The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Spoilers ahead!

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has spent years being called one of the worst Spider-Man movies ever made. Overstuffed, messy, studio driven and more interested in setting up future movies than concentrating on the one it was actually telling. And you know what? Some of those criticisms are completely justified. But here comes the controversial part: I absolutely love this movie! I completely understand why it sits low down, if not right at the bottom, of most people’s Spider-Man rankings, but you will not find it anywhere near the bottom of mine. This is far from a perfect movie, and there are decisions that frustrate the hell out of me, but the things it gets right are some of my favourite things we have ever seen from Spider-Man on the big screen. So I know I am walking directly into the firing line with this review, but The Amazing Spider-Man 2 remains one of my favourites.

Andrew Garfield once again absolutely shines as Peter Parker and Spider-Man, even more so than he did in the first movie. You can see how much Garfield loves this character through every aspect of his performance, and this was the movie that truly solidified him as my favourite version of Spider-Man. He is funny, vulnerable, determined and intelligent, but what I love most is the warmth he brings to the character. Whether he is stopping a criminal, reassuring civilians or helping a young boy who is being bullied before fixing his science project and walking him home, Garfield understands that Spider-Man is not defined by the villains he defeats. He is defined by the people he stops to help. There is also so much personality in the way he moves. The confidence, improvisation and constant wisecracking make it feel as though Peter completely transforms whenever the mask goes on. This is a Spider-Man who genuinely loves being Spider-Man, even while Peter Parker struggles under the weight that comes with it.

But the beating heart of these movies remains Peter and Gwen, and Garfield and Emma Stone’s chemistry is arguably the greatest strength this franchise had. Gwen is not simply Peter Parker’s girlfriend or someone waiting around to be rescued. She is intelligent, ambitious, stubborn and just as integral to this story as Peter. What makes their relationship particularly interesting here is that Peter desperately wants to be with her while being haunted by the promise he made to Captain Stacy. He sees Captain Stacy everywhere because that guilt never really leaves him. Peter loves Gwen, but he also knows that loving her means potentially putting her in danger, creating this constant push and pull between them. Even their quieter conversations have an effortless chemistry, with Garfield and Stone making Peter and Gwen feel like two people who genuinely know each other rather than two characters who are together because the script demands it. Most importantly, Gwen refuses to allow Peter to make her decisions for her. She chooses Peter. She chooses to help Spider-Man. She chooses her own future. That independence makes what eventually happens even more painful.

Gwen’s death is still one of the most difficult scenes for me to watch in any Spider-Man movie, but its power goes far beyond the initial shock. The entire sequence plays out with Peter desperately trying to reach her as everything slows down around them, and even when you know exactly what is coming, you find yourself gripping the edge of your seat hoping that somehow he will get there in time. The web reaching towards Gwen almost resembles a hand desperately stretching out to catch her, and for one brief second, Peter actually does. That is what makes it so cruel. Spider-Man does the superhero thing. He fires the web. He catches her. But this time being Spider-Man is not enough. Peter has spent so much of these movies believing he can somehow protect the people he loves, yet Gwen’s death completely destroys that belief. Garfield’s performance afterwards is heartbreaking because there is nothing heroic about the moment. Peter simply collapses beside her. The following montage of him repeatedly visiting Gwen’s grave then shows that this was not just another loss for Spider-Man. It completely broke Peter Parker.

Now let’s get the negatives out of the way because, as much as I love it, this is in no way a perfect movie. Far from it. Electro is probably the clearest example. I actually think choosing Electro as the primary villain was a good decision, and I do not think Jamie Foxx was necessarily a bad choice either. My problem is with the way Max Dillon and Electro were designed and written. Neither particularly resembles what I would want from their comic counterparts, while Max is pushed so far into the awkward, invisible loner stereotype that it becomes difficult to connect with him. Foxx plays the character he was instructed to play, but Max desperately needed more development before his accident. Give us more time with his loneliness and resentment and his transformation becomes tragic rather than simply convenient. Instead, his motivations escalate incredibly quickly, weakening what could have been a genuinely sympathetic villain.

Harry Osborn is slightly different because I actually really like Dane DeHaan in the role. There is something uncomfortable and increasingly desperate about his performance that works, particularly as Harry realises that he is running out of time. I absolutely think Harry belonged in this movie because his friendship with Peter and connection to Oscorp feed naturally into the wider story. What we did not need was Green Goblin. Harry’s illness, his desperation for Spider-Man’s blood and his growing resentment towards Peter were already enough to begin pushing him down a darker path. Let that breathe. Develop his friendship with Peter and allow their relationship to deteriorate across another movie before completing his transformation. Instead, Harry becomes the Goblin because the film needs him to become the Goblin before the credits roll. Whether this was supposed to be Green Goblin, Hobgoblin or something in between, I never felt we needed it here, particularly when Electro was already more than capable of carrying the main villain role.

That leads into the film’s biggest problem. Sony was clearly rushing towards the Sinister Six, and in doing so they ended up hurting their own franchise. You can almost feel future movies being assembled while you are watching this one. Doctor Octopus and Vulture equipment, Harry, Rhino, Oscorp experiments and numerous other teases are constantly pointing towards what comes next. Even Peter’s parents continue to occupy a huge part of the story. I actually like the opening plane sequence with Richard and Mary Parker because it immediately gives the movie energy and finally shows us what happened to them, but I am less convinced that the mystery needed as much attention afterwards. The abandoned subway station and Richard Parker revelation answer questions left by the first film, but Peter himself is far more interesting than the conspiracy surrounding his bloodline. Strip back some of the parents storyline, remove Harry’s Goblin transformation and reduce the Sinister Six setup, and I honestly think you have a significantly tighter movie.

I also will not hear anything about Rhino being pointless! He is essentially a glorified cameo setting up a larger role in the future, and I am completely fine with that. The final confrontation is not really about Rhino anyway. It is about Peter finally choosing to become Spider-Man again.

One relationship that perhaps does not receive enough credit is Peter and Aunt May. Sally Field brings so much humanity to May, and her argument with Peter about his parents is one of the most grounded scenes in the entire film. Peter is so consumed by finding answers about Richard and Mary that he temporarily overlooks the person who actually raised him. May reminding Peter that she was the one who was there for him reinforces something incredibly important about this version of the story. Family is not simply about blood. She may not have the answers Peter desperately wants, but she is his parent in every way that actually matters. Field and Garfield are excellent together because there is genuine frustration underneath their love for one another. With superheroes, secret laboratories and electrical villains surrounding them, their relationship gives the movie something real to hold onto.

But besides those issues, almost everything else is top tier in my opinion. Starting with that suit. Hands down, this is my favourite Spider-Man suit we have ever seen in live action. It feels like Marc Webb and the filmmakers listened to the criticism surrounding the suit from the first movie and made improvements everywhere. The larger white eyes, brighter colours and more traditional design are absolutely gorgeous, and the entire movie follows the same philosophy. Everything feels brighter, more colourful and more vibrant.

Then there is the web swinging, which for me remains some of the best we have ever seen from Spider-Man. That opening shot of Spidey falling through the air before firing his web and launching himself through New York is phenomenal. There is speed, weight and momentum behind his movement, while the flips and adjustments Garfield’s Spider-Man makes in midair give the swinging an almost effortless quality.

There are so many cool shots throughout the movie too, particularly when Spider-Man is pursuing Electro before their showdown at the power grid. The city lights, electricity and Spider-Man swinging through the darkness create some gorgeous imagery. But Times Square might still be the standout. Spider-Man saving people on the red steps while fighting Electro is just badass. Multiple civilians are in danger, electricity is flying everywhere, one of Peter’s web shooters is busted, and he has seconds to work out how to save everyone. The slow motion allows us to actually watch Peter calculate what needs to happen before executing it perfectly, all while doing a backflip because apparently simply saving everybody was not cool enough. It shows his intelligence, reflexes, awareness and athleticism simultaneously. For me, it is peak Spider-Man.

I also much prefer the theme and score in this movie compared with the first. Hans Zimmer gives The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a completely different musical identity, particularly whenever Electro is involved. The electronic and techno elements fit both the character and the brighter, more exaggerated tone of the movie, and during the final battle at the power grid the score creates a brilliant sense of movement. Is it Danny Elfman and Raimi good? No, that combination remains incredibly difficult to beat. But I appreciate that Zimmer went in his own direction rather than trying to imitate what had worked previously. When you combine that music with the web swinging, vibrant cinematography and Garfield’s physical performance, there are stretches of this film that feel like a Spider-Man comic book exploding onto the screen.

Then we arrive at the ending, which brings everything back to what Spider-Man actually represents. After Gwen dies, Peter disappears because the person underneath the mask has completely fallen apart. He stops being Spider-Man because, for once, he cannot simply swing away from what happened. Hearing Gwen’s graduation speech eventually gives him the strength to move forward, and when that young boy stands in front of Rhino wearing his Spider-Man costume, Peter’s return means far more than another superhero entrance. Spider-Man has inspired this kid to stand up when everyone else is running away. Then Peter swings back into action, cracks a joke and the film cuts to black.

And that is why it is absolutely criminal that we never got another movie! I remember finding out Garfield would not be returning and that this franchise had effectively been cancelled, and I was genuinely gutted. We were supposed to see Peter deal with Gwen’s death. We were supposed to discover where Oscorp, Harry and everything else was heading. Most importantly, I simply wanted more of Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man.

At least we eventually got Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Garfield catching MJ gave us a small piece of the closure this version of Peter desperately deserved. You can see everything about Gwen’s death return to him in that moment without Garfield needing to explain any of it. But it also reminded me how much I still wish this franchise had been allowed to continue. Maybe nostalgia plays a part in how I feel about The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and I am completely willing to admit that. But every time I revisit it, I remember exactly why Andrew Garfield became my Spider-Man. Not because his movies were perfect. They were not. Not because every villain worked or every storyline landed. They did not. It is because underneath the studio interference, abandoned plans and unnecessary universe building was a version of Peter Parker I genuinely cared about. A Spider-Man who was funny, compassionate, intelligent, vulnerable and completely human when the mask came off. So while The Amazing Spider-Man 2 might sit at the bottom of everybody else’s list, it will never sit at the bottom of mine. It is flawed, frustrating and occasionally trying to do far too much, but when it gets Spider-Man right, it gets him really right. I loved this version in 2014, I was devastated when his story was cut short, and even now I would give anything to finally see The Amazing Spider-Man 3.