May has arrived and with it, my favorite time of the year (excluding December 1st- 26th): the summer movie season! It seems Marvel Studios is fully taking advantage, releasing not one or two, but three movies: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel has tossed its hat far in the ring, so they must have a lot of faith in their products right? Well let's look at the fruits of their first labor: The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Andrew Garfield reprises his role as Peter Parker, or better known, the Amazing Spider-Man! A new villain named Electro threatens to use his mastery over electricity to leave New York completely without power and rule the city. Of course, it's up to Spider-Man to stop him, but not without balancing relationship troubles, his father's secrets, and the return of an old friend.
The first "Amazing Spider-Man" attempted to blend the carefree camp value of the 1960's comic with the serious drama and realism popularized by "The Dark Knight". Its execution felt jumbled; it's kind of hard to buy a giant talking lizard as a product of 2012 New York and not a comic book. The setting and atmosphere tried to be less flashy and more gritty, but when crane operators swing their cranes in a line strictly for Spider-Man's use...the suspension of disbelief takes a bit of a nosedive.
The sequel takes those extremes and stretches them further. The humor, action, and characters feel ripped straight out of a comic book; it's cheesy and hard to believe, but the actors and production involve themselves so much, it's impossible not to enjoy with the same childlike innocence. However, the main story ends up taking itself so seriously that it halts the movie, convinced the story and dialogue alone will carry most of the weight. This is my main problem.
The movie has four writers, and it shows. It tries to stuff so many plot points and characters; this doesn't make for drama, it makes for confusion. We are often reminded of other subplots within a subplot: a scene in a maintenance closet serves as a recap through all the developments of what just happened in the first act. It unnecessarily slows the movie down. The subplots pad the story out, whether it be through romantic cliches or crafting elements to tie up other plots. As a result, we receive boring dialogue, rushed exposition, and dull developments. It made most of the film trod at a snail's pace, leaving me disinterested.
What intrigues is Electro - the mixed bag. His role in the story is pointless: he can be completely cut out of the movie and the basic plot and themes would be untouched. However, without him the movie would be a complete bore! Through him, the movie returns to its comic book roots. The special effects are impressive, the action grand and suspenseful. The design does a great job of keeping the spirit of New York intact while inserting enough detail and change to make the comic-book feel work. The cinematography is crisp and angular, Spider-Man and Electro quip back and forth: the entire package feels just like I'm reading an old-school comic book. Yes, some moments are corny, but the movie is invested in the same way I was as a kid, questioning the world and learning through a simple, silly, innocent, and joyful lens. It's this tone with which I believe the movie works best.
Spider-Man doesn't brood like Batman; Peter doesn't psychoanalyze himself all the time. He just lives as best he can. Intellectual speeches don't create drama, and just because a character affords to be silly and goofy doesn't invalidate whatever struggle he goes through. In fact, it can be harder to remain positive and look hopefully towards the future during times of trouble. It doesn't have to be cheesy to entertain or cynical to be meaningful. I believe the movie understand this: all the cast is having a lot of fun, coming off genuine and invested. (Let me take an aside to praise Sally Field, whose resilient, vulnerable, caring, and sometimes even jealous portrayal of Aunt May fleshes out the character better than in any rendition I've ever seen.)
While the movie lies sluggish in the middle, I enjoy all the effort given by the cast and production team. They create a view of Spider-Man that finally seems comfortable in its own skin. We're still waiting for a knock-out balance of moving story and fun action, but by simple measuring of pros and cons, I recommend "The Amazing Spider-Man 2". I just recommend you keep a healthy supply of popcorn available during the middle. Thank you all for reading, I'm the Man Without A Plan, signing off.
Daniel's Final Comments
1) I came across people giving epileptic warnings on social media, and I feel it only responsible to say there are a couple scenes where strobe lights and quick editing can become a trigger to those susceptible. Sitting in the middle, these scenes did bother my eyes a bit, so I will offer this warning to those whom it may concern.
2) There is only one mid-credits scene; don't stick around until the very very end.
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbp3Ra3Yp74
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