I really enjoyed the first one - I thought it was great. This one, although very good, is a little behind the first one. Everything is amped up in this entry though - bigger action scenes, more of Peter and Gwen and more villains.
The production value on this film is impressive, although, sometimes I think the Spider-Man antics (you know, him flying around the city) from the first trilogy come off as more convincing than this set of new films. Perhaps I am over thinking things there. The key for these films success though is the chemistry between Garfield and Stone. Man, they are great together, and really pull you into the story.
The villains this time around are pretty cool. Jamie Foxx as Electro is great, but I felt the story line for him was a bit weak. There just didn't seem to be enough motivation for his badness. His appearance and abilities are very good, and adds to the excitement of the action scenes. Dane Dehaan as Harry Osborn is excellent as well. His story has more chomp to it than Electro's though, and I think given the subtitle is Rise of Electro, it should have had more focus on Foxx's character.
The movie tried to accommodate too much this time. There is the relationship side with Peter and Gwen, the at least two villains aspect, and the backstory for Peter's parents. Although for the most part it does work, it started to lose pace around the middle third. Seeing Captain America 2 recently was a good reminder that films like this need to keep the excitement levels increasing to a satisfying conclusion. Although the ending is satisfying, it hit a bit of a lull with trying to incorporate all its story elements. Tonally, the film is also a bit odd. The way a certain german Doctor is portrayed is a little weird, and didn't work for me with the rest of the picture. Sure, there are comedy and drama elements, but that Doctor just seemed out of place being portrayed that way.
Overall, it is the leads and the great action set pieces that make this film enjoyable. Sure, there are plenty of plot holes and conveniences, but, you go into these movies for fun - not too much reality.
Rating:
3.5 out of 5.
Nice review Chetan. I felt this one tried to cram in too many story elements leaving Electro and Harry Osborn a bit underdeveloped. The performances were still top notch though, giving us a good reason to come back for a third instalment. Glad you picked up on the German doctor - he was a bit weird!
ReplyDeleteThanks Natalie. Yeah, the tone of the film was perhaps too all over the place. Hopefully the third is better overall.
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