The Amazing Spider-man 2

Back in 2012, the Spider-man movie franchise was re-booted with an entirely new cast and tone.  I enjoyed the first movie in the new series- and thanks to (apparent) memory-loss problems, I reviewed it twice (here and here).  In theaters now is part 2- how did it measure up?

In The Amazing Spider-man 2, we see Spidey conflicted.  At the end of the first movie, he promises Gwen Stacey's father (the police chief who passes away) that he'll stay away from Gwen, for her own protection.  But, he loves her, and the feeling is mutual, so in Spidey 2, they're together.  Then they break up, because he feels bad/wants to shield her . . . then they're together . . . then they're apart . . . etc.  With this in the backdrop, Peter has to fight a new foe- Electro.  An Oscorp employee who gets electrocuted, falls into a tank of eels, and becomes pure energy (or something), Electro seems bent on destroying Spider-man and getting noticed for the first time in his heretofore unnoticed life.  Also, Harry Osborn- Parker's friend from 10 years ago who was sent away to boarding school by his unloving father- has come back, and wants to find Spidey for a personal reason.  In addition, Peter's still mulling over the mystery of his parent's involvement with Oscorp (introduced last movie).  And there's other stuff going on.

If it's not obvious from the prior paragraph, Spidey 2 has a lot going on- too much.  There are too many stories, too many characters, and too many tones.  The movie starts off light- almost comedic- but then takes a much darker/suspenseful tone, then switches to romance, then back, etc.  It doesn't know what it's trying to be.  Character origins and motives for Electro and Osborn are rushed and inadequately developed.  Finally, it's not really clear what the overall point of the movie is (other than "it's Spider-man!").  I think the main point is let the past go, and live in the present.  But if that is the point, it's made in a roundabout, too-much-fluff way.

Sequels are always hard. I started off really liking this movie, but as it went on and more stories/characters were introduced, my enthusiasm steadily waned.  It's not as good as part 1.  Entertaining, certainly, with amazing effects.  But it's just too much.

Rating: B-