Spectacular action, charismatic leads in ‘Spider-Man 2’

GARFIELD AND STONE. Turn up the heat every time they’re together onscreen.

We hardly watch Hollywood-produced films whenever we’re in London, because the United Kingdom’s premier city simply has too many exciting theater shows and picture-perfect destinations. However, the fanboy in us couldn’t resist the lure of Marc Webb’s spectacular but protracted “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.”

We had a lot of questions: Was “Divergent’s” Shailene Woodley really going to make a cameo appearance as Mary Jane Watson? (No, she shot scenes that were left on the cutting-room floor.) Will the life of somebody important come to a sticky end? (For the answer to this, go watch the movie next week.)
So, the day before we hopped on the Eurostar train to Paris, we rushed to Odeon’s Imax theater on Leicester Square to see if Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) still has what it takes to save mankind from the vengeful Electro (Jamie Foxx at his hammiest), the Green Goblin (the compelling Dane DeHaan) and The Rhino (Paul Giamatti in a thankless role).

Perks, dangers

Peter enjoys his web-slinging duties, and takes them seriously—but, along with the perks of the job come the dangers it presents to the people he loves. He is hounded by the death of Capt. George Stacy (Denis Leary), whose dying wish was for Peter to stay out of Gwen’s (Emma Stone) life to keep her out of harm’s way. So, our indecisive hero breaks up with his confused ladylove one day—but makes out with her the next!

Don’t get us wrong: The film looks great, is entertaining as heck and has poignant dramatic scenes that are worth the price of admission—but, the change in Spidey’s character and tone feels a little drastic.

It’s this attempt at giving Peter something to brood about that makes this incarnation of Spider-Man more serious than the Friendly Neighborhood Web-slinger who, even as he’s acutely aware of his personal woes (he thinks his parents abandoned him), always manages to take everything in stride.

This results in emotionally stilted scenes that, while well-acted, has Peter “thoughtlessly” splitting up with Gwen after she delivers her valedictory speech during their high school graduation, right before she goes to a crucial interview for a scholarship to Oxford University.

Side stories

Peter is too self-absorbed to notice that his doting Aunt May (Sally Field) is still struggling to cope with the death of Uncle Ben! (Garfield and Field’s confrontation scenes pack a dramatic punch.) Another quibble: The movie introduces too many side stories that needlessly stretch its running time past the two-hour-and-20-minute mark, and makes this overstuffed installment less cohesive than it should be.

Having said that, we have no problem with the production’s dramatic content—it allow viewers to get more “invested” in the story, especially if you have as good a cast as this. And it doesn’t hurt that Garfield and Stone manage to turn up the heat every time they’re together onscreen—now, that’s what you call chemistry!

To add to that, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s” action scenes are edge-of-your-seat spectacular—plus, there are enough winking moments that will have comic-book geeks moaning for more:

There’s a glancing visit into the lair of Doctor Octopus and the Sinister Six—and, with Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Havok and Toad in tow, a sneak peek of the upcoming “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” But, what has Peter got to do with Charles Xavier and the X-Men? After all, Spider-Man is a product of radiation, not mutation!