By Abhishek Panikkar
Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) returns as the world’s favourite web slinger Peter Parker in the second installment of Marc Webb’s reboot of Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise. Emma Stone (Crazy Stupid Love., Easy A) reprises her role as Parker’s high school love interest Gwen Stacy. Jamie Foxx (Ray, Django Unchained) is cast as Electro, a nerdy scientist with an unhealthy obsession with our protagonist who turns into an electrically powered super villain after a freak laboratory accident. Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, Lawless) stars as Harry Osborn, Parker’s childhood friend who believes he needs Spider-Man’s blood to cure a fatal hereditary disease after the death of his father which ultimately leads him into turning into The Green Goblin. Paul Giamatti makes a brief appearance as Rhino towards the end but isn’t given enough screen time to be taken seriously.
I had high hopes for the film after checking out the cast and trailers which looked truly amazing. People had told me the action and CGI scenes were incredible and they were absolutely spot on. TASM2 is definitely one of the best looking superhero movies ever made and things are only going to look better in the future. However, great effects, sound and action are not enough to make a good super hero flick due of the sheer volume of comic book based films being released every year. The film drags on at a slow pace with its weak writing and disappointing direction which left me discontented and annoyed leaving the theatre.
The first half an hour of this film is fantastic. We are shown some unbelievable action shots and slow-motion sequences of spider-man swinging across the city, stopping crime and having fun doing it with his typical comic book one-liners. Webb has undoubtedly tried to stay true to the version of our hero that the legendary comic writer Stan Lee had intended. But then the film spirals downward for the next hour and a half apart from a few action scenes here and there. (Particularly when Spiderman meets Electro in Times Square)
Most of the film is based on introducing and developing character relationships and not in a very convincing way either. The film is muddled with so many different things there’s nothing bringing it all together. Parker’s relationship with Gwen Stacy, Aunt May and Harry Osborn take up most of the run-time and seemed unnecessary. Even the dialogue seemed awkward and unconvincing creating a total mess of things.
Garfield does a decent job of playing Peter Parker and he certainly does look the part but isn’t much more than that. I was not very impressed with the first installment but it definitely was a welcome change from Tobey Maguire from Sam Raimi’s Spiderman 3 which was a complete disaster. Emma Stone and Garfield’s chemistry is charming and adds some romance to the story but weak writing and dialogues turn it into a bore fest that takes up too much screen time.
Even Electro, the main villain, has a weak background story. He doesn’t seem like a real advisory and more like a hired henchman towards the end of the film. But credit has to be given to Hans Zimmer for creating a pretty cool dubstep inspired soundtrack when Electro uses his electrifying abilities. The Green Goblin’s transformation isn’t really explained well and is a big disappointment compared to Willem Dafoe’s menacing portrayal in the first Spider-Man movie. Harry turns into the Goblin very late and he seems to be prepped as one of the main villains in the upcoming films. The same has to be said about Rhino who isn’t anything like the comic books and is basically just a guy in an armored suit which looks like a Rhino and appears in literally the last 5 minutes of the movie. It seems like Webb tried to pit our hero against as many villains as possible without taking the time to develop a single one properly. Plot holes are aplenty throughout the film so look out for them!
The first half an hour of this film is fantastic. We are shown some unbelievable action shots and slow-motion sequences of spider-man swinging across the city, stopping crime and having fun doing it with his typical comic book one-liners. Webb has undoubtedly tried to stay true to the version of our hero that the legendary comic writer Stan Lee had intended. But then the film spirals downward for the next hour and a half apart from a few action scenes here and there. (Particularly when Spiderman meets Electro in Times Square)
Most of the film is based on introducing and developing character relationships and not in a very convincing way either. The film is muddled with so many different things there’s nothing bringing it all together. Parker’s relationship with Gwen Stacy, Aunt May and Harry Osborn take up most of the run-time and seemed unnecessary. Even the dialogue seemed awkward and unconvincing creating a total mess of things.
Garfield does a decent job of playing Peter Parker and he certainly does look the part but isn’t much more than that. I was not very impressed with the first installment but it definitely was a welcome change from Tobey Maguire from Sam Raimi’s Spiderman 3 which was a complete disaster. Emma Stone and Garfield’s chemistry is charming and adds some romance to the story but weak writing and dialogues turn it into a bore fest that takes up too much screen time.
Even Electro, the main villain, has a weak background story. He doesn’t seem like a real advisory and more like a hired henchman towards the end of the film. But credit has to be given to Hans Zimmer for creating a pretty cool dubstep inspired soundtrack when Electro uses his electrifying abilities. The Green Goblin’s transformation isn’t really explained well and is a big disappointment compared to Willem Dafoe’s menacing portrayal in the first Spider-Man movie. Harry turns into the Goblin very late and he seems to be prepped as one of the main villains in the upcoming films. The same has to be said about Rhino who isn’t anything like the comic books and is basically just a guy in an armored suit which looks like a Rhino and appears in literally the last 5 minutes of the movie. It seems like Webb tried to pit our hero against as many villains as possible without taking the time to develop a single one properly. Plot holes are aplenty throughout the film so look out for them!
Overall, for a film with as big a budget as TASM2 it is a huge disappointment and is only worth a visit to the theater for the animation, 3D and action sequences. The film seems to have been marketed and created for the sake of setting up sequels and as a result is a very forgettable film. If you are older than 12 and not a big fan of CGI and 3D, my recommendation is to avoid this film completely and wait for a digital copy or TV release.
Our Final Rating: 5/10.