by Aaron Schweitzer, Editor
Welcome to the Another Person’s Treasure. In this series, we discuss films that have not been well received by critics and have not been well liked by the general public. However, we think there are films that deserve to be given a second chance. Let us begin, shall we?
Spider-Man is really popular right now, given the critical and commercial success of No Way Home. Because of obvious reasons for people who have seen the film, or who have even been on Twitter at all in the last six months, it has caused a lot of people to look back at some of the previous installments. It seems like people have finally come around to the conclusion that the Andrew Garfield films are better than they initially thought, but we’re still not quite there yet.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 holds a 6.6 on IMDb, a 51% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, 64% audience score, 53 on Metacritic, and holds a 2.7 aggregate on Letterboxd. While there have certainly been people that have changed their mind, and therefore their ratings, this film is still criminally underrated. This isn’t the first time I’ve said that either. Here’s some proof. Now that you know I think TASM2 is a damn good movie, let’s list off some of the reasons why.
First and foremost, Garfield is the best Spider-Man we have ever had. I have never been a huge Tobey Maguire fan, though I respect what he has done for the character and for comic book films in general. Tom Holland is also great, but there is just something special about what Garfield is doing. He has great comedic timing and is easily the best emotional actor of the three (yes, even more than Holland being dusted away, or when he is around at Tony Stark’s death). The way that Garfield can take a simply line and turn it into something memorable (“Peter Number Three”) without the script really calling for it demonstrates why he embodies the more comedic element of Peter Parker. Also, the fact that he has a crying scene with a loved one that didn’t feel borderline laughable (looking at you, Tobey) shows why he is the best emotional actor in the role. Garfield is the best Spider-Man, and he really shines in all three of his films.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about the score to this film. After the intro, we’re reunited with present day Spider-Man free falling from the sky, and there’s this incredible jolt that runs through my entire nervous system because Hans Zimmer is just too good at his job. While not quite as iconic as the cartoon Spider-Man music, “I’m Spider-Man” is my personal favorite piece of music in a Spider-Man property and even rivals the rest of the superhero themes. Aside from that, Zimmer and The Magnificent Six create a sadly-too-forgotten soundtrack that really deserves another listen, maybe even at the gym.
One of the first things you should notice about this film when you pop it in next time is that it is still the best shot Spider-Man film. While the action itself may take a back seat of runtime, when it is going, you can’t take your eyes off the screen. Need an example? Check out the cover photo for this article! Or re-watch the scene where Peter chases after Rhino in the beginning. Not only does The Amazing Spider-Man 2 have the best suit, it’s also the most visually appealing. Just imagine if Marc Webb would have directed No Way Home…
When Peter and Gwen Stacy finally reunite on screen, my heart warms up every time, not just because Garfield and Emma Stone are some of the most beautiful people in Hollywood, but because they also have incredible chemistry. Recently, it was revealed that Amy Pascal, producer of the films, encouraged Tom Holland and Zendaya to try to not form a romantic connection like Andrew and Emma had because “what if it ends,” and they seem to have always had more plans for Tom to stay in the role longer Garfield or Maguire. Garfield and Stone started dating during TASM and dated through, even after Garfield didn’t have the role, and it really shows. You can tell that these two care for each other in every moment they share on screen, and at times it really feels like they just pointed cameras at them, said this is the situation, and let them run with it. They’re one of those couples that you genuinely get upset when you find out they’re not together in real life (like Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling or Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson), but it’s worse since they used to be together!
While this movie has the most devastating movie moment of all the Spider-Man films, it puts a smile on my face as I put it in on every time. When taking down Rhino the first time, Peter is whistling the classic cartoon theme. He’s also making quips as he is hopping all over the truck. When he is playing with batteries for his shooters to withstand Electro’s attacks, he’s like a kid in a toy shop. After he distracts the guards so Gwen can escape from Oscorp, Peter jumps and does a little heel click. It just looks like Garfield is having the time of his life on set. My favorite feel-good moment in this film is when Aunt May comes in and he is covered in soot and she asks him why he’s dirty. He says he was cleaning the chimney and when May says they don’t have a chimney, he lets out this hilarious “Whaaaa?…”
Lastly, the reason this movie works so well is because it is about hope. While it is easy to let some of the darker moments overshadow this film, or to say that Electro (Jamie Foxx) is pretty underserved, or to even say it has too many villains, that is not the point. All of those points I can certainly understand, but this is a movie about Peter, not about Electro. Even in Electro’s origins, it involves Peter being the embodiment of hope. When he interacts with Max, the film shows why he is the ideal hero. Even after Max turns into Electro, his first instinct isn’t to try to fight him; rather, Peter sees a confused person that needs help. He is a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in this film more than he is in any other, which is saying something because that’s a whole act in Homecoming. He interacts with a kid named Jorge who is being bullied and he helps him out — we later see Jorge stand up to Rhino because Spider-Man inspired him earlier. Even in the scene where Peter is skipping rocks with Harry, he talks about how Spider-Man is the hope of the city because he believes it himself. Though facing the strongest adversity in losing Gwen, we get the sense that Peter Parker and Spider-Man will never be the same again, but he still shows up when it counts.
The reasons you could not like this movie are plenty. I used to think it would be perfect if Sony would have let Marc Webb make the movie he wanted to make without trying to be that, plus a Sinister Six setup film. This movie certainly isn’t perfect, but I think we have viewed this movie wrong for the last seven years. Movies don’t have to have a great villain or work as a standalone to be a good superhero film. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn’t about Electro, Rhino, Green Goblin, Aunt May, Peter’s parents, The Sinister Six, or even Oscorp. It’s about Peter Parker’s greatest fear coming true, leaving us in a place that we can’t help but wonder what’s next. I love what the MCU has done with Spider-Man, but I truthfully want this iteration of Peter Parker’s story to continue a lot more than Tom Holland’s. I’m just so sad that it has taken the rest of the world seven years to want more of these films.
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