May 2nd in Chicago: Obviously there was a lot of hype for this film, the 5th Spider-Man film in 12 years. Let me get right to the point...this film was not good and very disappointing. The Spider-Man reboot happened came out in 2012 and the it's sequel only 2 years after that. The film looked rushed. I've done some research and all of the Rhino scenes were shoehorned in at the the last minute. Even the relationship between Peter and Harry seemed forced. It's revealed that Harry comes back to Osbourne Manor because his father, Norman, is dying. Harry has been away at boarding school for 8 years. We are led to believe that Harry and Peter are best pals despite not having seen each other in nearly a decade! Also, it's been noted that Dane DeHaan's performance of Harry Osbourne was very similar (if not exact) to his role as the villain in Chronicle. Jamie Foxx's turn as Max Dillon was very reminiscent if Jim Carrey's Edward Nigma in Batman Forever. As Electro he really just talked in a bitter deep voice. Much like Carrey as the Riddler, Foxx hammed it up. He's capable of better.
The film also borrowed A LOT from Sam Raimi's Spiderman films. After Harry is installed as the CEO of Oscorp (a 20 year old kid who doesn't even have a college degree mind you) the board works behind the scenes to wrest control from him. Harry then busts Electro out of Ravenscroft Institute (the Marvel Universe version of Arkham Asylum) to exact revenge on the man who took control of his company away (much like Willem DaFoe did). What I thought was interesting was that after being freed, Electro and Harry stop off at a superhero haberdashery to pickup a supersuit for Electro, complete with a spiffy lightning bolt logo on the sleeve. Apparently the tailor at the haberdashery they used works very fast.
Garfield & Stone go through the same, "I love her but I can't be with her lest her life becomes threatened because I'm Spider-Man" dance as McGuire and Dunst did in the first go around. Garfield is haunted by the image of Dennis Leary so he breaks up with Stone and I got the feeling it wasn't the first time either. Even DeHaan's transformation into the Green Goblin is the same as DeFoe's transformation with the notable exception that DeHaan used an injection whereas DeFoe used gas.
Now, I'm willing to overlook some science stuff when it comes to Science Fiction (like the fact that Peter invented a super strong polymer and delivery system [webbing & web shooters] but his aunt has to take extra jobs to pay the mortgage) but there were a few things that have no semblance of realism but have nothing to do with science fiction. The glaring examples were Gwen Stacy getting a high level job at Oscorp despite having only graduated high school (it was a science high school so maybe that had something to do with it). She also has the ability to reset the power grid after Electro's mayhem. Let's not forget that the was wanted by Oscorp security for an illegal hack. She leaves and that's that. I got to think that someone from Oscorp would have something to say about that seeing how it's an evil corporation and all. There's also the fact that the NYPD seem to have several trucks carrying riot fences around in case of super villain mischief. The police and the barricades show up quickly but SWAT or something like that gets stuck in traffic.
In the Sony's version of the Marvel Universe SHIELD doesn't exist but the NYPD and FBI do. When Spider-Man battle a mechanized Rhino at the end of the film it seems realistic that either the two or any other law enforcement agency (be it federal, state or whomever) might want to take a look at the unique technology of the Rhino suit. The events take place in the post 9/11 world of NYC. The authorities do not take kindly to mechanized battle suits shooting up Manhattan. An analysis of the armor would probably find out a lot about how it's manufactured and could possibly lead the cops to Oscorp. Of course that could put a holes in any possible sequels and a Sinister Six spin-off series so why bother with things like that.
On the plus side, the chemistry between Garfield and Stone was great. The filmmakers did a nice job with the homage to Gwen Stacy's death in Spider-Man #121. However, there were a lot of useless cameos and inside jokes as well but I just don't have the energy to go through them. Judge the film yourself but it was not good and it should have been better. Thank you for your time.
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