by Brian LeTendre
I am a huge fan of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies. Huge. Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero, and I cried tears of joy when I saw the original Spider-Man in 2002. I was not on board with the reboot of the franchise, and when I did see Amazing Spider-Man, I thought it lacked the heart and soul that the Raimi trilogy had for me. I resigned myself to the fact that this new direction was not for me, and I was content to have the original trilogy.
But as a Spidey fan, I am always going to see a new Spider-Man movie. After hearing the lukewarm reviews for Amazing Spider-Man 2, I went into it with no expectations whatsoever, other than wanting it to be an entertaining movie.
Which is why I was really surprised at how much I loved Amazing Spider-Man 2. More specifically, I was surprised at how much I loved Andrew Garfield as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Garfield, Emma Stone and director Marc Webb took a mediocre story and made it something better.
I am a huge fan of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies. Huge. Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero, and I cried tears of joy when I saw the original Spider-Man in 2002. I was not on board with the reboot of the franchise, and when I did see Amazing Spider-Man, I thought it lacked the heart and soul that the Raimi trilogy had for me. I resigned myself to the fact that this new direction was not for me, and I was content to have the original trilogy.
But as a Spidey fan, I am always going to see a new Spider-Man movie. After hearing the lukewarm reviews for Amazing Spider-Man 2, I went into it with no expectations whatsoever, other than wanting it to be an entertaining movie.
Which is why I was really surprised at how much I loved Amazing Spider-Man 2. More specifically, I was surprised at how much I loved Andrew Garfield as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Garfield, Emma Stone and director Marc Webb took a mediocre story and made it something better.
There are moments in this film that are better than anything in the previous movies, and director Marc Webb does something in Amazing Spider-Man 2 that not only hadn’t really been done in the Spidey movies, but hadn’t really been done in superhero movies as far as I can remember.
See, in most superhero movies, there is a scene where the hero interacts with an everyman--sometimes a child, sometimes an adult, but an “average Joe.” What makes Amazing Spider-Man 2 special is that Spider-Man’s connection to the people he protects is woven throughout the film. There are several scenes with Spidey interacting with kids, cops, firefighters, and more. He truly is a hero of the people, and the genuine interactions he has with them are the highlights of the film for me.
You can tell that Andrew Garfield loves playing Peter Parker and Spider-Man. And the chemistry between him and Emma Stone is fantastic. But I really think it’s director Marc Webb’s decisions to include the smaller moments in this movie that holds it all together. It’s those moments that I love about Peter Parker.
So, I’m happy to say I loved Amazing Spider-Man 2, and I’m now really looking forward to the third one. I may even go back to the first movie and give it a second chance.
4 out of 5 It's the Little Things
See, in most superhero movies, there is a scene where the hero interacts with an everyman--sometimes a child, sometimes an adult, but an “average Joe.” What makes Amazing Spider-Man 2 special is that Spider-Man’s connection to the people he protects is woven throughout the film. There are several scenes with Spidey interacting with kids, cops, firefighters, and more. He truly is a hero of the people, and the genuine interactions he has with them are the highlights of the film for me.
You can tell that Andrew Garfield loves playing Peter Parker and Spider-Man. And the chemistry between him and Emma Stone is fantastic. But I really think it’s director Marc Webb’s decisions to include the smaller moments in this movie that holds it all together. It’s those moments that I love about Peter Parker.
So, I’m happy to say I loved Amazing Spider-Man 2, and I’m now really looking forward to the third one. I may even go back to the first movie and give it a second chance.
4 out of 5 It's the Little Things
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