Psychotik review: The Amazing Spiderman 2
Alright this is the second time of me typing this Psychotik Review!! SO LET’S MAKE THIS QUICK!!!!
Psychotik Review: The Amazing Spiderman 2
So for the plot part how about I quote a website hmm?
PLOT
The web-slingin’ wall-crawler hits the screens once again in this follow-up to Marc Webb‘s 2012 reboot of the series. Andrew Garfield returns as Peter Parker, who squares off against the villainous Electro, played by Jamie Foxx.
As the film opens, we find Richard (Campbell Scott) and Mary Parker (Embeth Davitz) stealing away with some crucial Oscorp files while leaving young Peter in the care of Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben. Flash forward about a decade, and Peter (Garfield) is swinging into action as Spider-Man; having successfully thwarted the hijacking of an Oscorp truck by notorious Russian criminal Aleksei Sytsevich (Paul Giamatti), Peter ditches the costume just in time to meet up with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) at their high school graduation. Despite his deep love for Emma, however, Peter remains haunted by his promise to her late father not to get emotionally involved with her for fear that she could be targeted by Spider-Man’s enemies.
Meanwhile, young Harry Osborne (Dane DeHaan) inherits OsCorp and a deadly retrovirus from his father Norman (Chris Cooper), and brilliant but timid OsCorp scientist Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) gets infused with a powerful dose of electricity while attempting to fix a faulty power circuit in the lab. Upon regaining consciousness, Max discovers that he has the power to harness electrical currents – the higher the voltage the more powerful he becomes. When a battle with Max in Times Square shorts out Spidey’s web-shooters, Peter goes to work on developing a more reliable model of his signature weapon while Harry grows convinced that Spider-Man’s blood is the key to his survival. Later, villainous OsCorp chairman Donald Menken (Colm Feore) steals the company out right out from under Harry, driving the vengeful youth to break Max — now Electro — out of the heavily-guarded Ravencroft Institute for a two-pronged attack on Menken and Spider-Man. The stage for that battle is set when New York City goes dark just as Peter declares his love to Gwen, plunging the wise-cracking web-slinger into a fight that could forever alter the course of his life. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
-Fandango.com synopsis of The Amazing Spiderman 2
That about sums it up for you….now for an obligatory warning….
You’ve been warned…
Now that is out of the way…Let’s start do my usual Pros and Cons.
Pros
Lots of Pros! Lot’s of things I liked about this movie. Don’t believe some of the critics. They obviously don’t remember Spiderman 3. People keep relating this to that because of the amount of characters and villains. People today are getting to used to a standard set up for a narrative or a movie. They can only focus on a handful of characters. I’m sorry this may come off as very crass…But the fact that you are incapable of dealing with a complex story, is of now fault to the writer, the director, or the cast in general. That being said I’ll isolate a few things:
- Casting: Yet again we have an awesome cast for this film. Andrew Garfield has cemented himself in my mind as Peter Parker (Sorry Tobey!) The first film still didn’t have me all the way convinced, this one he is much more confident in the role I feel. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey is a treat as per usual. I really wished she was Mary Jane. The ending to this movie killed me (Even Gwen felt the same way…DuDum Tshk!) Jamie Foxx…wow…Such a good Electro. I loved the way Electro was written in the movie. That is another subject entirely, but I can just say that Jamie Foxx does what he does and delivers. Dane DeHaan was so good as Harry and Green Goblin it made me forget James Franco’s Harry Goblin (Something needed to dig that memory out with a spoon!)
- Story: The story was done very well. It’s rare to find movies like this with perfect pacing. The last one I saw like that was The Avengers. To see it done finally in a Spiderman movie was pretty nice. I enjoyed how unlike Spiderman 3. All the villains were not dumped on you all at once so you get to experience each one more than you would otherwise. Was very refreshing. Really it wasn’t like having three villains. It’s more like 1 and a half. You do get a fight out of Goblin and you see Rhino…but they are more a set up for the next act. I really didn’t feel they took away from the film at all.
- Musical Score: Hans Zimmer is a magician with a musical score. Combine that with the talent of Johnny Marr and Pharrell Williams, and you have epic results. I recently got a hold of the soundtrack and have been listening to it for a week. So many emotions from the movie told straight through the music. The Tracks “That Spider Guy”, “Electro Suite (Paranoia)”, “I Choose You”,”My Enemy”, “I am Goblin”and “Here” sum up the movie nicely.
- Visual Effects: So many things going right. The costumes are top-notch. The new Spidery suit is more visually pleasing than the last. Rhino being a big suit of armor was impressive, but…well we will talk about that in a bit. Electro was nice. It made sense…did I miss the green and yellow…yeah I did. But this was good. The Goblin out fit was a vast improvement over Harry Goblin AND Power Ranger Goblin!
Cons
- Rhinos Suit: I don’t know if this is a con…I just don’t know how to feel about it. I mean yeah the original concept of the Rhino is a bit outdated. But I like in the game how he is one of the human/animal hybrids. I can learn to love it. Paul Giamatti is one of my favorite actors. I think he played the part well. I don’t know…I’ll have to see how it plays out. I would have just liked it a little less more artillery and more brute strength.
- Gwen Stacey’s Death: SHAME ON YOU ALL!! EMMA STONE IS A NATIONAL TREASURE!!! I WANTED HER TO LIVE!!!!!
So the last con is not something real to bitch about…I give this movie a 5 out of 5 Top Hats. Come on people this movie is head and shoulders above the others. Spiderman 2 was really good, but this one held its own. Havent seen it, you should. It’s almost out of theaters.
Until Next Time, My Cheeky Monkeys,
Malice Psychotik
A Psychotik Review: The Amazing Spiderman
Well Hello, My Freaky Darlings! How did your Holiday go? Good I hope! Well now that Thanksgiving and Black Friday are out-of-the-way, Malicimo is up for some movie reviews. First up, a new personal favorite, The Amazing Spiderman. I was blown away by this film. If you have been paying attention to previous posts about it, I didn’t have high hopes. In fact, I really thought this one was going to be a real stinker. Rather pleasant surprise, I was very wrong. Such a good job was done with this film. So many good things to say…why waste it all on the intro. Let’s chat movie’s shall we?
A Psychotik Review: The Amazing Spiderman
I think it goes without saying, I need to be a little less wordy with my movie reviews. So hopefully, for the last time, I’ll be changing up the format a bit. That being said, let’s talk plot. The Amazing Spiderman is advertised as the untold story. You have the basic plot of Peter Parker gets powers from a special spider (still genetically engineered, face it we know radioactive won’t do that stuff!) A bad decision by Peter, leads to Uncle Ben’s untimely death. And Parker learns with great power, comes great responsibility. It has all of that…and more! First off, we have a change in love interest. That’s right guys and ghouls, no Mary Jane Watson this time round. This time we have the beautiful Gwen Stacy (Played by the very pretty Emma Stone). I should have probably mentioned first the fact we have a plot with Peters Parents (this is where the untold story comes in.) Apparently, Mr. Parker was one of the best genetic scientists at Oscorp (Yes, Oscorp plays the role it’s supposed to as a big bad mean corporation). Dr. Parker and Dr. Curt Connors were apparently working on splicing animal genes with human genes to cure different ailments. Something happens, and Peters Mom and Dad have to leave in a hurry. Flash forward a couple of years and Peter finds his Dad’s hidden documents. This prompts him to sneak into Oscorp, which prompts him to sneak into a restricted area full of genetically engineered spiders…which get’s him bit (we all know the basics of what happens) Moving on, Peter impresses Dr. Connors by using his Dad’s formula to finish what he’s working on. Of course as you know, comic book rules state something must go wrong….and it does and Connors becomes the lizard. Really, you should watch the movie from here, because I don’t want to ruin it!
Pros:
What did I like? A lot really! The casting was..eh eh hmm…Amazing. Andrew Garfeild makes a perfect Spiderman. He has the charisma, the attitude, and a certain gusto that makes him leaps, bounds, and web-slings above Tobey Maguire. Emma Stone plays a much better love interest as Gwen Stacey than Kirsten Dunst. Sally Feild as Aunt May is a little awkward at first, but she grows on you. Martain Sheen gives a new level of depth to Uncle Ben. You don’t just get to see good ol’ Uncle Ben, you get to see a more realistic side of him. He’s not this glorified father figure, you see some flaws in him…it’s more grounding. I don’t know where to start with Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors. Couldn’t picture a better person in the role.
The way that they handle Spiderman in general is a big plus. Finally, we have a Spiderman that offers the quips and one liners we all love. That was always something that killed me with the Rami films. The suit takes a little getting used to. I can tell you the one thing that irks me most about it they fix in the game. A simple addition of a red utility belt ties the whole thing together. The thing I love most about the movie that i didn’t think I was going to is the Web-Slingers. Yes, the film actually acknowledges the fact Peter is smart and likes to invent things. Watch in one scene where you can see a door lock invention in his room. Although he doesn’t create the stuff that is turned into web (that’s actually a Oscorp invention. Little pills that contain liquid steel that can be turned into a cable). But, he does create the device that spins it into webbing. Last thing I’ll mention…his super strength. Most people may not realize this, but Spiderman is pretty freakin’ strong…this time it shows and manages to add some rather humorous moments.
Last but not least. The Stan Lee cameo. I’m not going into much detail, all I will tell you is when you see it you will shit awesome bricks…and laugh for days on end. Best one…ever!
Cons:
As far as things I didn’t like, the list isn’t that long. The only things I can mention is one scene at the end and how the lizard looked. I just feel he could have looked a little better, maybe a little more sinister looking. I mean he was ok, but still out of all of the incarnations of the lizard, he could have been better. The scene at the end I’m talking about is…eh hmm…wait a minuet…
***SPOILER ALERT***
The scene where Gwen Stacy is trying to create the antidote for the Lizard…virus? Either way, she is making the antidote and trying to keep Lizard out of the lab. In a last-ditch effort she pulls the trigger for the Halon Gas System. She then proceeds to run through the gas to the other end of the room…effortlessly…and hide in a closet. Well it was all for not, as the system failed to deter the Connors in any way. My Problem? Halon Gas removes all of the oxygen from the area, in this case the room, to extinguish fires in a lab. It’s really the best way to kill a chemical fire. In no way would she or Connors…two oxygen dependent organisms…be able to survive the room without the aid of a gas mask. Now I could be wrong, it could have been some other system…but to the best of my knowledge, systems like this are always halon…and that is what it looks like. If I’m wrong correct me.
Well, I’m going to stop here with my verdict. The Amazing Spiderman gets5 out 5 Top Hats. I really thought I was going to hate this one. I really thought it was going to stink. Thank you for proving me wrong…an epic Spiderman movie is possible. Hat’s off Darlings…
Until Next Time, My Freaky Darlings,
Malice Psychotik
P.S Make sure to watch after the credits for a scene you won’t want to miss…could the next film involve my favorite Spiderman villain Green Goblin…only time will tell….
Encyclopedia Psychotika 