There's a scene early in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 where Jamie Foxx's beleaguered OSCORP electrical engineer Max Dillon pretty much sums up the problem with director Marc Webb's latest installation in the quick and arguably unnecessary franchise reboot. It's Max's birthday and everyone has either forgotten or had no idea in the first place. As he's struggling to make his way into the company's building - the entrance's revolving doors are clogged up with other employees - he complains about people not moving faster and bemoans, "Ugh, we got a log jam here." Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Max, he's part of the problem. Although The Amazing Spider-Man 2 contains some truly compelling emotional work and a few standout scenes, it is sadly the victim of trying to squeeze too many villains, too many origin stories and too many plotlines into one film - a film that itself is part of a franchise that is floundering in its attempt to prove its worth outside of Sam Raimi's already existent trilogy. It's all too much too fast.
When this story picks back up from the first film, we're again following Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) as we swings through the city doing various Spider-Man things. It's his graduation day, but instead of hearing his girlfriend (Gwen Stacy, Emma Stone) give her valedictorian speech he's instead chasing a crazy Russian mobster (Paul Giamatti) who has stolen a bunch of some kind of destructive nuclear substance (as opposed to the completely harmless nuclear substances). During this ill-time detour, he ends up bumping into and saving the aforementioned borderline psychotic Max. Soon enough, Max becomes Spider-Man's obsessive number one fan and shortly after that he falls into a tank of eels being experimented on by OSCORP for their bioelectric power. Like most of the villains in Jerry Bruckheimer's Batman films, who all seemingly have a prior connection to their eventual alter egos, Max then becomes Electro! He then makes his way into the city, and is incensed by the fact that Spider-Man doesn't recognize him even though now he's blue, glowing and can absorb the entirety of the city's power. And when the cameras eventually turn from him to his arachnid nemesis, he decides to kill everyone in the world!... You know, because... JUST BECAUSE, OKAY?!
But a raging, tattooed Giamatti and synth-voiced Jamie Foxx aren't the only one's Spidey has to combat! No, there's also Sulky McAngstyPants otherwise known as Dane DeHaan's iteration of OSCORP heir, Harry Osbourne. He has a hipster haircut and wears fancy vests and expensive sunglasses. He's also apparently dying of same unknown degenerative disease that turned his father (Chris Cooper) green and then killed him. The only thing that will save him - he believes - is Spider-Man's spider blood. When Spider-Man tells him that he can't give Harry his blood right now because he doesn't yet know what it'll do to him, Harry completely flies off the handle and vows to destroy the superhero. (The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was written by Kurtzman & Orci, scribes of such gems as Cowboys and Aliens and Star Trek into Darkness and this is the second film of theirs in a row to feature this kind of transfusion nonsense.)
The love story between Peter and Gwen is still the best thing about this franchise. The two struggle with with their relationship, walk and talk and flirt across the New York City streets and are a big pile of adorable together. When they break up, you can feel the pain in their hearts, when they can't stay apart you don't need to be told why and when Gwen is put in extreme danger, Garfield sells Peter's panic beautifully. Having a real life couple portray a couple on screen can cause major problems (just ask Bennifer), but Stone and Garfield show how much actual romantic chemistry can strengthen a film's verisimilitude.
Honestly, when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 sticks (no pun intended) to being about Spider-Man, it's a pretty solid picture. Apart from his relationship with Gwen Stacy, how he interacts with civilians of all ages and creeds is fantastic. There is a particular scene in the film where Spider-Man saves the lives of a bunch of people that is one of the best superhero movie scenes in quite some time. The scenes of Peter's home life and relationship with Aunt May (the always brilliant Sally Field) as they both continue to grieve over the loss of Uncle Ben are also surprisingly emotional.
But unfortunately, none of these emotionally resonant moments last for too long. There's no time for it! We've got stuff to blow up! Shit to destroy! Seemingly every emotional moment is undercut by an action scene that doesn't land at all. From the beginning fight scene on an airplane that makes it seem like the cameraman wants to brawl too, to an early chase scene that looks particularly video gamey, especially when the special effects shots cut immediately to actual images of a physically real person in a suit, it's paradoxically too much and not enough at the same time.
That paradox is really the major issue with story too. Firstly, the whole quest involving Peter's father (Campbell Scott) is uninteresting and serves no real meaningful purpose. Secondly, the script spends way too much time on our villains' backstories even though they really do nothing that couldn't be shown through their actions or one or two lines of simple, expository dialogue. And thirdly, NO ONE'S MOTIVATION MAKES ANY DAMN SENSE! Max Dillon doesn't get enough attention from people and feels a little taken advantage of by his superiors so he wants to destroy the entire world? Spider-Man doesn't recognize him immediately even though he looks nothing like he once did and Spider-Man has to die? I get that maybe his new found electrical powers might have screwed his mind up, but that's never mentioned! We only get long monologues about how no one sees him and how frustrating that is. And Harry? Harry is told that he is suffering from the disease that killed his father and will eventually kill him. Except it's clearly shown that Norman Osbourne developed the same symptoms at Harry's age and lived into his 60s. But Harry has to have the cure right this second! Spider-Man wants to wait until he can make sure his blood is safe before giving it to Harry? Screw that, Spider-Man, I'm going to die in like 40 years!
What it comes down to, is that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn't a complete story. It's a setup, as inelegant a setup as it is, for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and The Sinister Six. The problem I have with that, though, is that while I can recognize this fact, I can only really evaluate it on its own merits as a standalone film. And, unfortunately, there just aren't that many. Too many characters and poorly written backstories crammed in with ridiculous motivations turn what could have been an emotionally powerful look into Spider-Man's life, relationships and responsibilities (or even an interesting look into how the media can create superheroes as well as supervillains) into something that is ridiculous even by summer blockbuster standards. There are a few gems tucked away throughout, but they are quickly overtaken by another confusing or tedious moment of action or dull origin story.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a log jam of poorly thought out ideas. I just hope The Amazing Spider-Man 3 and The Sinister Six make up for it. Otherwise, we may be stuck in these revolving doors for a long, long time.
6 out of 10
