After the relatively successful prequel in 2012,
Marvel fans around the world set their hope high for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which was released 2 years later. It was an ambitious project, which was planned to pave the way for a whole superhero universe at Sony. Unfortunately, due to the sloppy and overstuffed writing, the movie turned into a complete mess that came short at the box office. Some even claimed it was the most embarrassing Spider-Man show ever created. Hence the ambitious project was canceled, and Andrew Garfield’s Spidey didn’t get to see the light of day again until his brief cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home 8 years later.
However, despite containing many flaws here and there, it’d be exaggerated to say The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is without good moments. Some aspects of the movie, though trivial, are still much appreciated by the audience. We’re here to take a look at these 5 moments in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which the producers have done right, and then decide for yourself if it’s still a bad movie or not.
#1 The movie was stacked with mesmerizing visual effects.
Source: Sony Pictures
Firstly, the stand-out aspect of The Amazing Spider-Man series compared to its predecessors is the stunning visual effects shown in the
Movies, which were considered the best at the time. Some would even argue that it can go toe-to-toe with Tom Holland’s mighty MCU trilogy. The parts where Spidey fought the main villains, Electro and Green Goblin, were a real treat to the audience’s eyes with vibrant visuals and breathtaking action sequences.
#2 Peter's trademark battle quips are back on the menu.
Source: Sony Pictures
Of course, you can’t call it a true Spider-Man movie without the iconic mid-fight banters from the Web-Slinger. The starring actor, Andrew Garfield, who was known for his role in The Social Network, had some big shoes to fill when Tobey Maguire’s Spide-Man 4 didn’t come to fruition, but his charismatic present has brought a fresh breath of air to the audience. While Maguire’s version depicts Peter as a young, nerdy, and awkward teenager who was struggling to balance his superhero identity and his personal life, Garfield’s Spidey is more angsty yet talkative and witty. But the biggest difference is how Garfield’s version of Peter Parker had way more banter-ish moments when fighting than Maguire’s, which to many fans, is more accurate to the original comics. His clever quips were natural and amusing, which were portrayed best while fighting the suitless Alexei Sytsevich in part 2, who was later revealed to be one of Spidey’s arch nemesis, The Rhino.
#3 Gwen's passing scene broke our hearts.
Source: Sony Pictures
Funny as it is, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is not without its sad moments, though. Unlike Maguire, Garfield’s Peter didn’t manage to save his loved one, Gwen Stacy at the end of the sequel when she fell into her death. Gwen was a much more interesting and intelligent heroine to stand by Peter than the somewhat bland and self-centered version of Mary-Jane portrayed by Kristen Dunst, the chemistry between the two was perfect, which makes it much more devastating when we see Gwen gone. The scene where Peter desperately wrung his web to save his girlfriend, only to hold her lifeless body in tears just seconds later, is the most traumatizing moment in the movie that we can’t afford to forget. The sorrowful scene was perfectly captured by Sony, which is one of the few good marks done right in the medium.
#4 Peter bounces back from his great loss to save others.
Source: Sony Pictures
After Gwen’s heart-wrenching death, it is understandable for Peter Parker to be heavily affected and fell into a slump afterward, and consequently gave up on being the hero. But eventually, although he was suffering, Peter Parker just couldn’t let anyone else share the same fate as himself. A video of Gwen in her graduation speech brought him back to reality, and he quickly put on the suit to save a little kid, who also dressed as the Web-Slinger, from the rampaging Rhino on the street, while not forgetting his usual trademark quips. This moment captured what being a superhero’s about, as Peter always said: “With great power comes great responsibility”.
#5 The new outfit was an absolute banger.
Source: Sony Pictures
And last but not least, it’s safe to say that even though The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is not a great film, it absolutely nailed the design of the Wall-Crawler’s suit, which was widely considered the best Spider-Man outfit up to date (until the Iron Spider came out, that is). Maguire’s suit was a good one, but it paled in comparison to Garfield’s in the sequel. The vibrant classic red & blue colors, the cobweb pattern stripes that submerged on the surface, and the big expressive white eyes were a big upgrade from the prequel’s outfit as well. This suit also stood out in battle, especially against Electro, whose sequence involved a lot of colorful CGI effects.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 might not be the best film ever created about the friendly neighborhood superhero, but after looking at these promising details, maybe it didn’t deserve the hate it got. And surely, after the success of the most recent Marvel Spider-Man entry, we are all looking forward to seeing Andrew Garfield’s Spidey appearing on the big screen once again.