In the midst of the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man series has been going through somewhat of its own renaissance period, so much so that The Amazing Spider-Man 3 has trended on social media as fans have called for Garfield's canceled third movie to be greenlit. The opening scene serves as the basis of an origin story as to what happened to Peter Parker’s parents. One of the biggest complaints surrounding The Amazing Spider-Man was that it served an additional premise introducing the world only a few years after the original trilogy had premiered.
The biggest difference between Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and Marc Webb’s was the decision to focus on Peter and Gwen Stacey’s relationship and leave MJ out of the picture completely (indeed, Shailene Woodley filmed scenes as MJ that were ultimately cut from the film). Fans of the comics and even Marvel’s Spider-Man seem to lean in favor of MJ being Peter’s end-all. However, Emma Stone brought a life to the character that was absolutely charming. In this article we’re going to get tangled up in a web of reasons that explain why The Amazing Spider-Man 2 wasn’t actually that bad.
Spidey's Sick Threads
For the most part, the suit designs for all the Spider-Man movies has seen little criticism. Those who remember Sam Raimi's take on Spider-Man can recall the scene in which Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker sews together his own suit. Andrew Garfield's Peter, however, uses technology to get his webs to shoot further with a wrist piece that he designs. He, too, has a make-shift costume before upgrading to the spandex, but Garfield shared an interesting fact in an interview that each Spider-Man gets their own personal suit designed specifically for the actor. Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man 2 suit is a completely different design from his first.
For his sequel, Marc Webb wanted to have Spider-Man's suit look closer to the look in the comic book. This meant making the eyes white and larger on the mask. The red is slightly different from the original design, and the blue as well. There is a deeper emphasis on the silver in the webbing, and the texture appears different too. The webs seem to be raised and pop off of the suit. Even the movies the truest critics have a hard time dissing the new suit design.
Electric Visual Effects
At the time of its release, fans were disappointed that the Rhino fight scene actually turned out to be a bit of a tease. Instead, the choice was to explore the Green Goblin and Electro. Electro, formerly known as Max Dillon, is played by Jamie Foxx. Max is a New York City loner who becomes obsessed with Spider-Man after he encounters him and the hero shares some encouraging words. Spider-Man told him, "You're my guy. You're my ears and eyes on the street." Max becomes obsessive and starts to believe that he is truly the hero's sidekick. One night, he falls into a tank filled with electric eels and large electric wires fall into the tank as well. He emerges bitten and as his charred pieces of skin fall from his body, electric blue emerges.
A lot of people would be lead to believe that Electro was almost completely CGI, but Foxx actually had to go through a great deal of extensive makeup to transform into Spider-Man's new arch nemesis. In an interview with FoxNews.com, Foxx explained, "It was like taking me and dipping me in blue candle wax for four hours... But then, when I looked at it and saw what they did with the (CGI)–it was incredible. People don’t even know that it’s actually me–they think it’s all CGI.” Marc Webb told the digital effects team that he wanted the inspiration to be nature-based. So, the angrier Electro would get, the deeper the red in his electric currents would go. You can't deny that the visual effects of Electro help make The Amazing Spider-Man 2 even that more aesthetically pleasing on the re-watch.
King of the Goblins
Out of all of Spider-Man's enemies, his biggest offender is the Green Goblin. Sam Raimi's take on Goblin was that his villainous transition came from purely within. His violent outbursts against the city and desire to destroy Spidey was all part of the physical destruction. However, Marc Webb shows Goblin in a completely different light, and really brings on a bit of body horror in the transition from human Harry to Green Goblin.
Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) returns to New York soon after the death of his father. He reconnects with Peter and in the midst of attempting to cure a genetic disease he turns himself into the Green Goblin instead. Harry's transformation is completely physical. In an attempt to make himself better, Harry cures his disease, but in turn gives himself a much more sinister one. Much like the transformation from a human to a beast, Harry starts taking on the characteristics of a goblin. All the makeup is practical, and the face distortion is completely canvased on Dane DeHaan's face.
"I Love You" Bridge
After the death of Gwen's father Captain Stacy in the first movie, the fate of Peter and Gwen's relationship is up for determination. In the true fashion of Spider-Man story telling, the two work through their issues after England attempts to come between them. Peter is finally ready to declare himself Spider-Man, and accept the fate of New York as his responsibility. Gwen and Peter had plans to go to England, but because of Peter's declaration, he can't go. In an attempt to make his intentions with Gwen clear, he writes "I Love You" in webbing on the bridge and then finds her and declares that she’s his path and says he’ll follow her to England. The chemistry between Garfield and Stone is undeniably infectious, and they have the audience rooting for them the whole time. There isn't anything cinematically profound about the bridge scene, but it does serve as one of the most romantic points in the Spider-Man movies, despite the looming fate that is to occur later in the film.
Gwen Stacy's Fate
The argument over Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson is a tale as old as time. There are fans that believe that Gwen was Peter's one true love and defines the core of his relationship with MJ. Others believe that MJ is his end-all-be-all, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 makes sure that Gwen has no say of her own. One of the most tragic, but impactful, scenes of the movie is when Peter is trying to save Gwen from falling to her fate and fails. Peter grasps to clutch her with his webs, but he is too late. Gwen's death is the pivotal moment in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 because it shows the audience one of the lowest points in Peter's life since Uncle Ben, and explains why he is so cautious with MJ easily making Marc Webb's sequel an important film in the world of Spider-Man.