Analysis From Early ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Footage Shownby Max Evry
March 19, 2014
Today in New York we were given a sneak peak at this summer’s blockbuster sequel “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” via a 30-minute assembly of footage presented by Sony in 3D. Marc Webb, who helmed the first movie in the new Spidey cycle, was on hand to present various scenes including the harrowing first 15-minutes.
It began with a flashback to Peter Parker’s dad Richard Parker (Campbell Scott) taking electronic files from his underground lab at Oscorp, then saying goodbye to a 6-year-old Peter. “Be good,” he implores his young son. Then he and wife Mary (Embeth Davidtz) are on a chartered flight to an island when the plane is hijacked by a rogue pilot who shoots Mary and the pilot, with Richard sending a key file code named “Roosevelt” just before the plane goes down in flames.
This charged, emotional scene transitions into the more popcorn oriented fun of our favorite webslinger Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) trying to stop a tattooed Russian thug named Aleksei Sytsevich (Paul Giamatti) from hijacking an Oscorp truck carrying vials of a mysterious yellow ooze. Giving the scene extra suspense is the fact that Peter is late for his own high school graduation, where valedictorian Gwen Stacy anxiously delivers her speech wondering if her boyfriend will make it to the ceremony… Alive.
Peter captures the Russian who will go on to become The Rhino, taking down his pants and knocking him out with his own machine gun. He swings into graduation just in time to plant a big wet kiss on Gwen.
We then cut to a year later when Peter and Gwen are estranged, meeting up in Union Square to affirm their friendship after their recent breakup. Their intimate talk is short lived, as Peter senses danger in Times Square, where Jamie Foxx’s Electro is wrecking havoc with his newfound powers of electricity. Spidey tries to subdue him, but by stealing the spotlight only enrages Electro further. Massive destruction ensues, with Spidey taking a beating but ultimately saving the day by spraying his foe with a firehose.
The final scene showcases a tranquilized Electro held in a special scientific prison, and Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) freeing him in exchange for help breaking into the Oscorp offices. Their main goal: revenge on Spider-Man.
While all the other scenes featured an interesting balance of colorful design and humor, this last scene seemed the most uneven in tone, with a scientist rendered inert with his hair standing up in cartoonish fashion, and Electro reconstructing himself from circulatory system outwards in almost identical fashion to Dr. Manhattan in “Watchmen.”
The highlights were the continued chemistry between Garfield and Stone, as well as Giamatti’s angry Russian villain. Overall “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” looks to please fans with its array of villains and pop style, with Jamie Foxx’s Electro hopefully given more depth in the final cut.
“There are so many visual possibilities in the Spider-Man universe,” said Webb. “It’s very important to keep the emotions, but I want to keep that spectacle, didn’t want to shy away from it.”
