The Amazing Spider Man 2 is another in a long line of decent, recent super hero movies. Yet there is a strange feeling here. Is this a stand alone movie or a set up for a sequel?
I keep writing the same thing about all of the super hero films; hollywood has the formula down via pacing, solid acting and decent (if not spectacular) writing. Likewise as the "franchises" progress there is less need for the often pace-killing that goes alongside back story. The Amazing Spider Man 2 does all of this.
But the second Spider Man movie deviates from the norm here and there--and it isn't always for the best. Whenever movies like this start delving into the emotional issues of the characters--their relationships and their guilt and angst--they fall down. They may get back UP but there is at least some time spent on the proverbial canvas. When this emotional exploration happens in Spider Man movies? I cannot say "it doesn't work" but I can say that it doesn't work well.
It is curious because this is where the Sam Raimi Spider Man movies fair (and in the second two of that trilogy they fail far, far more spectacularly). It is ALSO where the comics drag. Paradoxically this is also what makes Spider Man different? His angst isn't that of Bruce Wayne, it is more complicated and nuanced. Maybe this is why it is harder to depict in comic or film? Maybe.
So I equivocate. This complaint is also, in some odd way, what is charming about the movies.
I keep writing the same thing about all of the super hero films; hollywood has the formula down via pacing, solid acting and decent (if not spectacular) writing. Likewise as the "franchises" progress there is less need for the often pace-killing that goes alongside back story. The Amazing Spider Man 2 does all of this.
But the second Spider Man movie deviates from the norm here and there--and it isn't always for the best. Whenever movies like this start delving into the emotional issues of the characters--their relationships and their guilt and angst--they fall down. They may get back UP but there is at least some time spent on the proverbial canvas. When this emotional exploration happens in Spider Man movies? I cannot say "it doesn't work" but I can say that it doesn't work well.
It is curious because this is where the Sam Raimi Spider Man movies fair (and in the second two of that trilogy they fail far, far more spectacularly). It is ALSO where the comics drag. Paradoxically this is also what makes Spider Man different? His angst isn't that of Bruce Wayne, it is more complicated and nuanced. Maybe this is why it is harder to depict in comic or film? Maybe.
So I equivocate. This complaint is also, in some odd way, what is charming about the movies.
This movie has solid acting but no one is really given a chance to stand out (with one possible exception). Andrew Garfield is an everyman superhero with wise cracks and pathos mixed together. Emma Stone is her usual reliable self. Jamie Foxx plays both the nerd and the arch villain with skill (even if his character isn't given any real depth). You sort of wish there was more screen time for Paul Giamatti because he only scratches the surface in a handful of scenery chewing scenes.
Dane DeHaan (also good in the surprising Chronicle) shows something in the film; he transcends the material delivering more than just a professional performance. He has a charisma.
Another reason this falls short of some other super hero movies are the city fight scenes. Whenever you see a super hero movie you have to suspend all logic; gods and monsters come alive, men can leap over buildings. The one thing you do need is for regular people to act like regular people. In Amazing Spider Man 2 regular people stand behind barriers and cheer as hero and villain destroy city-blocks. You cannot help but think; why aren't they RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES. The fact it happens doesn't matter so much as you are given time to stop and realize it is happening.
Essentially the movie is an entertaining one but it doesn't stand out in the ever expanding pool of super hero movies. There is also a sense that this film is a building to a greater crescendo to come later--Amazing Spider Man 3.
Dane DeHaan (also good in the surprising Chronicle) shows something in the film; he transcends the material delivering more than just a professional performance. He has a charisma.
Another reason this falls short of some other super hero movies are the city fight scenes. Whenever you see a super hero movie you have to suspend all logic; gods and monsters come alive, men can leap over buildings. The one thing you do need is for regular people to act like regular people. In Amazing Spider Man 2 regular people stand behind barriers and cheer as hero and villain destroy city-blocks. You cannot help but think; why aren't they RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES. The fact it happens doesn't matter so much as you are given time to stop and realize it is happening.
Essentially the movie is an entertaining one but it doesn't stand out in the ever expanding pool of super hero movies. There is also a sense that this film is a building to a greater crescendo to come later--Amazing Spider Man 3.
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