New Spider-Man Swings and Sometimes Misses

The newest addition to the superhero movie obsession, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” swung into American theaters with early screenings Thursday night and the results were relatively entertaining.

Director Marc Webb returns to the series after his successful reboot in 2012. Webb, known for directing the romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer,” shows once again that he knows how to portray a young relationship with style. This, however, is a Spider-Man movie, and you can’t have a Spider-Man movie without super villains and elaborate fight sequences. Unfortunately, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” often falls short in this area.

The film picks up shortly after the end of its predecessor at Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacey’s (Emma Stone) high school graduation. Webb smartly focuses in on the love story between the two leads as they look toward the future. Gwen, the overachieving high school intern at Oscorp, has plans to go overseas to study. Peter, the awkward underachiever, is haunted by the last words of Gwen’s father, urging him to stay away from her.

Just like in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy that lasted from 2002 to 2007, the possibility of Peter’s life of Spider-Man hurting those he loves jumps to the center of the protagonist’s conflicted mind. Fortunately for this movie, Garfield and Stone (a real life couple) have an on screen chemistry that is entirely convincing, unlike that of the previous trilogy’s romantic leads.

Webb uses this chemistry to his advantage, providing a real connection to the characters that winds up paying off in a big way. This was a storyline that was both entertaining, and meaningful, but once the villain, Electro, is introduced, the film feels like a sloppy mix up of two different movies with the same characters.

If I’ve learned anything from watching the approximately 500,000,000 superhero movies that have come out in the last decade or so, it’s that the villains can make or break the film. Heath Ledger’s Joker in “The Dark Knight,” Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock in the original “Spider-Man 2,” Ian McKellan’s Magneto in the X-Men films, and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in “The Avengers” all established themselves well within their respective films. They were sympathetic, terrifying, and real in the worlds of these superhero movies. Electro, played by Jamie Foxx, doesn’t ever really rise above the level of a campy punching bag for Spider-Man to stand off against in a series of visually spectacular CGI battles.

It is not really Foxx’s fault that the character suffers, either. He does well with what he has to work with, but what he has to work with was written by the minds behind “Cowboys & Aliens” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” The writers sacrifice developing a relatable character for the chance to expand on the Amazing Spider-Man universe with the beginning hints of a sinister, overarching, multi-film story.

Peter’s old friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) awkwardly butts his way into the film as well, cutting down on Electro’s screen time, and introducing the sinister inner-workings of his father’s company, Oscorp. The addition feels forced within the confines of the story being told, and it causes the nearly two-and-a-half hour movie feel like it is not long enough to get where it is trying to go. It is a shame that Harry’s story line was so sloppily integrated into the film, as DeHaan’s portrayal of the character is intriguing, overshadowing the superficial Electro.

Overall, the movie is a fun ride that’s a bit rockier than the first installment of the new “Amazing Spider-Man” series. Garfield shines as the witty, sarcastic Spider-Man/Peter Parker, and he proves that he can carry the series into the future with much more confidence than ex-Spidey Tobey Maguire. It will be interesting to see where the series goes with the planned “Sinister Six” and “Venom” movies set to accompany another two “Amazing Spider-Man” sequels.