Today's Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: ***/*****, or 6/10

Now that Marvel Studios' long term strategy has shown to pay off in the most lucrative manner imaginable, it's no surprise to see rival studios owning their own pieces of the Marvel pie try their luck with a similar concept. As such, Sony faces the most challenging job at universe building, as they own the rights to a franchise based around a single character: Spider-Man. Fortunately for the studio, Spidey has a wide array of friends and foes, allies and adversaries, to choose from in order to construct a larger shared realm which may at some point include movies that do not need the wallcrawler's presence to stand on their own feet. However, such characters, good guys and bad, will need to be introduced first to familiarize the audience with their personalities and groom them for their own solo debuts in later years. And so the crafting of a larger Spiderverse begins with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which hosts a plethora of new characters and a threesome of rogues to enrich Peter Parker's life. Problem is, for a freshly rebooted franchise which, after a single movie that can be described as 'adequate' at best, still needs to prove to the audience the validity of the rebooting process, the time to start such universe building simply isn't ripe just yet. As a result, the second Amazing Spidermovie feels like a convoluted, incoherently structured piece that aims to be more than 'amazing', while the audience still waits for that moniker to make good on its promise.

In the sequel, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) has come to terms with his powers and responsibilities acting as New York's superhuman guardian, haunted by the vision of Captain Stacy, as he struggles to uphold his promise to the deceased father of the love of his life, Gwen (Emma Stone), to stay out of her existence in order to keep her safe from the harm that comes with being Spider-Man. A strong-spirited and intelligent young woman, Gwen is determined to embrace the dangers involved with dating Peter, or otherwise to move one with her career and leave him in the cold. This results in many a scene of fairly engaging and recognizable lovers' quarrels that reveal director Marc Webb's strengths in directing the identifiable romantic affairs of the younger generation. The chemistry between Garfield and Stone is still solid, though the same cannot be said for the writing of the former, as Peter has moved on from being a socially awkward nerd to a rather self-absorbed punk. Though his red-and-blue clad alter ego is modelled after his comic book counterpart more closely and convincingly than ever – webslinging moves, wisecracking puns and all – Peter feels like he has changed in character a little too much too fast, his occasional dickish behavior courtesy of a new team of writers. While Stone's performance remains a joy to behold, Garfield's oftentimes evokes more irritation than affection.

Spidey's knack for getting those he cares about in trouble is quickly proven as he's confronted by no less than three new villains in this movie, each with his own personal baggage and history that needs some exploration (especially if they are to be found worthy of reprising their roles for later projects). The main antagonist, the volatile and hotheaded Electro (Jamie Foxx), is given the most balanced bit of background, in which he is revealed kind of as Peter Parker-gone-bad. A lonely and socially isolated geek, his involuntary plunge in a vat of genetically engineered electric eels (if you feel this sounds silly, ask yourself whether it would if it involved spiders instead) grants him powers beyond his wildest dreams, but as he hopes to finally stand out from the crowd, those masses that worship his idol Spider-Man reject him, forcing him to go on a electrostatic rampage aimed at New York's favorite webspinner to get back at the world. Though Foxx's performance, some times over-the-top while at others more contained, leaves something to be desired, as does his rather two-dimensional anger directed at Spider-man, Electro's colourful but lethal sparkle shows make for a fancy visual style not seen in a Spider-Man movie before.

What has been seen before however is Harry Osborn, Peter's long time friend and occasionally Spidey's nemesis. In Raimi's trilogy of movies, Harry was given an arc all his own over the course of three movies, building up to the conflict to be and Spider-Man's emotional disarray that came with it. Not so in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where the same story is roughly being told in a single film, in a much abbreviated form that does not do justice to the many decades of comic book lore in which this close friendship annex hateful rivalry slowly but surely evolved. When his father Norman (Chris Cooper), the head of OsCorp Industries, dies as a result of a degenerative illness that runs in the family, Harry (Dane DeHaan) gets reacquainted with his childhood friend Peter as he offers his condolences. A more elaborate backstory is inferred, but as it is only the subject of the briefest conversation it is hard to truly care about the relationship between Peter and Harry. The latter swiftly becomes CEO of OsCorp where he finds himself thrown in an arena of board intrigue and backstabbing conspiracies to remove him from office, as he tries to find a cure for what killed his dad and all too soon will end his life prematurely too. The only thing standing between him and an untimely demise appears to be the blood of genetically engineered spiders, company property that was deemed lost, so Spider-Man's blood appears to be the only cure still available. As the disease starts to corrupt both his body and mind, Harry's friendship with Peter turns sour when his buddy will not help him get in touch with the wallcrawler to acquire that pivotal transfusion. Eventually more drastic measures must be taken for survival and Harry transforms into the maniacal Green Goblin, hellbent on wrecking Peter's life, especially when he discovers his secret identity. DeHaan proves quite up to the task of portraying the sympathetic Harry, who grows ever more frustrated as his quest to save his own life is thwarted by both those on his payroll and his oldest friend. He also visibly shows to have had a blast playing the crazed Goblin, making DeHaan's contributions to the acting front more sizable than Garfield's haphazard performances, though both characters are admittedly driven by less than stellar writing.

Last and least of the trio of baddies is Rhino, a Russian criminal played by Paul Giamatti (who also makes it abundantly clear he's enjoying himself tremendously), whose presence feels more of an afterthought added by the studio to get that universe building going, as he adds little of relevance to the plot otherwise. Appearing only in the beginning of the film as a violent smuggler who's ridiculed by Spidey, and at the end donning stupendously large battle armour, the character proves the finest example of how not to introduce characters meant to form part of a larger whole later on, if you want the audience to invest in them. It is made clear in the climax of the film Rhino is the first member of Harry's team of villains meant to destroy Spider-Man, a plot line which is already stated to carry over in the next entry into the series, as well as in the announced Sinister Six spin-off. However, this attempt to foreshadow such future fare backfires on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as a film on its own. 

 

If you compare the first few trailers with the final product, you'll notice the film feels to be lacking not only many scenes but also entire story threads that would have driven the plot into a very different direction. Scenes between Harry, his father and Peter promised much more intricate relations between the characters than what was ultimately seen on screen. Likewise, characters' scenes were filmed but dropped, including the introduction of Mary Jane, while others were shortened dramatically, like Harry's secretary Felicia Hardy (who fans will know as Spidey's love affair/part time enemy Black Cat) suffered. The undeniable fact is, with multiple foes, a tumultuous love life and relationship with assorted family, plus a continuing search for his roots and the fate of his parents carried over from the predecessor, there was more than enough going on in the plot of the film already without the studio's obvious insistence of setting up future films as well. As a result, few of the many plot lines get their chance to stand out amidst the convoluted whole that now is The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Of course, there's some fine action scenes and shows of superhero spectacle, while the webslinging never looked better. But in most other respects, the film too often feels like coming up short considerably. Arguably, Sony will make more time to craft the upcoming films into a more coherent and consistent whole, as the element of universe building was rushed into this movie's plot while production was already underway. For now however, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has ended up a Spider-Man film that quickly branches off into an advertisement for upcoming Spider-Man films, hurting its own ending, despite the otherwise tragic climax, which under less padded conditions might have made this the emotionally most powerful Spiderfilm as yet. Robbed of its right to exist as a separate entity, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed in that regard, nor does it bode well for Spidey's future.

And to make matters worse, some viewers will be treated to a version of the film with end credits containing a scene for the next X-Men film, which causes this movie to feel even more like a commercial for future superhero flicks, even wholly unrelated ones...

Today's News: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Just posted this tidbit of news regarding the latest casting choice of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 over on MovieScene.nl:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/142309/dane_dehaan_als_harry_osborn_in_amazing_spider-man_2

It's an interesting bit of casting, but I fear poor Dane might feel his career is getting repetitive, since his newly accepted role shares more than its fair share of similarities to his breakthrough role in Chronicle. However, Peter Parker better be sure to see that flick to realize what he's in for if he upsets his closest 'frenemy'...

Chronicle, or why teenagers shouldn't have superhuman abilities

Rating: ***/*****, or 7/10

It had to happen sooner or later: a superhero kind of film that applies the so-called 'found footage' style of filming to display its overall narrative. And why not? So far it worked well in the horror genre on multiple occasions (of which The Blair Witch Project still rules supreme as the most memorable and original example), as well as in other genres such as the monster movie (Cloverfield). It seems a logical step to apply this tactic to a genre which remains ever popular after more then a decade of successful (and a few less so) entries, and still shows no signs of slowing down (with The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man just around the corner). Chronicle takes a smaller, less bombastic approach though. Now that the emphasis of the superhero genre is increasingly often put on ordinary people as superhumans, either equipped with extraordinary powers or not at all (Super, Kick-Ass), all it took was a talented young director to jump on the 'found footage' bandwagon and make a decent movie out of the simple premise of some young people video taping their experiences with unusual abilities. Newcomer Josh Trank did it first, and given his extremely limited directorial experience (this is his first full-on motion picture), the result has turned out rather positive, so it seems likely we'll be seeing more work from Trank soon.

Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan) is having a tough time. His mother is very ill, his father is an abusive alcoholic, he lives in a trashy neighbourhood and he's not very popular at school. He records his personal trials on video – his reasons for doing so remain somewhat vague, but let's just call it self therapy – so we see his daily struggles through the eye of his camera, and our viewing perspective stays with him for the better part of the film. His only friend is his cousin Matt (Alex Russell), a cheerful guy with obviously less personal problems, who tries to lighten him up a bit and gets him to participate in the kids' activities regardless of his low social status at school. So far, nothing remarkable. That soon changes when the pair, together with Matt's friend Steve (Michael B. Jordan), find an odd hole in the ground out in the woods. Kids being kids, they go in and stumble upon a dazzling display of lights emanating from a sort of big crystalline contraption. What exactly this is supposed to be and where it comes from are left entirely up to the viewer to decide. It could be anything ranging from an extra-terrestrial device to a freak natural anomaly to a government experiment gone awry, but the truth is it simply matters not what it is, but what the effects are it has upon the protagonists. Trank makes this very clear when upon touching it, the guys are knocked out and so is the camera, so what exactly happens to them remains shrouded in mystery. The trio soon finds out their close encounter with the light show has given them fantastic telekinetic abilities, the full extent of which they start testing by playing childish pranks on unsuspecting victims. And this is where the film really kicks into gear and the actual fun begins.

Of course, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, but teenagers with power just do the same as regular teens always do: hanging about, screwing around. Of course, the effects of telekinetic teenagers doing this are a bit more severe. In an often very amusing sequence of separately videotaped scenes we see the boys first practice their newfound powers on themselves, throwing balls at each other's heads from impossible angles and sticking forks into their hands just to find they can bend them, but the more mischievous they get, the more other people suffer from their irresponsible actions. Little girls being terrorized by floating teddy bears and people finding their cars having been moved across the parking lot soon turn out to be the vanguard for things far more sinister. It comes as no surprise the troubled Andrew is the first to cross the line when he pushes a car and its driver into a ravine and shows little regret for doing so. Matt and Steve soon realize they should stop acting so immaturely, but Andrew has only just begun, at which the movie takes a more serious direction and once again reaffirms the age-old message that with great power must come great responsibility. However, traumatized teenagers seem to care little about acting responsibly...

And this is where the movie looses some of its own power, considering the rather predictable turn of events where the agonized boy turns out to be a menace to himself and everyone around him. Andrew's character just offers little surprise when he starts to abuse his power for his own satisfaction. The only real question remaining here is how long it will take before he kills his lousy father. At least DeHaan does a terrific job portraying the poor boy, which is all the more noteworthy considering his fairly short resumé as an actor. Despite being able to predict his emotional outbursts from his overly simply written character, DeHaan makes you feel for poor Andrew all the way, and you feel no moral qualms when he starts talking back at his abusive environment with deadly results to the many who've hurt him earlier in the movie. Of course, since most of the movie is shot with his camera, we are given no choice but to emphasize with Andrew, so us rooting for him the most is a logical result. DeHaan acts out the basic fantasy of being able to take out bullies effortlessly to great dramatic effects, which ultimately overcomes the fact that as a character, Andrew is fairly standard and never exceeds the sum of his parts as a boy tormented a few times too often.

Andrew's buddies Matt and Steve, also never surprise the audience as characters, though they too are performed with skill by Russell and Jordan. Considering most of the movie is shown from Andrew's point of view, neither of them has to carry the movie as much as DeHaan does, so as far as acting is concerned, the latter impresses us the most. Still, they too do a very adequate job of portraying two average kids who get powers they shouldn't get and mess around with them a little too much. Unlike Andrew, they know when to quit, which at least makes us respect them. It will shock nobody when they soon find their friend too far gone to reason with him and have to violently confront him with his mishandling of his abilities with no regard for other people's lives.

However, Andrew turns out to be more than a match for his former mates, which eventually leads up to a typical large scale conflict involving SWAT teams, helicopters and a lot of explosions, as the boys try to take each other out in downtown Seattle (utilizing the iconic Needle building to the fullest). From a narrative point of view, this too offers little news, but considering the fairly low budget (the movie cost only 15 million dollar to make) this climax looks suprisingly expensive, showing us Trank knows what he's doing in making his film look good on a shoestring budget. It's obvious though that most of the FX money went into the final showdown, since some of the visual effects earlier in the movie, including various floating objects and flying people, look less convincing, but still good enough not to fully ruin the film's credibility. Overall though, Chronicle shouldn't be considered an FX movie, but more of a character study of teenagers gifted with superhuman abilities, and why we should pray this never happens for real. Of course, most teens aren't as stereotypical as Andrew (though Hollywood obnoxiously often thinks they are), but that doesn't change the fact we really like to see him take revenge on his tormenters, and dream we could have done the same during some of our own less shining moments as teenagers.

And watch the trailer here:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/fox/chronicle/