**On Monday evening, THN got the first look at three enormous scenes from the upcoming THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 and so, before we go any further, many SPOILERS AHEAD below the image!**
The aptly named Marc Webb introduced us to the three major scenes via the medium of the big screen and we opened the evening with the first 15 minutes of the film.
We start through the cogs of Richard Parker’s (Campbell Scott) watch and then into an unexpected new flashback to him and Mary Parker (Embeth Davidtz) leaving Peter behind at home. Obviously, we know now this will be forever but Peter doesn’t and we can instantly feel their anguish to escape and Peter’s confusion. As jump forward to join them on a plane and on the run, Richard is working on a project on his laptop and trying to upload important information as soon as possible. When Mary heads to the bathroom, the Pilot comes out to check everything is okay and as he washes his hands, Richard and the audience notice that he’s washing off blood and something bad is about to happen.
What ensues is a mighty fight for survival, the death of Mary, and consequentially the crashing of the aeroplane. This opening is seriously intense, akin to that beginning in JJ’s STAR TREK reboot, as it suddenly grapples us with an emotional impact. We watch Richard as he looks at Mary unconscious and realises the sheer terror of the damaged plane that’s crashing towards the Earth at immense speed. The important part of this in a narrative sense is not only their obvious death but the uploading of unknown but seemingly priceless information that we’ll no doubt encounter later on.
As we then hit the titles, we dive – quite literally – into Spider-Man’s world in 3D and the effects already look stunning. The sheer vibrancy of Sony’s THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 is immediately apparent, alongside Webb’s 3D ‘Spidey-Cam‘ which takes us along with the hero as we swing through the streets of New York.
This is also the scene for our first look at Paul Giamatti’s Aleksei Sytsevich (post-Rhino suit), complete with tattoos and an angry Russian demeanour (SPIDEEER!). He’s trying to out-run the Police after he’s stolen some Plutonium canisters but our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man has other ideas and isn’t letting him get away. Without going further into details, he does his job for the moment and it’s full of those little one-liners we hope for and Garfield looking super cool. There’s also an important plot point, as he also saves Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx) from certain death.
On our next clip, we find that Peter and Gwen (Emma Stone) haven’t seen each other for a while and they meet up for a catch-up, on Gwen’s request I believe. They chat and flirt, it’s clear that Peter has been missing her endlessly but also keeping an eye on her when he can – he’s been a bit of a stalker but Gwen doesn’t seem to mind. What wins the scene is undoubtedly Andrew Garfield’s sheer acting prowess alongside the also awesome, and wholly natural, Emma Stone. You might see these kinds of moments played out in many films in numerous ways but these two feel genuine and that can only be attributed to pure acting talent.
As their conversion continues, chaos is beginning to ensue across the other side of New York as Max Dillon/Electro (Jamie Foxx) is getting the first discovery of his powers. Eager to show that he’s a ‘somebody‘ (a speech linked to the beginning of the film), his electric-fuelled body is placed centre-stage by the cameras in Times Square. In other words, among the bright lights of that world-famous and iconic American tourist attraction, he is the main focus as he grabs hold of electrical wires and charges himself to full power.
As the fight kicks off, and Spider-man turns up to fight Electro, the camera turns to their NYC hero and Electro is mad at the attention being taken away, so he explodes and sparks with electric anger at all the billboards and people around him. This scene is also as vast and intense as the beginning; it’s full of vibrant colours that contrast beautifully with the destruction. There’s also intelligent use of focusing in on Spider-man’s skills in various sped up and slowed down sequences but don’t worry, it’s not all THE MATRIX, and it’s done smartly. Furthermore, it is surprisingly refreshing to return to the comic-vibe that’s been taken away by the glorious Batman of Christopher Nolan but don’t get me wrong, I adore Nolan’s work and his characters fit in his world but Spider-man is brighter and more witty and Webb, without a doubt, gets this across.
In our final scene of the evening, we’re hooked up with Electro being held captive as Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) approaches and tells him he needs his help. We’re told at the beginning of the evening that Harry has been thrown out of his own building because of matters that we’ll discover when we see the whole film. DeHaan is already an expert at turning on a thread from calm to crazy as we’ve seen in THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES and CHRONICLE. He grabs that baton once again and keeps running so DiCaprio; you’ve got a challenger.
Dane’s Harry feels desperate and similarly angry with his intensity and convinces Electro that he is the only person who can help him. As he gets his way, in that old villain helps villain adage, Electro goes all Doctor Manhattan and is released from his shackles and becomes at one with the electricity around him and it looks glorious. I know from clips that we’ll get a chase with Spidey when he’s in this state and in the 3D that I’ve seen so far, it’s going to be mind-blowing.
At this moment, I’m hoping THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 will all be about spectacle and on a tremendously high level compared to the more low-beat first effort from Marc Webb. Because of this, and the fact I’m sure the only baddies really involved are Electro and Green Goblin, I sense this new franchise is something to get excited about and it should move to a third (and fourth!) outing with ease.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN opens in the UK on April 18th.
