4. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Just like with Spider-Man 3 this is another film that suffers from having too much going on. Again there are three villains, one is only there to set things up for the next film, and not enough time is given to them to make them really matter. Harry Osborn gets a little more to do than Electro but neither Dane DeHaan nor Jamie Foxx give particularly good performances. There are some things to enjoy that mostly come from the human side of Spider-Man. His relationship with Gwen is a strength just like the first film because Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone have great chemistry together. One thing that’s present here which isn’t in most superhero films is real emotion. Certain moments pack a real punch while others are a swing and a miss. Sally Field is another positive, as are the special effects, but this one falls short of its predecessor.
Originally published May 19, 2014. Updated April 15, 2018.
