When we last saw Spider-Man, he had just defeated the evil Lizard. However, his girlfriend's police officer father had heroically died in the process. He realized how his heroic deeds, while good, could potentially be harmful to those close to him. With that thought in mind, he promises Captain Stacy that he will "leave [Gwen Stacy, his girlfriend] out of it." That didn't last too long...
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (sequel to 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man) was the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2014. Although it did well money-wise, critics gave it mixed reviews. Basically, it was not the best-loved Marvel super hero film. It stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, and Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon/Electro.
SUMMARY
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens with a continuation of the mystery of Peter Parker's missing parents. Dr. Richard and Mary Parker leave their only child, Peter, with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. They then board a plane for Switzerland, carrying something about a mysterious "Project Roosevelt," and Dr. Parker begins uploading information on a computer. But he and his wife are attacked by an assassin. After dealing with the killer, Dr. Parker uploads the valuable information but only moments before the airplane crashes into the ocean.
Back in New York City, years go by, and Peter Parker has become the "amazing" Spider-Man. He helps the police catch a criminal who had stolen a van containing dangerous chemicals (a little trivia: this criminal becomes the villain "Rhino" in the Spider-Man comics). During this encounter, he rescues a clumsy Oscorp employee named Max Dillon. The man becomes a huge fan of the masked hero.
Later, Peter Parker talks to Gwen Stacy, though it seems he feels guilty, as he made a promise to her father to keep her safe (doing so by staying away from her). The two have their high school graduation. Afterwards, he meets with her and explains that he needs to keep the promise he made to Capt. Stacy. As you can imagine, she is not happy.
Meanwhile, a childhood friend of Peter's comes home, after being away at school. His name is Harry Osborn, the son of Oscorp's CEO, Norman. Harry and Peter are able to meet with each other, since they haven't seen one another in many years.
Later, Harry's father gives him an electronic device that contains his entire life’s work. His father dies the next day (of a terrible disease), leaving his son as the new CEO.
At the Oscorp building, Max Dillon is working on maintenance. However, some workers left a tank full of electric eels wide open. Max falls inside, but instead of being killed, his genetics are changed by the electricity. Cue the villain!
Max Dillon, now electrically-charged, goes to Times Square. The police seem bent on harming him, viewing him as a threat, but Spider-Man shows up. He tries to calm down Max, but the police have snipers who try to take out Max. The electrified man gets angry and begins causing chaos. Spider-Man is able to calm him down, but he is taken away.
However, there is not one but two villains in this film. Harry Osborne researches his father's work and, with the help of technology, turns himself into a powerful new foe.
Things get harder for Spider-Man when Harry (now the Green Goblin) teams up with Max (now Electro). Things get even harder when the two kidnap Gwen Stacy!
CONTENT
Throughout the entire film, guns are fired and people are punched, kicked, knocked out, and harmed in all sorts of ways. Buildings are blown to bits, crumbled to ruins, and smashed. Max falls into the water container of electric eels, and his body is burned. His skin crumbles away, revealing a translucent body beneath. This "Electro" could frighten kids. Electro also uses his electricity to harm many people. At the beginning of the film, when Peter's parents are attacked in the airplane, a woman is punched and then shot. A man is strangled with a seat belt, the airplane crashes, and the pilot is shot. Spider-Man is repeatedly beat-up by the villains, though he manages to make it through the film alive. After Electro is taken away by scientists, he is strapped into a machine and tortured. Norman Osborne has a disease that leaves him looking like a Halloween monster. Towards the end of the film, a woman falls from a high ledge, and, while Spider-Man attempts to rescue her, she hits pavement. We hear a crack and see a little blood.
There are a few kisses between Peter and Gwen. Spider-Man humiliates a criminal by using his webs to pull down his pants, leaving him like that for the cops. In one or two scenes, Gwen wears a short skirt. There are several times Peter is seen shirtless. In one scene, attempting not to let his Aunt May see him in his Spidey costume, Peter tells her he is naked (obviously, we do not see him naked, since he's not).
God's name is used a few times in the film. D*** and h*** are uses a couple times each, and there is one use of p***.
There is some alcohol use in the film. Harry mentions that he was sent scotch for his birthday, and we see him drinking alcohol. He seems to be drunk.
There are some good things to take away from the film. Peter's intentions to keep his vow to Capt. Stacy are honorable. And it seems like he is going to do so, but he does eventually get back together with Gwen. Still, his original intentions of keeping a promise are great (but his breaking of the vow is not so great).
Although Peter is a flawed hero, his battle of good versus evil is a wonderful cause. Wickedness will always be in this world, because of sin, and we need to fight it. Jesus Christ gives believers the ability to stand against temptations, just as Spider-Man stands strong against the attacks of Electro and Goblin.
As a film, The Amazing Spider-Man was, I think, no better than OK. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the previous movie. The storyline was mediocre, except for the slow, awkward scenes between Peter and Gwen. I have to admit, there was some good acting, and the special effects were amazing. But because of the violence, language, and some sensual parts (not to mention the flat story), I would only recommend this if you are a Spider-Man fan, wanting to see how the story will continue. As a Marvel fan, I did not feel that this was their best movie, but there are a few parts of it that were enjoyable.
(As a side note, Andrew Garfield was recently fired by SONY Pictures, and it was announced that the Spider-Man film series would once again be rebooting, this time with a new actor. So the entire story set up in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel will not be finished in the now-cancelled third or fourth films.)
CONTENT
Length: 142 minutes
Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi action/violence)
Director: Marc Webb
Producers: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinker
Music: Hans Zimmer, The Magnificent Six
Year of release: 2014
General audience: Teens, adults
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