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Brianna Guillory
A&E/Web Editor

Finally, a Spider-Man film done right. It only took five movies with a reboot in between to get there.

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is an amazing film with an amazing director and amazing cast. Sony pictures has proven that they are still in the running for great Marvel movies.

Director Marc Webb has captured the essence of “Spider-Man” perfectly with the story focusing on the man behind the mask, Peter Parker. The film shows both the humorous and dramatic moments in Parker’s life. Although some may argue that having three different screenwriters would make for a confusing storyline, Webb did a good job bringing all of the plot points together and weaving a cohesive narrative.

Taking elements from both the “Amazing Spider-Man” and “Ultimate Spider-Man” comic book series, writers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner created a nice, unique hybrid that brought the two comic universes together into one motion picture. Although a plot point or two from the first “The Amazing Spider-Man” was not addressed, the writers were able to, for the most part, keep it plot-hole-free.

Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker is golden and the same can be said for Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. These two actors have great chemistry and bring their characters to life, staying true to the source material. Garfield and Stone on-screen, together or separately, show a great dynamic range in acting as well as great individual character development. The heart of this movie is definitely in the Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy story arc.

Another great performance to note is Sally Field as Aunt May. Field portrays a much different Aunt May from the character’s previous incarnations. And it works. She is charming and strong but still shows her vulnerable side during the emotionally touching scenes in the film. Field’s Aunt May portrayal shows that if you throw in an Oscar winning actor, you’re going to get an Oscar winning performance.

Remembering that the highlight of the movie is indeed the love story, the two main villains of the film, while not throw-away to say in the least, did leave something to be desired.

Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon/Electro definitely did pull of the estranged, geeky vibe that the character was meant to emit. However, his motivation for his villainous actions felt all but forced.

Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn/Green Goblin was an interesting and unique take on the character. But unfortunately, it is not my cup of tea. A lot of it had to do with his unprecedented emo appearance and the spoiled, naive, selfish, ignorant rich boy persona that he gives off. His storyline was also kind of poorly written in and was only saved by the smoothness of Webb’s directing. Although DeHaan’s character expresses passionate emotions in the film, they do not translate well because of his lack of backstory. Sorry, but bring James Franco back for this one.

Overall the film is a great adrenaline rush, especially if you are a fan of the comic book series. The action is fluid and the scenes are filled with colorful costume designs and imagery, something that modern day superhero films seem to lack. It also tugs at your heartstrings just enough to make you emotionally invested in the story and characters.

This rebooted series gives the adult-like feel that the Sam Raimi trilogy sadly lacks. In my book, this is one of the strongest comic book movies of all time.

 

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