“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” continues the story of Peter Parker. In this installment, Peter learns more about the fate of his father and faces off against two deadly villains. Peter also becomes torn between protecting his girlfriend Gwen and keeping New Yorkers safe. This ultimately causes Peter to make a mistake that ends up nearly costing him his life.
Plot Summary
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” begins with Peter Parker’s father recording a video message explaining why he and his wife have disappeared. Shortly after, a man hijacks the plane and it crashes, killing everyone on board.
In the present day, Spider-Man is struggling to balance his duty to protect New Yorkers from harm and his relationship with Gwen Stacey. After being reminded that he promised Gwen’s father he would not involve her in the part of his life that requires him to fight crime, Spider-Man ends their relationship.
Around the same time, Peter’s childhood friend-Harry Osborn-returns to New York and finds out that his father is dying. He is told that he too will soon be afflicted by the same condition and is given his father’s research to hopefully find a cure. Harry’s father dies soon after, making way for Harry to take over OsCorp, his father’s company.
Meanwhile, since breaking up with Gwen, Spider-Man has spent all of his time fighting crime. He soon saves the life of a man named Max who works for OsCorp. After returning to work, Max accidentally falls into a tank where he is attacked by genetically modified electric eels. This causes him to turn into an electric generator. Max wanders into New York, causing a series of blackouts that keep Spider-Man busy restoring order to the city.
After scouring his father’s research, Harry discovers that infusing Spider-Man’s blood into his body will stop him from dying like his father. Unable to locate Spider-Man, Harry injects venom from the genetically altered spiders that turned Peter Parker into Spider-Man. However, the venom does not have the same effect on him and instead turns him into a goblin-like creature. Angry, the now-deformed Harry tracks down Spider-Man and attempts to destroy him. Spider-Man, who has recently reunited with Gwen, takes on Harry, and the fight results in Gwen’s death.
Cast
In “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” there is a mix of characters from the original installment and a few new villains that liven up the plot. Andrew Garfield again portrays Spider-Man. Garfield creates a character that is conflicted by his duty to protect and the need for avenging his father’s and uncle’s deaths. In this particular installment, the character is also faced with several life-altering revelations that make him question the direction of his life. Garfield excels at making the character introspective and at times tentative, yet capable of making decisions and taking on deadly villains.
Emma Stone also reprises her role as Gwen Stacey. Although the character is given less screen time in this installment, Stone’s performance is solid. Surprisingly, Jamie Foxx-who plays Max-provides one of the best performances in the movie. Foxx takes his character from a lonely worker who idolizes Spider-Man to a lethal force intent on destruction.
The large supporting cast create exciting characters. However, the sheer amount of characters featured in the film complicates the already full plot, and it is at times difficult to keep track of who each supporting character is. This is compounded by the fact that two of the characters transform into completely different creatures.
Film Analysis
The plot of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is full of complex subplots that uncover Peter’s past and hint at what will happen in the future. The most notable plotlines involve Peter learning about the fate of his father and uncovering how OsCorp is responsible for his death. This background information is vital to the story and sets up the foundation for Peter moving past his history and forging ahead with a new life mission.
The multiple storylines keep the action going throughout the majority of the film. From a car chase, to a bomb detonating to a fight atop a large clock tower, there is no shortage of action sequences. However, the action abruptly stops when Peter is forced to re-evaluate his life. This part of the film makes the story lag a bit, especially because this occurs in the final scenes. Additionally, the movie ends with no clear cliffhanger. There is no suspense or unanswered question to tempt audiences to return for the third installment.
However, the excellent special effects make up for any flaws in the plot. Throughout the film, Peter appears to effortlessly fly through the urban canyons of New York City. The special effects also make the characters take on the superhuman look of comic book characters. The landscape of New York is also altered to make it appear more futuristic. Both filming methods enhance the overall feel of the film.
Ultimately, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” strikes a great balance by mainly sticking to the storyline featured in the Marvel comic series the film is based on and making a few changes to make the plot unpredictable. For the most part, the changes make the film more exciting and keep audiences guessing from start to finish.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is a great follow-up to the first installment of the “Amazing Spider-Man” series. Although the plot is at times complicated because there are several storylines and many characters, the film focuses on an important chapter in the main character’s life. In addition, the actors all give excellent performances and there is no shortage of on-screen action. Ultimately, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is enjoyable to watch, especially for fans of the movie and comic series.