that he remembers when Harry was there for him when Peter's father died. When they were 6 years old. Later they talk about women in their lives. They've got a lot of catching up to do since they haven't seen each other for 10 years or so, when they were 6. Two recent high school graduates remembering the special bond they had when they were 6. I found this ludicrous. 

The rest of the movie was a torrent of light and sound. A barely recognizable Paul Giamatti (Aleksei Sytsevich/Rhino) crashes an enormous truck through the streets of New York City towing a armored car full of plutonium. Did you know that plutonium was a glowing yellow liquid? Neither did I.  Anyway much mayhem ensues delaying Parker from his high school graduation ceremony, where Gwen is going to make the valedictorian address. Much foreshadowing in this address.

Next up, Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) a shy milquetoast of an engineer at Oscorp is turned into Electro through bright and noisy special effects involving electric eels. He proceeds in several scenes to cause massive destruction across the city with Spider-Man fighting him along the way.

Electro is finally brought down after an eye and ear assaulting battle in some place composed of tall glowing towers.  Then, hardly allowing Spider-Man to catch is breath, Harry Osborn, who having injected himself with radioactive spider's blood hidden in the depths of Oscorp, shows up as the Green Goblin. And if you know the Spider-Man comics at all, you'll know why Emma Stone won't be in Spider-Man 3 except maybe in flashbacks.

And in the end, almost as an afterthought, Rhino, causing more destruction, is stopped by Spider-Man.

As for the music in the film, all I could say by the closing credits was "Please make it stop".

If you're wondering if there is an Easter egg in the closing credits, there is. Do yourself a favor and just leave when the credits start. All you get, halfway through the credits is a scene from the trailers for the new X-Men movie. Which is made by Fox, not Sony.