The web slinger gets a few things right, but too much congestion kills its potential
This is the 2nd movie out of the recently rebooted Spider-Man movie universe. Ok, that sounded awkward, but it is true since Spidey isn’t involved in the Avengers or X-men’s Marvel movie universe. You can thank Sony for that one. The movie is mainly driven by relationships that include romantic, friendship, and family. Unfortunately, with all the different type of relationship themes displayed in this action-thriller, it felt as if the movie was too “cluttered.”
The movie starts with two notable action sequences, one that serves as a plot line towards the second act, the latter serves as the introduction of a character. Once again, the romantic chemistry between Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) is strong and highlighted even more than the first movie. The two go through an up and down sort of relationship, which stems from the fact that Parker is constantly reminded of the words of Officer Stacy, Gwen’s now deceased father, to avoid seeing his daughter, in order for her to not be in harm’s way.
Another relationship dynamic, or a matter of fanboyism, is from Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx). Max is an electrical engineer who works for the Oscorp Company. He is known as the outcast on his job and in his life. After one heroic feat from Spider-Man, he instantly becomes his number one fan. After one incident, however, and a few unfortunate events later, he soon targets his hero as his enemy.
In addition, there is Harry Osborn (Dane Dehann), who is the childhood friend of Peter through his father, Norman Osborn, and Peter’s father, Richard Parker. He comes back to NYC to visit his ailing father. As soon as Peter sees Harry, he stops by the Osborn residence to re-kindle a relationship with an old friend. However, later on, he finds out that Harry is experiencing the same fate of his father.
Overall, the movie felt cluttered and congested in the plot. Out of the three major villains that were projected to be in the film, only one really got major screen time in terms of displaying their stunning abilities. Unfortunately, with everything going on, you don’t really get to see any major character development. Electro, formerly known (no Andy Mineo pun intended) as Max Dillon, didn’t get much of a back-story or any type of history. The Green Goblin, who is Harry roided up on Venom, only gets a glimpse of the dysfunctional relationship between him and his polarizing father. I think the movie could have been dealt better in the plot, with maybe leaving a few scenes or events for the third movie instead of throwing everything as a kitchen sink into this. Nevertheless, on a higher note, I thought there were some notable shots and scenes that looked good in 3D. I also liked that Spidey was a wisecracking hero, which is what he is in the comics, and once again, the Parker and Gwen Stacy chemistry is strong.
I give this movie a 6.5 out of 10. A popcorn flick that kicks off the exciting summer movie season but is not touching Captain America: Winter Soldier as the best Marvel based film to come out in 2014.
