Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan, Jamie Foxx, Sally Field, Colm Feore
Director: Marc Webb
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony
Release Date: August 19, 2014
Running Time: 142 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3D: 5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of stars
After the first “Spider-Man” in 2002, I was not a huge fan of the other two sequels, so when the reboot came around, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, I was not thrilled. When I finally saw it though, I was very pleasantly surprised, flawed but definitely a cool flick. So I had a some going into the second one. I have to admit, the film has got it all. This is what a Spider-Man flick should be like. It is a visual marvel and just a shit-ton worth of fun. There is a bit too much going on her but overall, it works out and makes this film a slick action-packed summer popcorn flick. The villains are good but since there are technically three of them in the film it gets a little crowded. Even though, I liked this film, though like the first one it is also a bit flawed and think Sony knows they need to reboot this series again if they want to keep everyone happy. More importantly, I say bring on the “Sinister Six” guys!!
Official Premise: We’ve always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds that a greater conflict lies ahead. For him, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen (Emma Stone). But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.
Whether you like “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” it is easily one of the best Blu-ray’s release to date this year. Sony really knows how to deliver and amazing release for it’s films without fail. This film comes as a combo pack with a Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + UltraViolet Digital HD copy. The 3D in this film is absolutely amazing. When I saw this in theaters, I was literally blown away. With the Blu-ray, I was curious how it was going to transfer to home release but holy smokes it is just as amazing. This 3D Blu-ray was the first film that I used on my Playstation 4 with the newly added 3D support on my also new curved 65′ TV and I literally was blown away by the presentation. The depth is outstanding and really works with the non-stop action scenes, especially the finale.
In 2D, this film also stands up, it loses that certain depth but it is still watchable for sure. So 2D or 3D, this film just has some unbelievable visual effects and looks just amazing. The clarity is perfect and the colors are so crisp. What I don’t like about this is that the box stated that this Blu-ray was mastered for 4K video but if you read closely it is only for the 2D, which is a bit of a downer to be honest. For such a big film, I was expecting a 7.1 track but I remember Sony wasn’t as big on them, luckily the given DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround track is just perfect. From the action to the music to the dialogue, everything here is spot on and really makes this film even better.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” comes stocked with some great special features as well. They even have an audio commentary available on the 3D disc, as well as a trailer for the first film in 3D, so that is something at least. The audio commentary is with Writers Alex Kurtzman and Jeff Pinkner and Producers Matt Tolmach and Avi Arad. If you liked the film you need to listen to the track because it is quite entertaining and educational about the series. Next up are nine Blu-ray exclusive deleted & alternate scenes with one of them has Peter meeting his father, so that is an interesting aspect that was not included in the film. These are available with optional commentary from Director Marc Webb. “The Music of Amazing Spider-Man 2 with Director Marc Webb” has the director talking about the score and working with Hans Zimmer. There is a music video for “It’s On Again” by Alicia Keys.
The real winner of this release is “The Wages of Heroism: Making The Amazing Spider-Man 2”, which is over 100 minutes long and comprised of six parts looking into the making of the film. The first is “Lessons Learned: Development and Direction”, which goes into the characters and design. “Heart of the City: Shooting in New York” talks about the city being a character of its own. “Triple Threat: Attack of the Villains” simply looks into the films baddies. “A More Dangerous World: Transforming Goblin and Electro” did a little deeper into the work taken to create these characters. “Bolt from the Blue: Visual Effects” goes into the visual effects used for many of the film’s major scenes. Lastly “Spidey Gets His Groove Back: Music and Editing” looks again into the film’s music and how it works with the film.