The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a fast-moving, cluttered sequel

The latest superhero movie to hit theatres this year is The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  This follow-up to The Amazing Spider-Man delivers what many look for in an action/superhero movie: action, romance, deception, guilt, and revenge.  The film deals with Peter’s guilt, his desire to discover more about his parents, his relationship with Gwen, his relationship with Harry, his relationship with Aunt May, and finally, his conflict with Electro. The major themes of the film are about regrets, guilt, responsibilities, family, and the future. Ultimately, as enjoyable as this film is to watch, most of the storylines are shortened as though it is setting up and preparing the audience for a third film.

We join Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and company around where we left them at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man. Together, Peter and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) defeated the Lizard/Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans). Gwen’s father, Captain Stacy (Denis Leary), was killed by the Lizard. Before he died, Captain Stacy asked Peter to keep Gwen out of his life so that she’s not put in danger. Peter promises, but as he reveals in the last line of the film, he may not keep that promise. At the beginning of the sequel, we see that Peter did indeed not keep that promise. Gwen and Peter are in a relationship and they are both graduating from high school.  However, it is clear that Peter’s decision to embark on a relationship with Gwen is consuming him with guilt and early on in the film, the two break up. For the rest of the film, their paths cross several times and they try to deal with their choices and their future.

Another important relationship to Peter is his relationship with his Aunt May (Sally Field). Since the last film, Aunt May has been left to look after Peter alone since Peter’s Uncle Ben died. Aunt May is struggling to look after him financially and she feels he is keeping secrets from her. Aunt May also becomes upset when Peter starts to look into his parents’ disappearance.  She tells him that the authorities explained to her what happened to them, but Peter wants to find out for himself. The weight of his family, his aunt’s sacrifices for him, the death of his uncle, for which Peter has always felt responsible, and the hole his parents left, are major factors involved in Peter’s mindset throughout the film.

Peter receives a blast from the past in Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan). Harry returns to see his father on his deathbed. His father is dying of an unexplained illness that has taken over his entire body. He reveals to Harry that Harry will suffer the same fate. When his father dies, Harry takes over Oscorp. Peter seeks him out as they were once friends. The two reconnect, and Harry reveals to Peter that he wants Spider-Man’s blood because he believes it will save him. Here, again, Peter is given the responsibility to look after his friend, but what kind of decision will he make? Peter is put in another position where someone needs him and his decision of how to respond will have its own consequences.

The primary villain in this film is Electro. We first meet him as Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx).  Max is an under-appreciated engineer at Oscorp. He becomes obsessed with Spider-Man after Spider-Man saves him early on in the film. Spider-Man tells Max that he is needed. This acknowledgement resonates with the overlooked and neglected Max. Following this incident, Max is asked to work after hours at Oscorp alone. He has an accident where he is electrocuted and then falls into a tank of electric eels. He is unsure of what’s transpired at Oscorp, and is trying to keep the accident a secret. He finds his way out, but as he is unaware of how to control his new powers, he terrifies everyone in Times Square. He is surrounded by police when Spider-Man tries to reason with him. In the midst of the confusion, Electro is shot and apprehended by police. Electro feels betrayed by Spider-Man, as Max believed in him and Spider-Man didn’t save him, which pushes Max’s unstable mind over the edge.

Throughout the film, Peter is presented with scenarios in which he must take some form of action. He has to decide whether or not to give Harry his blood, if he should be with Gwen, and how he should deal with Electro. Peter is constantly trying to make decisions for the greater good; he is trying to be selfless. However, what continues to occur throughout the film is that, many times, the decisions Peter makes have consequences that he can’t have anticipated and are counter to his efforts. As Peter takes the responsibility of saving the world on his shoulders, he is frequently distraught by the magnitude of this commitment.

The film has so much going on that at times each storyline seems as though it lacks depth. There are more villains this time around, and the film moves at a faster speed than the first film, which is slower moving while it sets up Spider-Man’s origin story. In the first film, Peter is figuring out his powers and trying to understand who he wants to be. In the second film, Peter is dealing with decisions he’s made in the past and worrying about their consequences in the future.  The film does have some excellent performances. I feel like Garfield has really grown into his role in this film, and I look forward to seeing him in the third film. Stone shines as Gwen – Gwen is one of the best female characters in many superhero films, and Stone owns the role. Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 really operates to set up a third film. The truncated storylines, the unanswered questions about Peter’s family, and the cliffhanger at the end of the film, all create anticipation for the third film. It is a smart tactic to introduce several storylines without completing them in the same film, so the audience is already invested in the characters, the events, and plots, and therefore, will be motivated to eventually discover their eventual conclusions.