Back in 2007, Columbia pictures released "Spider-Man 3" to mediocre reviews. The critics and audience members at large felt that the plot was overly cluttered with subplots and failed to build on the developing story of Spider-Man and his alter ego Peter Parker. In that film, Peter turned into an unstable freak due to the power that he felt from his new Venom suit. The character's development felt forced and lacked the complexity that had been on display in the film's prequel; in that film, Peter grappled with the difficulties of being a hero and how it damaged his personal life.

In 2012, the company rebooted the franchise with a new cast in what was in many ways a repeat of the original "Spider-Man" movie. Fast-forward to the present and audiences are now faced with yet another "Spider-Man" sequel -- "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

In this film, Peter (Andrew Garfield) is struggling with the promise he made to Captain Stacy about staying away from his daughter Gwen (Emma Stone). This plot pervades the narrative throughout and is the major highlight of Marc Webb's film. Both Garfield and Stone have palpable chemistry and are actors of the highest order; their real-life relationship translates beautifully onscreen and makes the viewer not only care for the two but also root for them. More importantly, Webb and the screenwriters are not afraid to push the relationship to its limits. At one point, Gwen tells Peter that she is heading to London because it is what is best for her. In some films, the writers would have Peter beg her not to leave and she would accept despite the fact that it benefits both of them if she does in fact leave. In this particular film, Peter's selflessness in this case comes off not as heroic, but as an honest man who does what is best for his beloved. The relationship is on and off throughout the film; in most movies, this would be a repetitive annoyance, but Garfield and Stone make it quite believable and engaging. These nuances in the relationship make the eventual resolution for the two all the more emotionally engaging.

The biggest problem with this installment is one that Sony/Columbia have not learned from in "Spider-Man 3." That film had a plethora of villains that ultimately did not amount to much. Instead of spending time developing one baddie (as director Sam Raimi had wisely done in the first two installments of the franchise), that film tried to cram three different antagonists in hopes of pleasing fans. The result was a bunch of underdeveloped characters and a choppy plot. A plethora of subplots, two centered on major villains, also plague and hamper "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." Technically there are three villains in this sequel, but one of them, the Rhino (Paul Giamatti), is on screen for about 15 minutes at most. His inclusion is sadly nothing more than an attempt to create anticipation for the likely "The Amazing Spider-Man 3" or the recently announced "Sinister Six" spin-off. His role in the film has no bearing on the plot whatsoever. Surely clever marketing, but also manipulative and unnecessary.

The other two bad guys, Electro and Harry Osborn (aka the Goblin), dominate the film. Electro, who is supposed to be the main villain, originates from perennial loser Max Dillon (Jaime Foxx) who is obsessed with Spider-Man and thinks that the entire world does not appreciate him. One day he accidently falls into a tank full of electric eels and is transformed. For a while, Webb intelligently tries to give the character some complexity instead of making him completely evil right away. In an ensuing action sequence, he actually tries to stop his own inherent violence until he gets illogically jealous of Spider-Man (for taking his spotlight, no less) and then decides that he wants to kill him. The quick transformation from victim to villain does not quite work here as the character's singular motivation for taking down Spider-Man seems more like a rash action without any logic or reasoning behind it. The bigger issue at hand is that Dillon really feels unnecessary in the grand scheme of the plot. The film toys with the theme of the displaced "orphan" which is embodied by Harry, Peter and Gwen in differing ways. While Dillon is abandoned by society at large, his development comes to an end the moment he decides to become a monster and sets his sights on destroying Spider-Man. How does this plan actually help him achieve his ultimate goal of acceptance by other people? The writers never solve this problem and ultimately leave Electro to be a necessary plot device instead of fully integrating what started off as a good idea.

Harry's involvement in the plot is far more interesting but rather abrupt. He and Peter meet again for the first time in 10 years. That particular scene is a bit awkward initially as it poses some serious questions about why these guys would consider themselves "best pals" after having no contact for 10 years. Some solid dialogue about past memories quells this danger rather quickly. But the friendship's development is cut off after a single interaction as the film hones in on Harry's plight to overcome an illness that is killing him. The only way to save him (or so he thinks) is to obtain Spider-Man's blood; when this is refused to him, he also turns against the superhero. Harry's turn into a villain is far stronger than Dillon's, especially as the rejection by Spider-Man comes on the heels of his realizing that the most important inheritance he has received from his dead father is death itself. But the eventual outcome for Harry is not handled particularly well. He hastily turns into a super villain as well, but there is some confusion as to how he heals from his life-threatening disease; is it from the blood or from his new weaponized suit? The film never clarifies this point, making the entire plot development come off as a empty. The Goblin shows up at the end of the film for about 10 minutes in what becomes an unnecessary battle that only serves to fulfill a famous plot point from the comic books. The battle comes out of nowhere and its hasty execution (which should have been saved for the next movie) saps the dramatic consequences of their full power. 

But the subplots do not end there. In perhaps the most pointless of all the stories converging (or attempting to converge) in the film is Peter's search for the truth about his father. As noted above, abandonment plays a major role in the film, justifying Peter's continued desire to find out why his parents left him. This search takes him through a breath-taking scene with Aunt May (arguably the most compelling moment in the entire movie) but the ultimate climax in which he makes the long-awaited discovery actually comes off rather short and anti-climactic. The truth has some bearings on the plot, but still feels like filler that could have and should have been removed from the film.

There is also the unnecessary addition of two airplanes flying toward the blacked-out New York City in an attempt to create unneeded tension at the climax of the film. This particular ploy is frustrating in how it takes away from the confrontation between Electro and Spider-Man.

While these plots do have some thematic cohesion, the execution is rather haphazard. It is clear that Webb is overwhelmed by the quantity of content that he has to cram into the film and the result is a film that lacks consistency in tone and flow. The opening sequence is devoted to showing the viewer how Peter's parents died and their final action; that will have an impact later in the film, but as aforementioned, the end result does not justify devoting so much time to them. The opening sequence of the film, in which Spider-Man chases down Aleksei Sytsevich (the eventual Rhino), exaggerates the camp element to such an extent that it feels like it belongs in another movie. During this sequence, Spider-Man jumps on the truck that Sytsevich has robbed and starts trying to joke around with him despite the dangerous situation he is in. The rest of the film is rather "dark" in its tone with the gags and jokes actually being toned down for the most part; that makes this opening sequence all the more awkward in the context. The musical choices by composer Hans Zimmer, particularly in regards to Dillon's character development, are solid throughout. During his early scenes, the music is rather hokey, almost poking fun at the character. But as he turns into the super villain, the original theme takes on a more menacing quality until it becomes a cacophony of electronic music. The romance is given its own leitmotifs and the rest of the music alternates between pop songs and fully orchestrated cues.

The action sequences are a mixed bag as they focus heavily on computerized CGI effects that often come off as heavy-handed. In an attempt to emphasize Spider-Man's "Spider sense (his ability to sense things before anyone else and thus react quickly to them)," Webb and the VFX team employ slow motion almost every other second. It is useful for creating tension in some particular scenes (such as when Spider-Man prepares to save a couple of people from being electrocuted in Times Square) but its overindulgent use in later action sequences ultimate saps said tension from the proceedings.

While this analysis of the film may come off as exceedingly negative, it is essential to point out that the film still manages to be a great deal of fun. The performances from the main actors are so solid that they manage to overcome the numerous weaknesses in the script. Garfield remains a nice mix between awkward and cool while Stone is alluring and vulnerable. Foxx's strangeness as Dillon actually creates sympathy for the viewer while Sally Field's gentility makes her few scenes memorable. Dane DeHaan arguably steals the show as he mixes madness with composure in arguably the finest rendition of Harry Osborn yet (sorry, James Franco).

Also worthy of praise is the fact that the product placement, which can be an eye sore in other Sony films, is subtler throughout the film. That does not mean that viewers will fail to see Sony logos on computers, but the presentation of the brands is not as distracting as in other films.

"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" is enjoyable on the strength of the performances alone, but the film unfortunately fails on a number of other fronts. Director Marc Webb admittedly does his best (and succeeds in the more intimate moments) but the script ultimately lets him down. The story, while showing tremendous potential and some thematic cohesiveness, does not really illuminate its characters as well as it sets out to do and at the end of the day, it comes off as a retread of a plethora of other comic book movies with the Spider-Man brand attached to it.

**In another display of seeming futility, the film showcases a bizarre mid-credits sequence that has nothing to do with Spider-Man. It is in stark contrast with Disney's ability to contextualize its end credit sequences without coming off as a blatant commercial (which they admittedly are).