0
0
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has its problems, which have been widely talked about over the years, but the Andrew Garfield movie also has some of the best Spider-Man moments in live-action. Garfield had the difficult task of stepping into the role after Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 was canceled. The actor was then cast to lead Spider-Man in a new direction in the reboot, with a portrayal that included a few departures from the comics, like skater Peter Parker, but also many incredible moments that perfectly translated Spider-Man’s long history from the page to the screen.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 decided to go bigger than its predecessor, with a more ambitious story that planned to set up a whole universe of movies at Sony. That ambition is what ended up leading to the movie’s downfall, with the sequel’s plot being overstuffed. The Amazing Spider-Man 3 was canceled, just like Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 had been. While the negative aspects of the movie are real, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is so much more than its flaws. The film has some of the most emotional live-action Spider-Man scenes, a perfect lead in Garfield, and is a visual spectacle like no other movie of the wall-crawler.
It Has The Best Live-Action Spider-Man Suit
Spider-Man has had the luck of always looking good in live-action, but the hero has arguably never looked better than in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Maguire’s suit in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy was an adaptation of the hero’s iconic red and blue costume from the comics. The suit’s raised webbing was a marked difference from Spider-Man’s traditional design, but a welcome one, with Spider-Man 3‘s black suit showing the design’s full power. Tom Holland’s suits in the MCU mostly rely on technology, with augmented features courtesy of Stark Industries. The expressive eyes are perfect, but the MCU suits bring a more modern style than the hero’s classic suits.
Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man suit was a departure from the character’s classic comic book design as well, with the creative choice to have the costume make Peter feel more spider-like, with a sleek design. The suit is perhaps the most unique of the live-action Spider-Man suits, although the yellow-tinted lenses were not a hit with audiences. In came The Amazing Spider-Man 2‘s suit. The movie brought to life the best live-action Spider-Man suit, with a design that felt like the perfect translation from the comics to live-action. The movie’s great visual effects also helped the suit pop in web-swinging scenes like no other Spider-Man film has done.
The Movie Perfectly Recreates Gwen Stacy’s Death Scene
At their core, Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man movies are a love story. The emotional core of the franchise is the relationship between Garfield’s Peter Parker and Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy. The actors had arguably the best chemistry of any romantic duos in Spider-Man’s live-action history, with the developments of their relationship across both movies hitting as hard as the amazing fight scenes that one would come to expect from a Spider-Man adventure. Gwen was the perfect match for Peter, with the character being able to match Parker’s wit, intelligence, and not being afraid to say what was on her mind.
Gwen was not afraid to follow Peter into harm’s way, which is what ultimately put her in Harry Osborn’s sights. Peter’s best friend-turned-villain realized that Parker was Spider-Man, and started the chain of events that would lead to Gwen’s death. In the comics, Gwen’s death is one of the medium’s most iconic events. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 managed to recapture that moment. The build-up of Peter and Gwen’s relationship over two movies made the death hit hard, with Garfield’s return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, with him saving Zendaya’s MJ in a scene revoking his biggest failure, showing how much Gwen’s death had an impact on Peter, and the audience.
Spider-Man’s Return To Fight Rhino After Gwen’s Death Shows What The Hero Is All About
Gwen’s death was a shocking moment, especially to those that did not know of her comic book history, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 made sure to show how big of an impact the moment had on Peter. An extremely sad montage showed Garfield’s Peter standing over Gwen’s grave as seasons passed, with Peter giving up being Spider-Man after the tragedy. In true fashion, the hero could not let others suffer, even if he was suffering the greatest loss of his life, and Gwen herself in the form of a video from her high school graduation speech snapped Peter back to reality, with Spider-Man returning to save the day against Rhino.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2‘s final scene between the hero and Rhino perfectly encapsulates what Spider-Man is all about. First, before Spider-Man arrives on the scene, a brave little kid who Peter had helped from bullies earlier in the movie decides to step up to face Rhino alone, as Spider-Man had been missing since Gwen died. The scene shows how Spider-Man inspires the good in others, and Peter’s return is incredibly heartwarming, with the hero sharing a touching moment with the young kid as both are dressed as Spider-Man. Peter then snaps right back into his usual form, cracking jokes at Rhino’s expense and jumping into action to stop the villain.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Nailed Peter Parker’s Mid-Fight Banter
The Amazing Spider-Man had already showed the potential Garfield had to bring Spider-Man’s mid-fight banter, a beloved Spider-Man trait, to life. That side of Peter had mostly been missing from Maguire’s version of the character, and while Holland does a great job bringing Peter’s youthful digs at his villains to life, Garfield was the perfect translation from the comics to the screen where Spider-Man’s wisecracking skills are concerned. The Amazing Spider-Man had some great quips, such as the “small knives” scene, but as the movie had to deal with Spider-Man’s origin story, there was not enough time for Garfield to fully let go with Spider-Man’s classic mid-fight banter.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 let Garfield dive right in where Spider-Man’s comedic talents were concerned. The movie opened with Spider-Man chasing Rhino, who was still without his mech suit, through town to stop the villain’s rampaging truck. The extended chase features many moments where Garfield put Spider-Man’s wisecracking skills on display, with the hero’s jokes at Rhino’s expense also coming with a good side of physical comedy, as Spider-Man hanged onto the truck. The conflict’s resolution showed how perfectly cast Garfield was, with Spider-Man humming the theme from the hero’s original animated scene while he webbed Rhino, leaving after he had pulled the villain’s pants down in a hilarious fashion.
The Amazing Spider-Main 2 Nailed Its Visual Effects
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a visual marvel. The movie might have its flaws when it comes to its overstuffed plot, but when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 got things right, it really did. The film’s visual effects are widely considered to be the best of any Spider-Man live-action movie, even surpassing the well-funded MCU trilogy starring Holland. The change in the design of the movie’s main villain, Electro, from a regular suit to a blue energy look lent itself to some outstanding sequences. As the villain threw electricity at Spider-Man and chased the hero around, audiences got treated to a visual spectacle.
While the fight sequences were certainly some of the best usages of visual effects in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the movie’s great CGI was important for another key Spider-Man aspect. Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 managed to create the best live-action web-swinging scenes in a Spider-Man movie, surpassing all that came before with Maguire and shockingly never being matched by Holland’s turn as the hero so far. All in all, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 got quite a few key Spider-Man elements right, and with Garfield’s return in Spider-Man: No Way Home being a resounding success, many have decided to give the actor’s final solo Spider-Man movie a second chance.
Key Release Dates
The post 5 Things Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man 2 Got Right appeared first on Biz grows.
