Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
[Grade: B-] So sarcastic he's a regular strangulation risk, Garfield nails the disaffected teen notes Peter Parker's supposed to play.
City Paper grade: B-
After 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, even crabby too soon-ers were forced to admit that Andrew Garfield filled out the web-slinging silhouette better than Tobey Maguire ever did. All hands, feet and limbs, and so sarcastic he’s a regular strangulation risk, Garfield nails the disaffected teen notes Peter Parker’s supposed to play, his mastery of the tone best realized in his interactions with just-as-quick girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Unfortunately, Marc Webb’s second Spidey vehicle uses this strength as a crutch, overextending the young-love storyline to the detriment of everything else. Fresh out of high school, Peter and Gwen struggle through their complicated courtship, compromised by Peter’s desire to keep a buffer between his best girl and his many enemies. But no amount of insulation can slow the advances of Electro (Jamie Foxx), a villain armed with energy-harnessing abilities and serious abandonment issues. Teaming up with Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), young head of the corporation responsible for turning Peter super, Electro spreads destructive havoc all over the city — all while Spidey makes bedroom kissy-face collages and agonizes about Gwen’s potential move to London. With all the discourse handled by the lovebirds, there’s very little meat left for anyone else. Webb’s action sequences are rich and energetic, but it’s a challenge to care about anyone in the arena.
