The Amazing Spider-Man 2

There are many films whose endings make up for false steps along the way and leave the audience feeling satisfied.  Director Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 takes the opposite tact.  For 2 hours of its 2 hour and 16 minute duration, Webb commands an interesting and exciting tale worthy of at least a 4 out of 5 rating.  Then, in the last 16 minutes, the story completely falls apart and Screen Story Writers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner and James Vanderbilt pull off a cheap, stupid ending that is the weakest setup ever for the next of, apparently, two sequels.

Spoiler Alert… They kill off the most engaging character in the movie, the one who’s made sitting through an over-two-hour movie worthwhile.  True, heroes and heroines do die in many films, but not in such a stupid way.   

We never really know why she dies.  Did she break her neck, have a heart attack, acquire a fast-acting cancer?  If Emma Stone was not available for the sequels, they could have sent her off to Oxford as she planned.  That would have taken her out of the sequels and left a good taste in our mouths.

Despite this little stunt, worthy of changing my rating to a 1 out of 5, Cinematographer Daniel Mindel and Production Designer Mark Friedberg have done an amazing job and Actors Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan and Andrew Garfield (except when he’s “doing angst”) are excellent, as well.

So, overall, I give The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a 3 out of 5, but Emma Stone gets a 4+ out of 5.   And, if you go, you might save some money by seeing it in 2D.  The 3D is only standard.