The Amazing Spider-man 2 // Review
Rather than sack the chef (director Marc Webb) they seem to have sent him on a cookery course – apparently the Whedon school of cookery, and maybe, just maybe, it’s paid off.
My spidey-sense is tingling. Danger is approaching, but what could it… Ah, yes. The Amazing Spider-Man 2. “But you love super hero films”, I hear you cry. Yes. I do. But I like good super hero films and sadly, the last time Spidey swung across my screen I was left feeling like a fly trapped in a web, forced to watch as my hero was slowly devoured over two hours by the spider-eating birds of Hollywood.
Spidey didn’t come across as the hero-in-a-nerd's-body that he should have been; it was a clumsy mix of action and comedy and even the lovely Emma Stone couldn’t save my enjoyment.
It was a recipe for disaster – but was it the ingredients or the chef? After all, I can’t think of another superhero movie that blends comedy and action in a way that doesn’t spoil… oh, wait, there was that one film. You know, it had that big green fella in it, some dude with a shield – that one. Well, looking at Spidey 2, someone else has seen that film as well. Rather than sack the chef (director Marc Webb) they seem to have sent him on a cookery course – apparently the Whedon school of cookery, and maybe, just maybe, it’s paid off.
This time around, it is clear from the start that this tastes a lot better. Webb gets the mixture just right as Spidey throws around one-liners and bad guys simultaneously with the kind of radioactive energy that the first film should have glowed with – and glow this film does, in its glorious 3D IMAX splendour. Speaking of glowing, a cast including Jamie Foxx and Paul Giametti makes me just interested enough to give the ol’ web slinger another chance.
My spidey-sense is tingling. Danger is approaching, but what could it… Ah, yes. The Amazing Spider-Man 2. “But you love super hero films”, I hear you cry. Yes. I do. But I like good super hero films and sadly, the last time Spidey swung across my screen I was left feeling like a fly trapped in a web, forced to watch as my hero was slowly devoured over two hours by the spider-eating birds of Hollywood.
Spidey didn’t come across as the hero-in-a-nerds-body that he should have been, it was a clumsy mix of action and comedy and even the lovely Emma Stone couldn’t save my enjoyment.
It was a recipe for disaster – but was it the ingredients or the chef? After all, I can’t think of another super hero movie that blends comedy and action in a way that doesn’t spoil… oh, wait, there was that one film. You know, it had that big green fella in it, some dude with a shield – that one. Well, looking at Spidey 2, someone else has seen that film as well. Rather than sack the chef (director Marc Webb) they seem to have sent him on a cookery course – apparently the Whedon school of cookery, and maybe, just maybe, it’s paid off.
This time around, it is clear from the start that this tastes a lot better. Webb gets the mixture just right as Spidey throws around one liners and bad guys simultaneously with the kind of radioactive energy that the first film should have glowed with – and glow this film does, in its glorious 3d Imax splendour. Speaking of glowing, a cast including Jamie Foxx and Paul Giametti makes me just interested enough to give the ol’ web slinger another chance.
