Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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SALT LAKE CITY — If you’ve been longing for details on what exactly transpired surrounding the hasty departure and ultimate demise of Peter Parker’s parents, we get a crash course as to what happened in the very first moments of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” and clarification continues to dribble out. All as Peter is trying to come to grips with his love of Gwen Stacey and the promise made to her dying father that he would stay away from her to protect her.
Thus the plot begins to thicken for Spider-Man as he faces not only his personal demons, but new adversaries. One is Jamie Foxx as mild-mannered electrical genius, Max Dillon, who becomes obsessed with our hero after Spider-Man saves him. An employee of OsCorp Industries, Max suffers a terrible on-the-job accident that turns him into Electro, a being crackling with electrical energy. During a rampage on the city, Spidey tries to defuse the situation and what remains of Max within Electro sees this as betrayal and his wrath is now exclusively focused on Spider-Man.
But wait, Electro is just one of the villains we’re treated to in this film. We have our garden variety bad guys, including your basic corporate villains like Norman Osborn himself — played by Chris Cooper, and his henchman Colm Fiore as Donald Menken. Of course, we also follow the plight of Harry Osborn, somewhat sympathetically played by Dane DeHaan. Sadly his devolution into the Green Goblin is rammed in right at the end and rather than acting as a tease for upcoming adventures, there is too much in the reveal, and it just makes the movie feel crowded.
But wait, there’s much more, including an underdone plot featuring no less than Paul Giamatti … one of my favorite actors … as Aleksei. He has a vague introduction early in the film and is trotted back out right at the end, adding to the congestion.
Emma Stone reprises her role as Gwen with just the right amount of spunk, brains and charm. Andrew Garfield is Spider-Man and once again delivers Spidey with a perfect breadth of emotion, strength and vulnerability … and a little snarkiness.
But the problem is there’s just too much with too little time, and don’t forget, this movie clocks in at 142 minutes.
Lest you think I didn’t like his film, I actually did, but if the term “less is more” ever applied, it applies with “The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” It’s rated PG-13, and I’m giving it three stars.
