View Poll Results: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
0
0%
0
0%
Voters: 70. You may not vote on this poll
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
#51
Suspended
#52
DVD Talk Legend
#53
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
#54
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
"Amazing Spider-Man 2" was remarkably bland, with a bloated middle act that lacked narrative tension, and character motivations of the antagonist(s) were sorely lacking or juvenile. I really have no idea how screenwriters Orci and Kurtz keep landing writing gigs, because they are so mediocre, totally made me appreciate David Koepp's effort in the Raimi-directed Spider-Man films.
But it's not as bad as "Batman and Robin", mainly because it has very little ambition than to just occupy 140 minutes per showing at the theaters.
I give it 2 stars or a grade of C. (And I'm being charitable)
But it's not as bad as "Batman and Robin", mainly because it has very little ambition than to just occupy 140 minutes per showing at the theaters.
I give it 2 stars or a grade of C. (And I'm being charitable)
#55
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
#56
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
So basically Sony learned nothing from the Spider-Man 3 debacle where too many villains bogged down the movie.
#57
Banned by request
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
Spider-Man 2 is awesome and still holds up. It's the only Spider-Man film to date that I can imagine wanting to watch again (or, in the case of ASM 2, at all).
#58
DVD Talk Hero
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Somewhere between Heaven and Hell
Posts: 34,083
Received 723 Likes
on
528 Posts
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
I'm surprised that there wasn't any of the Sony executives that looked at this and thought, "you know, it's bloated, cut this and this and this and make it a tight film and hey, we'll be able to squeak out another showing per day and up our box office dollar."
#60
DVD Talk Hero
#61
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
Koepp was really only involved with the first Spider-Man (which was based off a script by James Cameron). Scott Rosenberg and Alvin Sargent both did uncredited rewrites.
Sargent was the only credited screenwriter to Spider-Man 2. Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and David Koepp's script along with Michael Chabon's were both rejected. Sargent and Raimi went through both scripts and chose what they liked and didn't like despite Avi Arad and the studio wanting more villains and other topics. While Gough, Millar, and Chabon were credited with the story, Koepp got the shaft.
However, Arad and the studio had their way with Spider-Man 3. Sargent, Raimi, and Sam's brother Ivan were pretty much pushed into a corner by Sony and threw in all of the characters Avad and executives wanted. Unlike 2, the creative crew pretty much caved in.
A lot of Sargent's ideas that were tossed out by the studio were put into motion for Spider-Man 4. Sony also commissioned James Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire, and Gary Ross to write their own scripts. Vanderbilt's went forward (which focused on The Lizard) and Lindsay-Abaire and Ross' were tossed. When Raimi and Sargent left (Raimi for creative reasons, Sargent because his wife was dying from cancer), Sony put together Sargent and Vanderbilt's ideas and had Steve Kloves do a rewrite to turn the film into a reboot. Sony, Arad, and executives were still not happy with Kloves' output. However, they had a date to meet with the reboot and Marc Webb brought in more writers to rewrite various different portions of the script.
With Sony giving the green light to Amazing Spider-Man 2 before the release of the reboot and already setting a date in place, Sony threw a bunch of money at Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and their buddy Jeff Pinker to frame a "cinematic universe" and write the first reboot sequel. Vanderbilt only got a "story by" credit because when Sony picked his script to put Spider-Man 4 into motion, they also signed him up for Spider-Man 5. Who knows if any of his original script elements from what was supposed to be 4 actually made it into the final film.
Kurtzman, Orci, and Pinkner were supposed to write The Amazing Spider-Man 3. With Kurtzman and Orci splitting up, who knows who will write it. That also puts their Venom spin-off into jeopardy. Amongst the reboot franchise's other turmoil (Shailene Woodley made a comment during the press junkets for Divergent in wish signs pointed to Sony and Arad not liking her take on Mary Jane) who only knows who will be writing the next one. Maybe some monkeys banging their fingers on typewriters?
TL;DR: Avi Arad can go get to hell and the cinematic rights to Spider-Man deserve to go back to Marvel.
#62
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
I enjoyed it for whats it worth... a popcorn movie. heh
Nothing great, but I have seen worst. It was better then ASM1, so at this rate maybe ASM3 will be the ONE!
Nothing great, but I have seen worst. It was better then ASM1, so at this rate maybe ASM3 will be the ONE!
#63
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
What?
Koepp was really only involved with the first Spider-Man (which was based off a script by James Cameron). Scott Rosenberg and Alvin Sargent both did uncredited rewrites.
Sargent was the only credited screenwriter to Spider-Man 2. Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and David Koepp's script along with Michael Chabon's were both rejected. Sargent and Raimi went through both scripts and chose what they liked and didn't like despite Avi Arad and the studio wanting more villains and other topics. While Gough, Millar, and Chabon were credited with the story, Koepp got the shaft.
However, Arad and the studio had their way with Spider-Man 3. Sargent, Raimi, and Sam's brother Ivan were pretty much pushed into a corner by Sony and threw in all of the characters Avad and executives wanted. Unlike 2, the creative crew pretty much caved in.
A lot of Sargent's ideas that were tossed out by the studio were put into motion for Spider-Man 4. Sony also commissioned James Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire, and Gary Ross to write their own scripts. Vanderbilt's went forward (which focused on The Lizard) and Lindsay-Abaire and Ross' were tossed. When Raimi and Sargent left (Raimi for creative reasons, Sargent because his wife was dying from cancer), Sony put together Sargent and Vanderbilt's ideas and had Steve Kloves do a rewrite to turn the film into a reboot. Sony, Arad, and executives were still not happy with Kloves' output. However, they had a date to meet with the reboot and Marc Webb brought in more writers to rewrite various different portions of the script.
With Sony giving the green light to Amazing Spider-Man 2 before the release of the reboot and already setting a date in place, Sony threw a bunch of money at Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and their buddy Jeff Pinker to frame a "cinematic universe" and write the first reboot sequel. Vanderbilt only got a "story by" credit because when Sony picked his script to put Spider-Man 4 into motion, they also signed him up for Spider-Man 5. Who knows if any of his original script elements from what was supposed to be 4 actually made it into the final film.
Kurtzman, Orci, and Pinkner were supposed to write The Amazing Spider-Man 3. With Kurtzman and Orci splitting up, who knows who will write it. That also puts their Venom spin-off into jeopardy. Amongst the reboot franchise's other turmoil (Shailene Woodley made a comment during the press junkets for Divergent in wish signs pointed to Sony and Arad not liking her take on Mary Jane) who only knows who will be writing the next one. Maybe some monkeys banging their fingers on typewriters?
TL;DR: Avi Arad can go get to hell and the cinematic rights to Spider-Man deserve to go back to Marvel.
Koepp was really only involved with the first Spider-Man (which was based off a script by James Cameron). Scott Rosenberg and Alvin Sargent both did uncredited rewrites.
Sargent was the only credited screenwriter to Spider-Man 2. Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and David Koepp's script along with Michael Chabon's were both rejected. Sargent and Raimi went through both scripts and chose what they liked and didn't like despite Avi Arad and the studio wanting more villains and other topics. While Gough, Millar, and Chabon were credited with the story, Koepp got the shaft.
However, Arad and the studio had their way with Spider-Man 3. Sargent, Raimi, and Sam's brother Ivan were pretty much pushed into a corner by Sony and threw in all of the characters Avad and executives wanted. Unlike 2, the creative crew pretty much caved in.
A lot of Sargent's ideas that were tossed out by the studio were put into motion for Spider-Man 4. Sony also commissioned James Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire, and Gary Ross to write their own scripts. Vanderbilt's went forward (which focused on The Lizard) and Lindsay-Abaire and Ross' were tossed. When Raimi and Sargent left (Raimi for creative reasons, Sargent because his wife was dying from cancer), Sony put together Sargent and Vanderbilt's ideas and had Steve Kloves do a rewrite to turn the film into a reboot. Sony, Arad, and executives were still not happy with Kloves' output. However, they had a date to meet with the reboot and Marc Webb brought in more writers to rewrite various different portions of the script.
With Sony giving the green light to Amazing Spider-Man 2 before the release of the reboot and already setting a date in place, Sony threw a bunch of money at Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and their buddy Jeff Pinker to frame a "cinematic universe" and write the first reboot sequel. Vanderbilt only got a "story by" credit because when Sony picked his script to put Spider-Man 4 into motion, they also signed him up for Spider-Man 5. Who knows if any of his original script elements from what was supposed to be 4 actually made it into the final film.
Kurtzman, Orci, and Pinkner were supposed to write The Amazing Spider-Man 3. With Kurtzman and Orci splitting up, who knows who will write it. That also puts their Venom spin-off into jeopardy. Amongst the reboot franchise's other turmoil (Shailene Woodley made a comment during the press junkets for Divergent in wish signs pointed to Sony and Arad not liking her take on Mary Jane) who only knows who will be writing the next one. Maybe some monkeys banging their fingers on typewriters?
TL;DR: Avi Arad can go get to hell and the cinematic rights to Spider-Man deserve to go back to Marvel.
#64
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
Saw it tonight and honestly I didn't think it was that bad. My expectations going in were pretty low but it was better than I expected it to be. I still thought the character designs of the villains stunk but the action was overall pretty good. Garfield did a better job this time around and Emma Stone was great as Gwen just like she was in the first one. I'd probably give it at least a 3.5 out of 5.
#65
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
I didn't mind the score but found it jarring in parts - I completely hated the electro song - hearing this horrible song in his head was idiotic (I honestly couldn't tell if it was diagetic or non-diagetic at first) and the Philip Phillips song did not fit the scene in which it was used at all. It is not often that music can completely take me out of a film but ASM2 managed to do that about 5 times.
I love Spider-Man in this movie - when Garfield is in the suit, he nails it. His chemistry with Emma Stone is undeniable....but everything with the parents was boring the first time, worse this time because they spend so much time on something that adds up to nothing. The Aunt May scenes were forgettable and all the setup of Electro feels like a bad sketch show with Foxx amping the nerd stereotypes up to 1000.
Very torn on this one. Some great scenes and fun action - but so many eye roll inducing moments. I still wake up with nightmares about the wasted potential of Raimi's Spider-Man 3 and how horrible it turned out - ASM2 didn't blow it on that grand a scale, so I'd still notch it about that abysmal turd.
I love Spider-Man in this movie - when Garfield is in the suit, he nails it. His chemistry with Emma Stone is undeniable....but everything with the parents was boring the first time, worse this time because they spend so much time on something that adds up to nothing. The Aunt May scenes were forgettable and all the setup of Electro feels like a bad sketch show with Foxx amping the nerd stereotypes up to 1000.
Very torn on this one. Some great scenes and fun action - but so many eye roll inducing moments. I still wake up with nightmares about the wasted potential of Raimi's Spider-Man 3 and how horrible it turned out - ASM2 didn't blow it on that grand a scale, so I'd still notch it about that abysmal turd.
One of the things I liked about Amazing Spider-Man was that it came off more real world (like the recent Batman trilogy), and less campy, like the previous three Spider-Man movies, especially the third one. AS2 back peddled severely into camp land with everything about Jamie Fox and the way he protrayed Electro, much to the film's detriment.
Also, in regards to Electro...
Spoiler:
Those who have said the score was terrible were pretty much spot on. Particularly the "hero" part with the horn sections, which were so 1970's Wild World Of Sports, that it just took me right out of those scenes. Would have probably been great in a Rocky movie, but that's not what we were dealing with. And that Electro song? That was almost as bad as jazz dancing Emo Spider-Man in SP3.
Aside from that, it was a decent enough popcorn flick, but not nearly as good as the first ASM. Worth seeing for all the parts with Andrew Garfeild and Emma Stone, as their Peter/Gwen chesmitry is on the money, as is Garfield's time as Spidey.
Spoiler:
Last edited by Rocketdog2000; 05-03-14 at 12:37 AM.
#66
Member
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
I guess I'm going into this with very low expectations, but then again, I felt that way about the first of these new ones and thought it was second only to Spider-Man 2. So who knows, but the too many villains thing didn't have me too optimistic. I will see it this weekend and report back later.
#67
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
I'm probably going to see it again with a different group of friends, but I walked out of the film feeling it was average and sloppy. At times I felt like everything introduced was half-finished or an excuse to make sure the next TASM film (or Sinister Six), isn't introducing 6 villains at once.
#68
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
It felt like it was actually Amazing Spider Man 3 and I had missed the second film somehow.
They should have given Peter and Gwen another year in high school.
And, in addition to what other people brought up, was anyone else bothered by the whole Peter and Harry bonding scene? "You were there for me when my parents died." Sounds like two adults or at least post college age guys talking about something that happened a few years before when they were at least teenagers. Instead, they're talking about something that happened at least 10 years before when they were like 8 years old. How deep could it have been? Just felt like a really forced, don't-think-about-it-too-much moment. :/
They should have given Peter and Gwen another year in high school.
Spoiler:
And, in addition to what other people brought up, was anyone else bothered by the whole Peter and Harry bonding scene? "You were there for me when my parents died." Sounds like two adults or at least post college age guys talking about something that happened a few years before when they were at least teenagers. Instead, they're talking about something that happened at least 10 years before when they were like 8 years old. How deep could it have been? Just felt like a really forced, don't-think-about-it-too-much moment. :/
#69
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
Peter being "destined" to be Spider-Man is such bullshit and negates everything that actually makes him a special every-man. Fuck everyone involved with these re-boots.
#70
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
Saw this earlier today. It left me with the same feeling as "Batman Forever". The Peter Parker stuff was good, but the rest was a bit of a disjointed mess. The villains were caricatures and over-the-top and Emma Stone was woefully underutilized being that she was one of the best things about the film. It almost felt like they left a lot of her scenes on the cutting room floor. And that's a tragedy in this particular case. There was a good film lurking somewhere in here, but the filmmakers couldn't quite manage to get there.
#71
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
Oh, and one other thing I forgot to mention...
There's a plot point scene shown in the trailers, that doesn't even take place in the actual movie. Not that that's never been done before, but I noticed it while whatching the movie last night.
Harry Osbourne (to Peter) - "Peter Parker. You're going to want to see this. Oscorp had you under observation. (Shows him multiple photos on computer screen)
Peter Parker - "Why?"
Harry Osbourne - "Well isn't that the million dollar question?"
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nbp3Ra3Yp74" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
There's a plot point scene shown in the trailers, that doesn't even take place in the actual movie. Not that that's never been done before, but I noticed it while whatching the movie last night.
Harry Osbourne (to Peter) - "Peter Parker. You're going to want to see this. Oscorp had you under observation. (Shows him multiple photos on computer screen)
Peter Parker - "Why?"
Harry Osbourne - "Well isn't that the million dollar question?"
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nbp3Ra3Yp74" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Last edited by Rocketdog2000; 05-03-14 at 04:00 PM.
#72
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
- The whole Electro arc (especially Foxx's gap-toothed take on Dillon) was veering dangerously close to Schumacher-level camp. His whole subplot should have been dropped from the movie, but Foxx is too big a name for that to happen. Stupid, clichι, silly... all words I'd use to describe that character.
- I'd read more than a couple comments on these boards praising Dan Dehaan as a future star, but I found his take on Harry equally off-putting and one note. Just a sterotypical brooding villain with a contrived motivation for revenge. The guy looks like the bastard love child of Sam Neill and Meg Foster.
- Andrew Garfield does have chemistry with Emma Stone, but that's about all he brings to table. His Peter Parker is so bland and forgettable that I almost yearn for the days of Tobey Maguire strutting down the street and busting out disco moves.
- Stone is very attractive and her big blue eyes sparkle in her many close ups, which is about the best thing this film had to offer.
- Rhino (and the foreshadowed Vulture) originating as a stupid mechanical suit created by Oscorp was just icing on an already shitty cake.
- This one definitely killed any interest I had in seeing future installments. Mark Webb is clearly a director for hire... these movies have "made by committee" stamped all over them. At least we still have Marvel Studios putting out (mostly) quality product on a regular basis.
- I'd read more than a couple comments on these boards praising Dan Dehaan as a future star, but I found his take on Harry equally off-putting and one note. Just a sterotypical brooding villain with a contrived motivation for revenge. The guy looks like the bastard love child of Sam Neill and Meg Foster.
- Andrew Garfield does have chemistry with Emma Stone, but that's about all he brings to table. His Peter Parker is so bland and forgettable that I almost yearn for the days of Tobey Maguire strutting down the street and busting out disco moves.
- Stone is very attractive and her big blue eyes sparkle in her many close ups, which is about the best thing this film had to offer.
- Rhino (and the foreshadowed Vulture) originating as a stupid mechanical suit created by Oscorp was just icing on an already shitty cake.
- This one definitely killed any interest I had in seeing future installments. Mark Webb is clearly a director for hire... these movies have "made by committee" stamped all over them. At least we still have Marvel Studios putting out (mostly) quality product on a regular basis.
#73
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
Saw it. Good action and great chemistry between Stone and Garfield. That said, the movie really suffered from pacing issues, plot holes , and uneven tones. I don't mind it when comic adaptations do a storyline from the source, but it should never be shoe-horned like they did in this instance. Paul Giamatta was completely irrelevant to this movie. Both he and Chris Cooper must be laughing all the way to the bank for getting paid for such small amounts of work.
I did like the
I did like the
Spoiler:
#75
DVD Talk Godfather
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Gateway Cities/Harbor Region
Posts: 63,259
Received 1,793 Likes
on
1,121 Posts
Re: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Webb, 2014) The Reviews Thread
I didnt like or dislike ASM. It was ok. I like ASM2 a lot more than I thought I would even though it started to drag after a while. I thought it was brave to kill off a certain character. Funny in fact....
I kept waiting for the rhino to show up and well....seriously?.
I kept waiting for the rhino to show up and well....seriously?.