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Saturday, April 27, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
EDITOR'S PICK
`The
Amazing Spider-Man 2` - nothing amazing about it (IANS Movie Review)
Rating: **1/2
Over the years, the iconic Spider-Man has enthralled millions and with each new
edition, be it comics, television series or films, our expectations soar for a
fantastic action-packed drama.
Unfortunately, the much-awaited, Marc Webb`s "The Amazing Spider-Man
2" is a damp squib. Cluttered with numerous sub-plots that lead to textual
inconsistency, it offers a bland, insipid and a tangled fare packed with
adolescent angst and predictable action.
This film takes off from its prequel, "The Amazing Spider-Man". It
begins with a flash back in a sepia-toned sequence beginning at the OsCorp
Industries. The sequence explains the mysterious disappearance and death of the
scientist Richard Parker (Cambell Scott) and his wife Mary (Embeth Davidtz).
After establishing this, the film then shifts gear full throttle to a
present-day action-packed sequence, where their son, Peter Parker (Andrew
Garfield) continues to fight crime as Spider-Man.
Interspersed with; dynamically energetic shots of the web-slinger swinging
between skyscrapers and chasing a rogue truck driver with silly tongue-in-cheek
wisecracks and more than a few visual gags, the sequence is everything you could
want from a Spider-Man movie. If Webb`s entire sequel had operated on that
level, it would have been remarkable and a different story to tell.
But instead, in this version, Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is in a
soup over the affairs of his heart. He is distraught with pangs about; his
relationships with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), his best childhood
buddy Harry Osbon (Dane DeHaan), his fan Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) who later
transforms in to the villain Electro. He also pines to find the truth about his
biological parents.
And in between all this emotional mesh, he gives us a dose of his
"Spider-Man" antics.
The lean Andrew Garfield nails Parker`s inherent awkward-yet-earnest goofiness.
He is mischievously charming while romancing his real-life girlfriend Emma Stone
on screen and at the same time he touches your heart in the powerful scene with
Sally Field who plays his Aunt May.
The modestly radiant Emma Stone enthuses subtleness into her character, Gwen
Stacy. She brightens the stage when she is with her beau. Similarly, Dane DeHaan
stimulates the screen as the young damaged and arrogant billionaire who is
defenseless and yet spiteful.
Jamie Foxx, in his one-dimensional avatar is impressionable. But unfortunately
his imprint along with all the other the characters in the film have a fluid
charm because in the larger scenario, the characters are pretty superficial and
are treated just as comic book characters, without depth.
Here, the fault lies not with the actors but with the script delivered by Alex
Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinker. The orphaned sub-plots loosely tie up
the story in totality. Unfortunately, no justice is done to extract the optimum
out of each of these story lines as well as the characters involved.
The background score and music by Hans Zimmer is lively and invigorating and
different from his previous works. The numbers, "I`d love you more than you
are gone" along with "It`s On Again" are worth a mention.
Visually, with fine production values, it is a treat to watch cinematographer
Daniel Mindel`s work shot on 35 mm film in the anamorphic format. These frames
seamlessly merge with the computer generated images and are layered well by Paul
Massey and David Giammarco.
The 3D is pretty ineffective in nearly ninety percent of the film. It`s only in
a couple of shots when the shrapnel flies in the air that one flinches.
Otherwise Spider-Man`s plunges et al work equally well in the 2D version.
Overall, there is nothing amazing in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2`.
We`ve always known that Spider-Man`s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead.
It’s great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.
