The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - User Review Thread! - SPOILERS! - Part 5

[Spider-Fan]

Here is how Peter gets powers in the comics:

Walks in off the street to an experiment to take pictures and gets bit radioactive spider.

Here is how Peter gets his powers in SM1:

Goes on school field trip with fellow classmates to take pictures and gets bit by genetically enhanced spider.

The take away from those two, and what Stan Lee has iterated himself, is that anyone could have become Spider-Man. Peter Parker is an average Joe that got lucky.

Here is how Peter gets powers in ASM:

He goes to Oscorp to investigate his father's murder because his father worked there. He sees a security door with symbols that were the same on his dead father's badge that he discovered and goes inside and gets bit by a genetically altered spider infused with his father's DNA so that only Richard or his lineage could gain powers from the spider venom.

So yeah, way to go Sony and Webb. You nailed the origin. Peter is only at Oscorp in the first place because of his father. He only goes into the room where he gets bit by a spider because of his father's badge. He only gets powers from the spider's venom because of his father's DNA. It's pre-destiny crap. They ruined Spider-Man's origin. Only Peter Parker could ever become Spider-Man in ASM…a bastardization of the comics.

This was probably my biggest problem with the first film in the series. The 2nd one is one giant mess all around, but TASM did have some good moments and such (and other bad ones, too), but this plot point right here totally undermines the intent and point of the character in a way that I can't overlook.

It is sad for me to say, but I think of the summer films I saw this year, I only felt TMNT was worse. I actually enjoyed Bayformers 4 more than I did this. That is VERY bad.

 

[spiderman2]

This was probably my biggest problem with the first film in the series. The 2nd one is one giant mess all around, but TASM did have some good moments and such (and other bad ones, too), but this plot point right here totally undermines the intent and point of the character in a way that I can't overlook.

It is sad for me to say, but I think of the summer films I saw this year, I only felt TMNT was worse. I actually enjoyed Bayformers 4 more than I did this. That is VERY bad.

WOW transformers 4 is one of the worst movies I have never seen and asm2 is special to me.

 

[Spider-Fan]

WOW transformers 4 is one of the worst movies I have never seen and asm2 is special to me.

TASM2 is a better movie, don't get me wrong. But, after 4 movies of Bayformers, my expectations level for the series is pretty low, and I do think the 4th film was better than either the 2nd or 3rd. So, I went in expecting what I got: more of the same non-sense. Here, I was hoping to get a film that improved upon TASM (which I found flawed but decent overall), but instead, I got the worst Spidey film to date, and the first one that I would call outright bad. It frustrates me.

 

[spiderman2]

TASM2 is a better movie, don't get me wrong. But, after 4 movies of Bayformers, my expectations level for the series is pretty low, and I do think the 4th film was better than either the 2nd or 3rd. So, I went in expecting what I got: more of the same non-sense. Here, I was hoping to get a film that improved upon TASM (which I found flawed but decent overall), but instead, I got the worst Spidey film to date, and the first one that I would call outright bad. It frustrates me.

Oh yeah I didn't have any expectations for transformers 4 has I only saw it because a friend was up visting and we didn't have any thing we wanted to see but wanted to go to the movies. I have only seen transformers 1 and now 4. Transformers 4 was like 2 hours and 45 minutes a like 2 hours and 15 is action and repetitive action shoot blow up shoot blow up. My friend said the 3erd one had even more action but I find that hard to belive. I had a high expectation for asm2 and was blow away and the more I watch the movie the more I love it.

 

[spiderral]

I've just finished watching the film for the 2nd time and would now rate it a 7.2, dropped from 8/10 from my initial viewing back in April. The excitement from watching TASM2 for the very 1st time was not there for the 2nd viewing which has probably influenced my score, even though I was still excited nevertheless. I was really impressed in the cinema during/after the opening Spidey scene, seing that they had nailed Spider-Man and that very good first impression lasted with me to the very end of the movie and many months after until the second viewing.

Watching all 4 previous Spider-Man films again recently, in anticipation for the TASM2 Blu-Ray arriving, has really helped me decide and open my eyes to what works and what doesn't in a Spider-Man film so here's what I thought worked well in TASM2 and what didn't:

+ Peter/Gwen's chemistry -- However, I really wanted more and felt as though unnecessary parts to the film (parents story arc) took up time that we could have spent with Peter and Gwen or other characters. (I'm really going to miss Gwen in this series)
+ Spider-Man is Spider-Man
+ Overall performance by the cast is very good

- Villains -- Electro didn't have much to do and he only really served a purpose when working with Harry. Watching Harry's descent and turning into the Goblin was really enjoyable the first time around, being very impressed with DeHaan's performance, but I think the film would have just worked best with one villain, having just Electro for TASM2 (and with the Rhino appearance) and setting up Harry/the Goblin for TASM3 and killing Gwen off then.
- Lack of streamlined storyline -- again, this may be due to the villains and wanting to quickly set up the Goblin just for killing Gwen off at the end but I think the film would have really benefited from a storyline that just focused on one villain. I don't have a problem with multiple villains in a film but the plot was not solid enough for this film to justify having both Electro and the Green Goblin thrown together.
- Film wasn't solid enough -- related to the point above, I guess things just happen in the film that Peter reacts to and the conclusion to the film just doesn't seem solid enough apart from Gwen's death.
- Parents sub-plot -- I would have rather this being resolved in TASM1 or very quickly in TASM2 and then never hearing from it again. As mentioned before, it took too much time away from developing characters and moving the story forward to somewhere interesting.


Raimi's first Spider-Man film gets a 7.5/10 from me and these (SM1 & TASM2) are my highest rated Spider-Man films but I believe that the greatest Spider-Man film is yet to come, one that will not easily be forgotten. It could even be the original cut for TASM2, as different as may it have been from the final cut, and I'd like to think that maybe it is but it's just a shame that we will probably never see that cut.

 

[Dominikkus]

You would think that the more you watch something the more you see that you didn't like or that you did like and therefore your score would either change or stay the same. I've seen the movie a number of times already and I can confidently say that my score will stay the same at an 8/10.

What I loved so much about this film was the emotional attachment I had to the characters that were developed in the first film. I love Peter and Gwen and to see how their relationship grew stronger and how they began to mold with one another was incredible, and then the ending comes and just wrecks the audience emotionally. You can feel for Peter when he is holding Gwen's body and you feel sad. When a movie like this one can control the emotions of the audience and make you feel what they want you to feel at certain points in the film, I feel like that is a successful film.

 

[The Joker]

You would think that the more you watch something the more you see that you didn't like or that you did like and therefore your score would either change or stay the same.

Well that has happened for a lot of people, including myself. It gets worse on repeat viewings. I think if I watched it again it might plummet to 1 lol.

 

[GuestStar2004]

Edit

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Got the BD, will be watching it again this weekend, TASM1 improved a lot for me on repeat viewings, this didnt seeing it twice at the cinema, but lets see I may change my mind on it.

 

[spiderral]

Got the BD, will be watching it again this weekend, TASM1 improved a lot for me on repeat viewings, this didnt seeing it twice at the cinema, but lets see I may change my mind on it.

I believe a solid film will get consistent scores after multiple viewings and across different people watching the film. TASM2 is not a solid film, hence the mixed reception. The film has elements that you cane easily love but it's not helped by the fact that the pacing and plot can be improved to give something a lot more coherent and on par with SM1, SM2 and TASM1.

 

[Naked Shia]

I really liked it, but there is no denying the plot is a mess.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Watched it again tonight, and, it really is a frustrating film. There are moments of sheer brilliance in there, but they are mostly followed by moments of sheer stupidity and some moments, like the parents storyline, just should have been left out completely.

I know its a long wait but I am glad they are taking their time with the 3rd movie, they need it to be more focused.

I believe a solid film will get consistent scores after multiple viewings and across different people watching the film. TASM2 is not a solid film, hence the mixed reception. The film has elements that you cane easily love but it's not helped by the fact that the pacing and plot can be improved to give something a lot more coherent and on par with SM1, SM2 and TASM1.

Yeah thats true, the movie is all over the place. Watched the deleted scenes as well, some of them should have been left in the movie and some scenes from the movie left out.

 

[LizardMan07]

I don't think anyone would argue that this isn't the most disjointed film this year.

The fact that Peter's father coming back to life was cut out means at one point it wasn't, that means some scenes were filmed with the intent of bringing him back.

Once they cut him out, they needed a new way to introduce Gwen's speech to make Peter feel sad and come back. Perhaps that's why the opening scene went longer? Perhaps that contributed to spidey taking too long to save people?

The fact of the matter is the film feels like its been gutted, stuffed, and gutted again.

What we got was still good in my opinion, there's still great moments in there, and there's still poor moments.

Sometimes, a film can be a little jambled if it still is emotionally resonant. I think TASM2 delivered that in SPADES.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

^I couldnt agree more with that assessment. There is a good movie in there somewhere, but Webb needs to stop changing his mind about major stuff halfway through production, that certainly doesnt help and is a reason both of his Spidey movies feel disjointed to varying degrees.

 

[SpideyK]

I still consider ASM2 good (7.6/10), despite all the missteps.

Personally, I'd say there's a great movie in there somewhere. They had the aesthetics down to say the least, and a good cast. The movie had a lot going for it, but something (s) went wrong along the way.

 

[LizardMan07]

I think the best scenes from TASM2 are better than the best scenes from other Spidey movies, but the worst scenes are the worst fom any other spidey movie.

It somehow manages to be SM3 and SM2 all in one hit. I think the balance of the two is what shifts people either way, and its esentially 50/50 with critics, leaning slightly towards to positive side of the spectrum

 

[DyeLorean]

The problem is they-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-franchise. They don't have a clear plan, they're making it up as they go along. The tone of the first film is drastically different from the second one. They filmed scenes that make no sense with the final movie. They changed stuff in the middle of production.
They are so focused on the 'shared universe' and the upcoming films that they forgot to make a compelling one in the first place. That was their biggest mistake, trying to jam all this little pieces that most of them don't have a pay off, they're just there... to be explored in future films. And that's why the film ultimately just doesn't work.

 

[Leenie]

The problem is they-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-franchise. They don't have a clear plan, they're making it up as they go along. The tone of the first film is drastically different from the second one. They filmed scenes that make no sense with the final movie. They changed stuff in the middle of production.
They are so focused on the 'shared universe' and the upcoming films that they forgot to make a compelling one in the first place. That was their biggest mistake, trying to jam all this little pieces that most of them don't have a pay off, they're just there... to be explored in future films. And that's why the film ultimately just doesn't work.

I totally agree 100%

These films suffer from a huge identity crisis. While watching these movies, I swore I could hear Sony executives chattering/bickering in the background about what's "hip" and "popular" in superhero movies these days. It was distracting to say the least.

 

[LizardMan07]

Maybe a good kick (TASM2) will put them in the right direction?

Put it this way, if S6 ends up recieved the way TASM2 was, I can start imagining there being real talks to kill the franchise. Which would be sad

 

[AnneFan]

I still don't see how this movie is such an embarrassing mess (worst movie everrrr territory) with zero value like some loudly claim. But anyway.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

The problem is they-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-franchise. They don't have a clear plan, they're making it up as they go along. The tone of the first film is drastically different from the second one. They filmed scenes that make no sense with the final movie. They changed stuff in the middle of production.
They are so focused on the 'shared universe' and the upcoming films that they forgot to make a compelling one in the first place. That was their biggest mistake, trying to jam all this little pieces that most of them don't have a pay off, they're just there... to be explored in future films. And that's why the film ultimately just doesn't work.

I totally agree 100%

These films suffer from a huge identity crisis. While watching these movies, I swore I could hear Sony executives chattering/bickering in the background about what's "hip" and "popular" in superhero movies these days. It was distracting to say the least.

Agreed. I hate the clashing tones and inconsistency in this franchise.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

The problem is they-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-franchise. They don't have a clear plan, they're making it up as they go along. The tone of the first film is drastically different from the second one. They filmed scenes that make no sense with the final movie. They changed stuff in the middle of production.
They are so focused on the 'shared universe' and the upcoming films that they forgot to make a compelling one in the first place. That was their biggest mistake, trying to jam all this little pieces that most of them don't have a pay off, they're just there... to be explored in future films. And that's why the film ultimately just doesn't work.

Agreed, it has shown in both TASM1 and TASM2 IMO, changing large story beats halfway through production doesnt help, on both movies. They just need to focus on the story they are telling before going into production and then see if new things develop from there. Focus is what the franchise needs, badly.

I still don't see how this movie is such an embarrassing mess (worst movie everrrr territory) with zero value like some loudly claim. But anyway.

Granted I dont spend a lot of time on here, but I dont think anyone has ever called it that. The movie has some truly great moments which are sadly brought down by the bad ones. Its a flawed movie, which actually come to think of it means it will get a hard time from people. There are many much worse CBM's out there though.

 

[LizardMan07]

You'd be suprised mate, it literally gets called the "worst cbm ever" rather regularly

 

[UltimateWebhead]

The problem is they-don't-know-what-to-do-with-this-franchise. They don't have a clear plan, they're making it up as they go along. The tone of the first film is drastically different from the second one. They filmed scenes that make no sense with the final movie. They changed stuff in the middle of production.
They are so focused on the 'shared universe' and the upcoming films that they forgot to make a compelling one in the first place. That was their biggest mistake, trying to jam all this little pieces that most of them don't have a pay off, they're just there... to be explored in future films. And that's why the film ultimately just doesn't work.

I agree. If Sony does want to succeed, they need to get back to the basics of good filmmaking. The drop in money earned and ratings suggests that people are getting bored by the same ol' same ol' from Spidey movies. It doesn't help matters when ASM2 had the weakest plot of any of them and was the most inconsistent in terms of tone. Boring and messy aren't how you instill confidence from your audience. To bring audiences back it may take some time but with some great writing and just a genuinely solid film, they can still right the ship, I believe. I just hope Sony doesn't get caught up in that idea that they need to use 'gimmicks' to get people interested again.

Maybe a good kick (TASM2) will put them in the right direction?

Put it this way, if S6 ends up recieved the way TASM2 was, I can start imagining there being real talks to kill the franchise. Which would be sad

Well, maybe it would be sad. But, you know if you're hiking in the woods and you come across a mortally wounded animal, you put it down--it's the humane thing to do.

I still don't see how this movie is such an embarrassing mess (worst movie everrrr territory) with zero value like some loudly claim. But anyway.

It's not an embarassing mess. Definitely not 'worst movie ever territory.' It's still messy though. My rating has gone down over subsequent viewings. Now a 7/10. The most disappointing thing for me is how great the film could have been based on the things in the movie that are so awesome. But instead they are offset by the things in the film that are just bad. It's just some bad writing.

 

[LizardMan07]

Well, maybe it would be sad. But, you know if you're hiking in the woods and you come across a mortally wounded animal, you put it down--it's the humane thing to do.

In Australia I was taught not to go near it as its either poisonous or been killed by something poisonous

Unless its a wombat, in which case its friends will be seeking revenge