Is it any wonder that Sony has scrapped the Spiderman series after this disappointing sequel to the very good 2012 kickoff of the Andrew Garfield series?
THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 finds Peter Parker (Garfield quite good again as our web slinger) comfortable in his role as part time student/part time hero.
Soon though, Oscorp rears its more sinister side and Peter finds himself battling not only his old friend Harry Osborn/Green Goblin, but the powerful super villain Electro.
And that's when the film falls apart.
Jamie Foxx can OWN the screen in great and lesser films (Django Unchained, White House Down, respectively). But he has a hopeless role here, reminding me WAY too much of Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze in the "Batman and Robin" debacle than forming any real threat to our hero.
Dane DeHaan was quite good in "Chronicle" but feels all wrong for what's required to struggle with the duality of Harry & The Green Goblin.
Emma Stone is still fine as Gwen Stacy and her chemistry is strong with real-life flame Garfield, but the biggest danger to her are the screen writers, who seem to think characters are disposable and character development is secondary.
There are several very well staged action scenes, but a lot of them feel very familiar. How many times can Sony reboot this franchise and tell the same damn story again and again.
Apparently plenty, since they just announced a NEW reboot with a new cast for next year.
After this familiar, fair but creatively exhausted sequel, I am officially not aboard for any more Spiderman.
Let's take Spiderman and the Fantastic Four and put them on the shelf for thirty years or so.
Enough is enough.
The ending is a downer and an unpleasant surprise. It feels gratuitous and like a desperate bid for some emotional connection to an overcrowded yet under-written plot.
Garfield and Stone deserve better.
Less than amazing, its gets a C-.
Get the Raid, I've had enough of Spiderman.
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