Another circle jerk from Marvel. Honestly, I’d rather you read any other review I’ve done today since this movie has already been given too much press.
What Works: Well, Andrew Garfield has good chemistry with Emma Stone, and uhhhh, well…ummm…Stone is certainly a livelier presence than Kristen Dunst was in the first films (but not necessarily a more intriguing one). Uhhhhh, ummm…I like Dane Dehaan and Jamie Foxx in general, but not necessarily in this movie.
What Doesn’t: Andrew Garfield isn’t a very good Spider-Man. [I know the Marvel hordes will be ready to murder me now.] He’s too confident with women and too angsty around everyone else. It’s like a goofier version of Daniel Craig’s James Bond trying to play a teenage loner.
Then there’s the usual litany of problems I have with Marvel films: the villains aren’t distinct, the pacing is lackluster and the film’s at least thirty minutes too long, the action sequences aren’t memorable, and everything seems built around a payoff that never comes. This film (like ALL Marvel movies post-Iron Man 1) is too concerned with world building and trying to build a larger mythology—-this film sets up a spin-off for The Sinister Six, an all villain movie and of course Spider-Man 3—-than with delivering the goods in the here and now. These films are all unsatisfying build-up with an ending that’s nowhere in sight.
And the big “shocker” ending? People knew about it a year ago, comic fans have known about it for longer, and it doesn’t feel well set-up nor does it really resonate. It should feel like a gut punch, but I felt numb towards it.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Too many Marvel-based movies…just…too…many. Could you imagine Christopher Nolan putting an obvious and jokey Frank Miller cameo in The Dark Knight trilogy the way Stan Lee pops up in all Marvel movies?