The Amazing Spider-Man 2

 

Under normal circumstances I would begin my blog by subtly bragging that I got to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 before the American audience but my feelings about this particular franchise are so minuscule I would get no pleasure from it.  There is nothing I particularly dislike about Spider-Man but there isn’t anything about Peter Parker's story that catches my interest.  I think it is fair to admit that the cast is the only reason that I went to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

PLOT:  Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is now a confident wise cracking Spider-Man and is still dating Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).  Peter is having Denis Leary flashbacks and suffers from abandonment issues.  Angst.  Peter reconnects with his oldest-yet-never-mentioned-before-best-friend Harry Osborne (Dane DeHann).  Harry also has abandonment issues.  Angst.  Jamie Fox mixes electric, water and eels and ends up like the bastard love child of Drs Doom and Manhattan.  The residents of New York cheer/boo the heroes/villains like a WWE audience whilst hiding behind a seemingly indestructible police barrier.  Angst.  END PLOT.

The plot of The Amazing Spider Man 2 is surprisingly uninspiring and on more than one occasion I found myself getting a little bored. The film clocks in at a mammoth 2hours 22mins and unfortunately for the casual fan this is a good 45mins too long as there were times when the film ground to a halt.  There is more melodrama than a teen soap and the action scenes are few and far between.  The amount of time Peter Parker spent in his spider suit was oddly limited.  Sometimes more is more.

Andrew Garfield is perfectly cast as Peter Parker.  He handles the overabundance of angst levels with little effort and is as watchable as ever.  Garfield also shows that he can handle zippy one liners just as easily.  Emma Stone, a favourite of mine, manages to make Gwen Stacy one of the most likeable love interests in history.  Although the chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone was sizzling hot there was more will they/won’t they relationship nonsense between Peter and Gwen than the entire ten year Ross and Rachel saga. If you can stomach the teenage angst then you will be rewarded by a legitimately tense final act which is when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 finally springs into life.

Dane DeHann is an actor that I thoroughly enjoy watching and his portrayal of Harry Osborne was essentially his audition tape to play a drunk and petulant Leonardo DiCaprio in a future biopic.  I am immensely looking forward to the Oscar ceremony when DeHann wins a best actor award for an impersonation of Leonardo DiCaprio and if Fate enjoys Internet memes it will be before DiCaprio wins his own coveted Oscar.  DeHann’s performance aside the introduction of Harry Osborne and his defection to the dark side was far too rushed. 

The action, when it came, was typical Spider-Man fare.  Any scene with Spider-Man flying through New York is a pleasure to watch and there were a few chuckles to be had during these moments.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has a very good action packed opening but unfortunately it was downhill from there.  The final confrontation is a by the numbers CGI battle which is saved by emotional shocks and the performances of the cast. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 seems happy enough to be solid summer fare and nothing more.  If it weren’t for Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Dane DeHann I would be tempted to use the word “lazy”.  Marc Webb played it safe.  Even the title is safe.  It will make its money but it will be crushed by some of the bigger films yet to come and deservedly so.

On the Paul Giamatti scale of “I don’t give a fuck 'cause I’m enjoying myself” The Amazing Spider Man 2 gets a 6/10.

Ice Age: Continental Drift

In 2002 Fox released Ice Age a cheap and nasty looking CGI family film which turned out to be well above average. Ten years later we are on the fourth instalment of this surprisingly successful franchise with Ice Age: Continental Drift.

PLOT: After rowing with his teenage daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer) Manny (Ray Romano), Sid (John Leguizamo) and Diego (Denis Leary) find themselves stranded on a block of floating ice. As they drift out to sea they meet Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage) who is determined that the trio join his crew. END PLOT

It was crystal clear from the very first Ice Age that theses films are not geographically or historically accurate. If after four films you still have a problem with this I challenge you to voice your opinion without being an obnoxious arse.

The plot bulldozes along at break neck speed with father/daughter problems and family abandonment issues being brushed over so that the main adventure can begin. The story is unnecessarily complicated because there are now far too many characters involved.

The main adventure with Manny, Sid and Diego was constantly broken up due to the teen drama with Peaches and her mammoth friends. Granny (voiced by the annoying Wanda Sykes) was not amusing and her scenes should have been minimal.

Whenever the main trio were not on screen together the film did drag. The problem was they were never on screen together long enough to have any real comedic impact.

The humour is scattered throughout the film but unfortunately it isn’t particularly strong although were treated to a very decent little sea shanty by Captain Gutt.

Ray Romano and John Leguizamo were as dependable as ever but Denis Leary, Queen Latifa and Jennifer Lopez were all underused and Seann William Scott and Josh Peck had absolutely nothing to do.

I am a fan of the franchise and I have no doubt that there will be a fifth but they really need to trim the cast down significantly as this offering was definitely the most bloated and sadly the weakest of them all.

Ice Age: Continental Drift was a disappointment and it only gets a 5/10. It could have been the worst film ever but I will still go back for more as I have a real soft spot for the original trio.

The Amazing Spider-Man

It has been five years since Spider Man 3 last strutted onto the big screen and I would be lying if I said I had missed him or noticed his absence.

Despite usually loving films which originate from comics or graphic novels I’ve never warmed to Spider Man.

Due to my love for the cast I was hoping that The Amazing Spider-Man would change my mind.

PLOT: Peter Parker's (Andrew Garfield) father mysterious disappears and he is raised by his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Fields). After finding his father’s old satchel Peter discovers it contains scientific research which leads him to Dr Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) a genetic scientist at Oscorp. In the Dr’s lab Peter is bitten by a spider however just as Peter is getting to grips with his new found powers Dr Connor has created a genetic altering serum with dangerous consequences. END PLOT

The Amazing Spider-Man follows the traditional beats of a typical origins story and it was hampered by its familiarity as it is a reboot of a film which was released only ten years ago.

Despite having no prior knowledge of the Lizard, the villain of the piece there was no tension or real sense of danger to be found anywhere in the film.

The casting of Andrew Garfield was a clever choice as he has the cool/geek performance perfected. Garfield brought heart and enthusiasm by the bucket load but he also wasn’t afraid to though in a witty quip when the occasion called for it.

I have never seen Emma Stone give a bad performance or choose a dud role. Stone did find herself short changed during the action heavy final act but I know if she had been kidnapped by the Lizard that would have irked me more.

The chemistry between Garfield and Stone was electric and the film lagged whenever they were not onscreen together. The film clocked in at over two hours which made the dips in momentum all the more obvious.

Rhys Ifans was fine as Dr Connor.  I hadn’t heard of Dr Connor until now and I don’t know how his story arc plays out in the comics. His character started off very likeable then after one hint about his role in Peter’s father’s disappearance he very quickly became a crazed scientist. This felt very rushed and as a villain he was weak.

The Lizard was completely CGI and it just about worked. The fight scenes between the Lizard and the limber Spider Man were almost completely CGI and did look a bit rubbery. I like my action and effects much more grounded so I was never going to be completely satisfied.

The action didn’t make its appearance until the final act and unfortunately it was underwhelming. The strongest set piece, although ridiculously cheesy, was the aligning of the cranes – the score was also at its strongest in this moment too.

I knew I was never going to love The Amazing Spider-Man but I did enjoy it but this is because of the cast. It gets a 6.5/10.

There is just something about Spider Man that is not strong enough to carry a film on his own. If only Marvel had an established ensemble franchise that Spider-Man could easily be slotted into…….

Oh yes..... it already has......