"We wanted this film to be more playful, more fun," says director Marc Webb, who returns to the helm. Capturing Peter Parker's natural wit - especially as Spider-Man - was one of the keys to the film that Webb wanted to make. "You look at the comic books and you see it - his quips, his funniness, his light-hearted qualities. That's part of what so many people love about Spider-Man - and certainly what I love about him."
"The superhero genre is built on creating extremes - physical extremes, but also emotional extremes," says Webb. "The thing about Spider-Man that I most identify with is that he's not stoic - he's a kid. I think it's important for heroes to express their emotions, to let that flow in a way that is true, and authentic, and honest. In my films, I like to see people crack open, when life is at its most brutal but also at its most joyful."
"Our film has as much or more spectacle and action as any film out there. It is extraordinary in its scope, but none of that dynamic visual conflict, action, means anything if you don't care about the characters. The conflicts that surround Peter Parker create an incredibly tender, human story about a kid trying to grow up in the world. We expand that into an epic, operatic form, but the heart is alive and well, protected, beautiful, funny, and entertaining in its own right."
Put another way, Webb says, "Peter's powers are only part of his heroism - and not even the most important part. It's his character, his integrity, that makes him who he is."
The screenwriting team of Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner - writers who have been responsible for such franchises and ground-breaking television programmes as Star Trek, Transformers, Alias, Fringe, and many others - deliver a crackling script (the screen story is by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orc, Jeff Pinkner and James Vanderbilt.)
Kurtzman, Orci, and Pinkner took care to ensure that their screenplay felt like part of the same world that was established in the first Amazing Spider-Man film.
"We loved that movie for its tone," Kurtzman says. "It feels grounded in the real world, entirely fresh, and yet it didn't betray at all what Spider-Man is; in fact, it only enhanced it in a new way. So our challenge was to live up to that and build it to new and exciting places. There were so many unanswered questions from the first movie - that was a real drive for us."
Pinkner adds: "This movie is very much a maturing process for Peter - not only in his relationship with Gwen, but also what it means to go from being a young man to a young adult. One of the things that Peter is going to have to face is that life is short and always transient; relationships are coming and going, and the best we can do is try to enjoy the journey and make the most of the time we have."
Kurtzman notes that though the screenwriters took some liberties in telling the story, some basic elements from the canon are immutable, and they paid homage to those. "It was an interesting challenge: How do you stay totally truthful to the spirit and origin of the characters, while also updating it? We're standing on the shoulders of giants - we have to honour what came before. For us, Marvel's 'Ultimate' series helped us a lot - they laid the path."
Andrew Garfield is back in top form, adding a humorous edge and wounded darkness to Parker, who thoroughly makes the most of living out his life as Spider-Man, swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone).
Garfield was eager to return to the role for many reasons - not least of which is the fact that he's a huge fan of the character. "I know how important it is to be a fan. I know what Spider-Man can do for kids - and for people who aren't kids anymore," he says. "For anyone who encounters the character, who has an affinity for him, it's so reassuring when it's done right. No matter what problems you have in your life, Spider-Man is there as evidence that you can get through it - because Peter Parker has all the problems of a kid, and he's getting through it, too. He's reaching out his hand to tell you it'll be okay."
Garfield sees Spider-Man as the ultimate protector of the underdog. "He has an overdeveloped sense of responsibility and heroic impulse, but he has this deeply felt sense of justice," Garfield explains. "That's not something you can learn - you're born that way."
Garfield says that the filmmakers opened up the character much more in this film - harking back to the original characterisation in the comic books. "Peter Parker trips over his own two feet, but Spider-Man can trip anybody up. He's a trickster," says Garfield. "One of the defining characteristics of the trickster is they turn their enemies' weaknesses against themselves - rather than throwing punches and kicks, they are making their opponents beat themselves."
To pull it off, Garfield trained and practiced and studied the masters. "Cal McCrystal was our 'Clown Deviser' - our name for a physical comedy consultant. There were certain scenes, certain ideas that came directly out of conversations that I'd had with Cal. And I love Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton - I admire that skill. We had an opportunity to explore that as Spider-Man has the same kind of physical foolishness."
Life is not all moonshine and fun escapades for our ordinary superhero wearing the Spider-Man mask; although he can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city, a dark shadow threatens his stature when Spider-Man's greatest fan becomes his greatest foe.
Jamie Foxx plays Electro, a villain deeply rooted in Spider-Man lore: a tragic figure, even sympathetic in some ways, but one who makes the wrong choices that lead him into evil and opposition against Spider-Man. He's a man who has been ignored his whole life and when he becomes Electro, he wants recognition, at all costs, and takes out his frustration and anger on humanity, specifically targeting Spider-Man.
For Foxx, joining the Spider-Man franchise wasn't quite like taking on any other role. "It's a great feeling to come to work on a Spider-Man movie," he says. "I remember the moment I first stepped onto the set and I saw Andrew in the suit. For me, it was like a moment in history. We're doing something that people really love. It's a part of our fabric, part of our culture. That was very meaningful to me and it was a responsibility I took seriously - in crafting Electro, I wanted to be a formidable opponent."
Joining the cast in the pivotal role of Harry Osborn and the Green Goblin is Dane DeHaan, who will soon be seen in The Devil's Knot and Kill Your Darlings. He delivers a superb performance in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as Peter's long-lost friend who turns from privileged trust fund kid to the most menacing villain in New York.
"There have been many iterations of the Goblin within the Spider-Man canon," says DeHaan. "We did the research about how these characters have become the Goblin, what the Goblin was. We had a responsibility to honour the material and to make it our own. Even though we took some liberties, it was of utmost importance to honour the classic elements of the Green Goblin that everyone knows and loves."
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is fun with a capital F and will not disappoint Spidey fans. It is an absolute treat for those seeking hard core 3D escapism.
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