The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man can climb up walls, shoot webs, heal quickly from injuries, lift objects far heavier than he is and sense danger the way only an arachnid can. Too bad he’s vulnerable to a problematic script.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 returns Andrew Garfield as the web slinger and Marc Webb as the director, but this time around, Spidey and his alter ego, Peter Parker, face off against a crew of sketchy villains who seem to have been developed as an afterthought.

Garfield is more poised in the title role than was Tobey Maguire, but the villains in this adventure have sloppy back stories. When Spider-Man finds himself trying to defend New York from a lightning-shooting fiend named Electro (Jamie Foxx), it’s hard to get worked up, because his powers and motives aren’t that clear. It’s tricky to tell what sort of danger the neighborhood friendly wall crawler has to face because even the filmmakers don’t seem to know.

Oscar-winner Foxx gives it a valiant try. He tries to play the human version of Electro, named Max Dillon, by sporting a pathetic comb over and spectacles that practically advertise he’s an engineer. Unfortunately, Webb and an army of screenwriters can’t decide whether he’s an unsettling Spidey stalker (he becomes obsessed with Spider-Man after the wall crawler saves him early in the film) or comedy relief.

Then an accident involving electric eels (I’m not making this up) turns him into a glowing, angry menace. While Foxx now looks scary, he’s not given enough screen time or consideration to give Spider-Man the challenge necessary to make the film exciting.

Part of the problem is that Electro isn’t the only bad guy in the film. There’s also Peter’s alleged best friend, Harry Osborn (Dane De-Haan, Kill Your Darlings and Devil’s Knot). As the son of Norman Osborn, the founder of biotech firm and defense contractor Oscorp, Harry gains his late dad’s fortune and a cache of dangerous secrets. Naturally, he teams up with Electro, but the pairing seems forced and silly. That’s a shame, because DeHaan has an uncanny creepiness about him that’s perfect for the role. It’s more fun to watch DeHaan skulk than it is to hear Foxx pontificate.

While The Amazing Spider-Man 2 does feature some spectacular showdowns between Spidey, Electro and a nuclear hijacker, Webb and the screenwriters seem to be more preoccupied with setting up another sequel instead of making this entry a satisfying installment.

Peter’s romance with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), his relationship with Aunt May and a surplus of back story seem to have been added because Sony and Marvel want more films and feel obligated to fill 2 ½ hours, even if they’ve run out of good ideas.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 77 Cast: Andrew Garfi eld, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Embeth Davidtz, Campbell Scott Director: Marc Webb Rating: PG-13, for sequences of sci-fi action/violence Running time: 142 minutes