The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Amazing Spiderman 2 - User Review Thread! - SPOILERS! - Part 3

[Perry9]

There was an old man in the cinema a little bit in front of me who fell asleep during the trailers and was loudly snoring by the time the film started. Thankfully, an early booming sound effect woke him up!

lol, how many trailers were there?

 

[Keyser Soze]

Quite a lot, actually, more than usual. Like 5 or 6.

 

[grieven]

What kind of distraction?

A family of 4 sat down next to me just as the lights went down. A married couple with 2 kids, the first probably 4 years old whining thoughout that he wanted to go home, the second an infant probably no older than 4-6 months. The mother sat next to me rocked the infant, kicking me half the time. It was a nightmare. I was a guest so couldn't complain. For the life of me I couldn't concentrate on what was happening on-screen, and needless to say it didn't make for a positive movie-going experience so I need to see again to formulate concrete impressions.

 

[Perry9]

Quite a lot, actually, more than usual. Like 5 or 6.

How would you describe the reaction of the audience to the movie? Did they stand up and clapped when it ended, did they cry at the right scenes, did they laugh at the right scenes?

 

[Perry9]

A family of 4 sat down next to me just as the lights went down. A married couple with 2 kids, the first probably 4 years old whining thoughout that he wanted to go home, the second an infant probably no older than 4-6 months. The mother sat next to me rocked the infant, kicking me half the time. It was a nightmare. I was a guest so couldn't complain. For the life of me I couldn't concentrate on what was happening on-screen, and needless to say it didn't make for a positive movie-going experience so I need to see again to formulate concrete impressions.

Well, that sounds pretty awful. Viewing a film is like a ritual. Not many people understand that.

 

[Keyser Soze]

How would you describe the reaction of the audience to the movie? Did they stand up and clapped when it ended, did they cry at the right scenes, did they laugh at the right scenes?

No standing ovations or anything like that. British audiences are typically more reserved about doing stuff like that than American filmgoers, in my experience. I've only encountered it a handful of times ever. Didn't notice anyone crying (or even audibly gasping) at the sad/shocking bits, but there were a few chuckles, and one guy behind me let out a loud "HAW-HAW!" at Harry's line about how Spider-Man "dresses up in spandex and rescues cats from trees."

 

[LizardMan07]

I know that was aimed at Keyser but my audience did clap at the end of the film but it was out of time, no standing, it wasn't an amazing clap, just one that said "this movie was good" Heard PLENTY of sobbing in the theatre as well, and the tension was palpable just before the scene that made people sob. People stopped sobbing but then it started back up again during

Spoiler

Gwen's speech

and

Spoiler

I heard a few comments after the movie about how much they loved Andrew Garflield

In other sittings people didn't react much, it was the 3D 6:15 sessions that really got people going I guess?

 

[grieven]

Well, that sounds pretty awful. Viewing a film is like a ritual. Not many people understand that.

Amen. It's shocking how disrespectful or insensitive some people can be at movie screenings.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

Thank you Keyser for delivering one of the only well reasoned, thought out mixed to negative reviews of the film I've read on these boards.

 

[Perry9]

Amen. It's shocking how disrespectful or insensitive some people can be at movie screenings.

I hope you love it after your second viewing.

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

No standing ovations or anything like that. British audiences are typically more reserved about doing stuff like that than American filmgoers, in my experience. I've only encountered it a handful of times ever. Didn't notice anyone crying (or even audibly gasping) at the sad/shocking bits, but there were a few chuckles, and one guy behind me let out a loud "HAW-HAW!" at Harry's line about how Spider-Man "dresses up in spandex and rescues cats from trees."

There were a few "Woos'" from the DOFP trailer and

Spoiler

When Gwen died the whole place fell into instant silence

At the end there were a few claps to be heard. That's a big deal imo since it's not often that it happens

 

[Keyser Soze]

There were a few "Woos'" from the DOFP trailer and

Spoiler

When Gwen died the whole place fell into instant silence

At the end there were a few claps to be heard. That's a big deal imo since it's not often that it happens

Oh yeah, people did not get that DOFP trailer as the end tag. I heard someone whispering, "The X-Men are gonna be in the next Spider-Man film!"

 

[TayDee]

I mean in my view of things, overall consensus for this films is positive. Way more than the first film. Just critics are tearing this film apart. You have some fans hear and there that have something negative to add, but the majority is that people like this film.

 

[The Lizard]

Just got back from an advanced screening --

As with the last film, the Peter/Gwen relationship was the strongest element.

I'd say the movie is at least 20-30 minutes too long. But even as overlong as it was, Gwen's final fate seemed a bit rushed at the end. Maybe the idea was to shock the basic moviegoing audience who didn't know what happens to Gwen, but since it's a huge moment in Spidey's evolution, the lead-up with Harry as the Goblin grabbing Gwen and taking her to the clock tower (not the bridge- booo!) seemed to happen too fast.

There are plenty of great web-swinging sequences - that's something worth seeing if you're a Spidey fan regardless of what you think of the rest of the movie.

Too much time was spent on establishing Max Dillon's instability. We got it the first time, without all the synthesized voices in his head yelling again and again. The Electro skin effects looked great though.

Basically, the movie did indeed feel overstuffed, and it dragged in parts. Quality-wise, it still ranks well above Sam Raimi's SM3 of course, but the flow of this movie just felt off a lot of the time. Still worth seeing for Spidey fans, mainly for the emotional kick at the end with Gwen. But not really an improvement over the last film.

7/10

 

[grieven]

Just got back from an advanced screening --

As with the last film, the Peter/Gwen relationship was the strongest element.

I'd say the movie is at least 20-30 minutes too long. But even as overlong as it was, Gwen's final fate seemed a bit rushed at the end. Maybe the idea was to shock the basic moviegoing audience who didn't know what happens to Gwen, but since it's a huge moment in Spidey's evolution, the lead-up with Harry as the Goblin grabbing Gwen and taking her to the clock tower (not the bridge- booo!) seemed to happen too fast.

There are plenty of great web-swinging sequences - that's something worth seeing if you're a Spidey fan regardless of what you think of the rest of the movie.

Too much time was spent on establishing Max Dillon's instability. We got it the first time, without all the synthesized voices in his head yelling again and again. The Electro skin effects looked great though.

Basically, the movie did indeed feel overstuffed, and it dragged in parts. Quality-wise, it still ranks above San Raimi's SM3 of course, but the flow of this movie just felt off a lot of the time. Still worth seeing for Spidey fans, mainly for the emotional kick at the end with Gwen. But not really an improvement over the last film.

7/10

I truly want to see the version of the film that has everything Webb wanted in. The choppiness/flow problems may be solved, and though overlong and maybe 4 hours, it may be the the true Spider-Man film many of us thirst to see.

 

[kbrooksgohan]

Good point. I worked on a movie and what we shot did not make it in the editing process of the movie. Editing definitely can turn the movie into something else. And when you have studio behind you it's up to them too. The movie business can be tricky.

 

[Kaleb]

Just got back from watching it and enjoyed it ,wasa lot better than the first one,at the end of the film the audience clapped.


8/10

 

[AF3619]

Just got back from watching it and enjoyed it ,wasa lot better than the first one,at the end of the film the audience clapped.


8/10

 

[Hunter Rider]

I saw it today and while the crammed nature of the film makes the narrative uneven, I really enjoyed it. Of the 3 different stories that run throughout I liked the simple Peter and Gwen (Loved their theme) story the most due to how amazing Emma Stone is, and when it intersected with the Harry and Electro stories the movie was at it's very best.

The Electro story feels tonally out of whack with the rest of the film and does have a real air of the Batman Forever version of The Riddler, but I thought his first showdown with Spidey was the visual highlight of the film, especially the stunning sequence where Spidey saved the people on the stairs, it was a jaw dropper and really felt like comic panels coming to life. I felt the Electro effects on a whole were really good and his theme was awesome.

The toughest storyline to buy into is Peter and Harry, we are dropped into it cold and unlike in other incarnations where you grow to like Harry before everything goes belly up, here Harry is creepy and obnoxious from the start, the scene with them skipping stones and talking about life is poorly written and the acting is wooden. Thankfully he goes full heel pretty quickly and comes into his own. This route for the Goblin is not what I would have chosen and the look is awful, but I thought the scenes with Spidey, Goblin and Gwen were very well done.

Peter's detour into discovering what happened to his parents delivers a great scene between him and Aunt May and a really cool scene in the subway, neat oldschool secret passage stuff.

I mentioned earlier about how fantastic Emma Stone is as Gwen, so much so that I was really hoping she'd survive to the third movie, but as soon as she started talking about going to Oxford and it exciting her I knew she was a goner, but despite not staying fully faithful to the comics her death scene was superbly done, the visual approach Webb took was perfect, allowing you an excruciating few seconds of hope before the gut punch.

The action was spaced out pretty well and within the sequences Webb delivered some killer moneyshots and really captured Spidey's agility and movement brilliantly. I mentioned earlier the part I liked in the first battle with Electro and I thought the fight with Goblin was fantastic, it could have been longer but it was kinetic and physical and swept you up in the ride.

The amount of strands that need webbing together here (pun intended. ) from the first film, this film and to set up for the 3rd film can make TASM2 ungainly at times, but it all comes together satisfyingly in the end. As for Spidey vs Rhino being the finale; I think the way they used it, tying it into Gwen's graduation speech, was a perfect, uplifting way to end the movie.

8/10

 

[CyclopsWasRight]

Really well written review Hunter.

Oh yeah, people did not get that DOFP trailer as the end tag. I heard someone whispering, "The X-Men are gonna be in the next Spider-Man film!"

I got that feeling too

It was poorly done. They should've had a bit of Text saying something like "Please enjoy an exclusive clip from the upcoming motion picture X-Men Days of Future Past"

 

[Kaleb]

this song gave me so many feels at the end

 

[DyeLorean]

Well... let's see. As a big fan of Spider-Man for many many many years, I thought they got the look, the attitude, the movements of the character. How the Spider-Man persona matches with Peter Parker, something Raimi didn't quite get in his trilogy (maybe in #2, which is still the best Spider-Man movie ever). When Spider-Man appears, you can believe it's Andrew Garfield's Peter, even when it's up in the air.

In this one, is just the villain side of the film that doesn't work for me. And how the movie is more worried about setting up future installments than actually telling a good story with an interesting villain. Electro is so goofy and so dumb, it almost feels like a parody of a villain. The action is good but... they showed every piece of action in the trailers, teasers, tv spots, and clips! And I didn't even watch all of them, I can't even imagine. Put everything together and you get a rough cut of the film, honestly. The marketing department at Sony... what were they thinking?!

The chemistry between the leads is still there, and it's the glue that holds this movie together. Peter and Aunt May's relation is also well developed, and this is the stuff that really works, and elevates the film when the script says *insert action scene here* or *mystery at Oscorp scene*.
Another positive: finally a superhero that fights normal crime. Superman against alien ships (?), Thor saving 9 worlds... sometimes I want to see a superhero helping a kid, and I'm very glad this movie showed that side of a hero. Spider-Man is small-scale, compared to others. Kudos for that.

Also, I understand that they had to deviate from what Raimi has told, so they don't have to tell the same story twice, but did they have to change so much? I admit is interesting to see the Spidey universe expanded, with Smythe and Felicia Hardy in the mix, but on the other hand it feels like populated with hints and stuff and plot points for Spider-Man 3, 4 or Sinister Six. I don't mind that, Marvel is doing a fine job in that area (they started it all) but they also have good, strong movies that work by themselves (CA: The Winter Soldier comes to mind). In TASM 2 I feel like the movie doesn't quite work because of that. It has its mind in future installments and can't really make a proper movie because of that.

Spoiler

What is it with Oscorp being the basis for every damn villain? You guys think is a good idea?

Anyway, I'm a little bit disappointed, but in some spots there are glimpses of the best Spider-Man version on screen so far. Too bad Webb and company can't hold that for the entire film.

6/10

 

[Kaleb]

I was kinda taken back by how easily Harry took out the 2 security guards at Ravencraft (before he had the formula),also I couldnt help but think how much he sounded like Nicolas Cage in some scenes.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Really well written review Hunter.

Thanks man.

I was kinda taken back by how easily Harry took out the 2 security guards at Ravencraft (before he had the formula),also I couldnt help but think how much he sounded like Nicolas Cage in some scenes.

In the scenes where he got angry and emotional I thought he looked like Basketball Diaries era Leo.

 

[DyeLorean]

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 was not a film I was expecting greatness from. I initially had quite high hopes, I'll admit. I quite enjoyed the first film, but it felt like it was laying the groundwork for a much more interesting sequel, and at first it seemed like this film was shaping up to be just that. But with the more trailers I watched (and there were A LOT of trailers), the more I got this niggling feeling about the film that it was just "off" to me, and my anticipation started to sap away. I actually waited for a couple of weeks after its cinema release to get round to seeing it, as it just wasn't grabbing me. But still, I went in expecting a fun, if unremarkable movie experience. So it's with some disappointment that I have to report that the film failed to meet even these modest expectations and proved to be quite underwhelming.

It's hard to explain what exactly is wrong with it. People have been comparing it to Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN 3, and I don't think that's quite on base, because while I'd say it's around the same ballpark in terms of quality - probably a little bit better, to be fair - people are coming at it from the wrong angle. First, people are making the comparison because of the "too many villains" dilemma, which needn't necessarily be a problem in itself (CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER worked in no less than 5 villains from the comics and managed to do it rather seamlessly and unobtrusively) and certainly isn't a problem here because, despite what the marketing may tell you, this is essentially a two-villain film. And second, and this is something many won't acknowledge, while SPIDER-MAN 3 was the worst of the Raimi trilogy, it really only exacerbated problems that were already present in the previous films. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 is different in this case, as it feels less like a progression of existing problems to the point where they come to a head, and more like a drastic regression, so while the end product isn't as poor as SPIDER-MAN 3, it may be in its own way more disappointing.

While the Raimi SPIDER-MAN trilogy is already dated, feeling quite hokey and cheesy by today's standards, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was a breath of fresh air, very much a post-BATMAN BEGINS superhero film that presented more of a grounded reality and a human dimension around Spider-Man, while also preserving that character's identity and unique charm. It provided a great foundation to build from, and there are flashes of it here and there. But for the most part, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 feels like a doubling-down of that outmoded cartoony vibe. Watching this, I found myself thinking that if this came out in the 90s, people would love it. But we've moved on as an audience since then, and expect more from superhero movies than this condescending "POW! THWACK!" pantomime. The film I found myself comparing it to most was BATMAN FOREVER, actually. Not quite the disaster BATMAN & ROBIN was, but it hasn't aged well. And though of course the production values are better, I got a BATMAN FOREVER vibe here. Stagey-looking sets and locations, everything given this cartoonish, melodramatic quality, characters monologuing and talking to themselves, broad characterisations, particularly when it comes to OTT, BWAHAHAing villainy. This is a world where we meet a lip-curling German mad scientist called Dr. Kafka, which feels like something straight out of the Schumacher wheelhouse. It even starts similarly, with a great actor (Tommy Lee Jones for FOREVER, Paul Giamatti here) phoning it in as a one-note moustache-twirler snarling and bellowing nefarious threats straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon, before segueing into a caricature nerdy loser who abruptly shifts from idolising the hero into despising him due to a dubious slight. It was Jim Carrey in FOREVER, here it's Jamie Foxx.

Now, Foxx is charismatic with the right role, but Electro was not the right role. Once he gets his powers, there is the most perfunctory of attempts to play the sympathy card before we have him turn evil and murderous because... ummm.... that's what the movie's plot requires him to do. And before you know it he's blasting out groanworthy electricity-based puns and declaring "I'M ELECTRO!" (also said in the film: "I'M THE RHINO!" - not one for subtlety, these baddies), and by the time we got to him trying to apparently murder Spider-Man with dubstep, I'd checked out. Elsewhere on the antagonist spectrum, the talented Dane DeHaan tries his best with the Harry Osborn role, and plays a sense of justifiable grievance more credibly than Foxx's Electro gets the chance to, but once he gets on that glider and starts cackling and arching his eyebrows (No "I'M THE GREEN GOBLIN!" line, sadly), his hard work is largely undone. I've never been the biggest Green Goblin fan even in the comics, no matter how hard they've tried to convince us he's Spidey's greatest foe, and with us now having 3 out of 5 films where Spider-Man is having to leap around that glider in fight scenes, it's really feeling worn out.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 is saved from complete mediocrity by the inherent likeability of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and a handful of emotionally affecting scenes peppered throughout - one near the end packs a particularly powerful punch. But for the most part, this is a letdown. It feels flabby and scattershot, poorly-paced and with writing all over the shop, and by an hour and a half in I found myself constantly looking at my watch wondering when it would be over. Oh, and just as they did with the first film they give away the final moments of the film in the bloody trailer! Quite the opposite from leaving this film more eagerly anticipating the glut of Spideyverse films that are to follow, this left me with my enthusiasm dampened for all of them.

I agree with every word.
I didn't realize the Batman Forever paralells. That's an interesting catch.