GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY IS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE MARVEL MOVIE

Guardians of The Galaxy was a real risky move for Marvel, in fact I'd say it's been their riskiest move to date. Not only does this film introduce brand new characters (that almost no one in the general public knows about), it also takes place almost completely in deep space. Was the risk worth it, did it pay off in the end? I'll save you all the trouble: Yes, and yes.

Guardians of The Galaxy follows Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora ( Zoe Saldana), Rocket Raccoon (Voiced by Bradley Cooper), Drax The Destroyer (David Bautista) and Groot (Voiced by Vin Diesel) as they find that it is now up to them to oppose a great threat to the entire galaxy. This threat is named Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace), who is essentially a servant to Thanos (Josh Brolin).  Ronan is sent by Thanos to acquire an orb, which holds a stone with great power (one of six stones. That's right, Infinity Stones bitches!!!). Naturally, Ronan actually plans on betraying Thanos once he gets the stone and then using it's power to destroy an entire planet. 

The whole crew is pretty well cast. I will say I think that Bradley Cooper has some work to do before I buy him as a voice actor (some of his line reads seemed a bit off), however he is still good here. Rocket Raccoon is easily the most psychotic member of the gang, and he is super fun and crazy (He does have some pathos added to him when we find out how he came to be Rocket Raccoon). Vin Diesel makes all of his 3 words count in this film, and is a valuable addition to the cast. Groot is a sweet, simple, smart tree creature that is actually a pretty big bad-ass whenever he needs to be. Zoe Saldana impresses with her martial arts skills as Gamora, a daughter of Thanos whose past is not quite what you would expect it to be. David Bautista is a wrestler turned actor, so some of his "acting" seemed a bit off....however he was still most likely the perfect choice for Drax The Destroyer, a rage-filled alien bent on revenge whose brain cells quite likely amount to somewhere in the low singles. Lee Pace as Ronan is actually pretty great, scary, and intimidating. He's certainly not one of the best villains in the Marvel Universe, but I quite liked him....I'd say he's memorable.

Easily the best part of this film is Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, a human who was abducted from Earth as a child and has lived most of his life wandering the galaxy as a petty criminal. His favorite item is his old walkman cassette player and his "awesome mix vol. 1" mix tape, both of which he carries around with him everywhere (The mix tape acts as our bad-ass soundtrack for the film). Star-Lord is a man who never fully grew up and enjoys listening to old Earth (or, as it's called in the film, Terra) classics. He's very funny, but also hides an emotional side.  This is the role Chris Pratt was born to play, and naturally he knocks it out of the park, proving his is a name to remember.

Guardians had a post-converted 3D job, but you really wouldn't be able to tell from watching this film. A surprisingly good number of things pop out at you during the film, the depth is absolutely stunning at times, and the film in 3D is a true marvel to behold. Every second of this film in 3-D is impressive, gorgeous, and memorable. When I see it again (and I WILL be seeing it again), I'll be seeing it in 3-D....AGAIN!

So many super-hero films are obsessed with being dark, serious and brooding....luckily Guardians of The Galaxy shakes things up a bit. It's filled with bright colors (which really pop), it's very silly and very fun (and funny), and it's got a bunch of offbeat characters (once again, this film takes place in space and director James Gunn uses this to make what is essentially his version of Star Wars....a very wacky, silly, and fun Star Wars. Most of the characters are aliens so Gunn gets to go all out with their designs as well as bringing some of his past actors along with him).  Most surprisingly though is that this film knows when to tone down the silliness so it can whack us right in the heart with the emotions hammer. Guardians also has more than its fair share of real bad-ass moments (like the first two opening scenes, both of which are just the best).

Guardians of The Galaxy is easily the most unique and personal marvel film thus far, while still delivering what audiences want to see. Guardians of the Galaxy may feel a bit mixed or even bi-polar at times but I had an absolute blast watching this film. Finally, a film has the balls to break the rules and usual formula for super-hero films these days. It's refreshingly colorful, goofy and silly, but still manages to get the audience to connect with the characters and the story. Long story short: You should definitely see this film, as it's easily hands down the best film of summer 2014 PERIOD (and, as my header sates, my new personally favorite Marvel film)!

5 STARS

FUN FACT: James Gunn and Nicole Perlman wrote the script for Guardians.

BACKGROUND INFO: Let's play some quick catch-up: Infinity Stones. What are they? Well, put simply they are stones that each hold an unimaginable power (Mind, Power, Space, Time, Reality, and Soul).  He who has possession of all six stones is master of the universe. We've already been introduced to two stones (The Aether, which is the reality stone,  The Tesseract, which is the space stone. Some assume that the blue crystal in Loki's staff is the mind stone, but this has been unconfirmed), now with The Orb (The Power stone) we have our third stone. This is important as it will come into play in a big way later involving Thanos (if you want to know how, read The Infinity Gauntlet). 

I RELASE THE BEAST WITH THE PURGE: ANARCHY

I, like most people, was vastly disappointed with the first Purge film. It was a film that offered only a small glimpse at a fascinating and dark future world where poverty and crime is just about nonexistent thanks to one night a year when people are allowed to kill anyone they please. Instead of focusing on this fun premise, the film was more interested in crafting a cliched home-invasion thriller.  The Purge: Anarchy seems to offer what audiences wanted from the first Purge: chaos, violence, and complete anarchy (Don't you love it when a studio actually listens to audience feedback?). But does it deliver?

The Purge: Anarchy is a film unconcerned with social commentary (yes, there is a small sub-plot involving an anti-Purge group that is opposed to the rich and there is a theory here about why the Purge is actually being held that involves a corrupt government, but the film seems more interested in the violence then anything else. These subplots are just sweet toppings. ). It doesn't even have a plot per say. Basically, in this film we follow a small group of survivors in LA as they attempt to survive this year's Purge. This simple plot allows us to fully explore what goes on during Purge night as we wander the streets of the city, getting to watch many insane acts of violence along the way.  

The first Purge wanted to be a horror film, The Purge: Anarchy however just wants you to have a bloody, violent, crazy good time. The emphasis here is on violence and action, and we get a TON of it. The film is filled with blood, gunplay, and general savagery and brutality.  In fact, most of the running time is dedicated to intense violence. To it's credit, these scenes are actually pretty well done and even manage to be fun most of the time. It helps that we have Frank Grillo as our guide on this crazy night (more on him later).

Naturally,  The Purge: Anarchy is not without it's faults. The script is pretty weak, managing to be very silly but in an action B movie kind of way (yes, there are some cool, funny one-liners). The characters are, for the most part, poorly written. There's Liz (Kiele Sanchez) and Shane (Zach Gilford), the estranged couple on the verge of separation, and Cali (Zoe Soul) and Tanya (Carmen Ejogo), the mother-daughter duo. These characters you neither care about or are likely to remember. In fact, the most annoying character is Cali, WHO WILL NOT SHUT UP (Oh believe me, you will be rooting for her to die). The only character worth remembering here is Sergeant (Frank Grillo), who is for all intents and purposes Batman (or maybe The Punisher). He is loaded to the gills with an arsenal of weapons, and has set out on Purge night with a singular goal: VENGEANCE.  He is easily the most likable character here and his scenes (which is pretty much every scene) are fun and exciting. He really is believable as the ultimate bad-ass, and with him leading the way you feel like you are in good hands. 

I'm surprised to say this is my personal favorite movie of the summer thus far. For myself, this was exactly what the doctor ordered. I had an absolute blast with this movie.  It's tons of fun to sit in a crowded theater, yell at the screen, laugh your butt off, and cheer to your hearts content (don't worry, everyone in my theater was doing exactly what I was). This film made me pump my fists quite a bit. The action was thrilling, the violence was fantastic, and it felt like I was purging along with every other sadistic psycho in this film.  Oh yes, it is a ton of fun (in case I haven't made that clear by now).

The Purge: Anarchy is retarded in the best way possible. It's insane, crazy, and doesn't give a crap about plot, memorable characters, or a half-way decent script. It's actually kind of amazing and awesome. This is the closest we're going to get to a true grind house film in the modern day, so if you're into that kind of thing this is most definitely your film (I'd also qualify this as a midnight movie). While the trailer for this film looked iffy, I am happy to say that The Purge: Anarchy is the rare film that actually delivers the goods. It's easily a TON better than it's weak predecessor. If you're looking for violence, gunplay, action, and fun....if you just want to explore the seedy streets of LA during Purge night then you need look no further than The Purge: Anarchy. 

4 stars

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION MADE SMALLS WAVE THE WHITE FLAG

In Transformers: Age of Extinction the Autobots have fallen on hard times. After the battle of Chicago at the end of Dark of The Moon, Humanity has turned against them. Sick and tired of all the wanton destruction, we now see all giant robots as threats. N.E.S.T has been disbanded and replaced by a military Autobot hunting group (named Cemetery Wind) that is assisted by bad-ass galactic bounty hunter Lockdown (voiced by Mark Ryan), who is on his own hunt for Optimus Prime.  Good ole' boy Cade Yaeger (Mark Whalberg) stumbles upon Optimus and is dragged along with his daughter Tessa (Nicola Peltz), and her boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor) into the war. Meanwhile, a new tech company named KSI, has figured out how to control the element that Transformers are made up of (called Transformium, I shit you not) and has started making their own giant robot army led by one of their creations named Galactus (voiced by Frank Welker).

The humans this time are nowhere near as grating as Sam Witwicky and crew. Mark Whalberg is given more to do than any other human in the Transformers franchise, Nicola Peltz is just there to be the damsel in distress but is still very likable, Jack Reynor gets the blunt end of the stick with zero character development. T.J. Miller appears for most of the first act as Lucas Flannery and is entertaining as a worker for Cade Yaeger. Stanley Tucci is ok as Joshua Joyce, head of KSI who is in cahoots with Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammar, who is also just ok) who is in charge of the Autobot hunters. The human story centers around the theme of family, and I did dig the family dynamic between Whalberg and Peltz.

As for the new Autobots there is the cigar chomping Hound (voiced by John Goodman), the samurai Drift (voiced by Ken Watanabe), and Crosshairs (voiced by John DiMaggio). They aren't memorable or even all that likable. The standout is John Goodman as Hound, and even then he can't hold a candle to the original crew (though it is entertainingly surreal to hear John Goodman's voice coming out of a robot). The Dinobots also make an appearance near the end (they are in essentially the entire last act of the film, and they are indeed pretty bad-ass. It's always fun to watch them snatch up baddies off the ground or in mid-air and either toss them or snap them in half and eat them). Galactus (voiced by Frank Welker) is introduced as our Megatron surrogate, but he is neither all that threatening nor is he given much to do. The real standout as far as baddies go is Lockdown (voiced by Mark Ryan), who is a hardcore galactic bounty hunter. He was so cool, I was almost tempted to root for him during his battles with Optimus (Lockdown's ship is pretty impressive as well).

I'm surprised to say that director Michael Bay seems to have started to turn over a new leaf. There are no terrible jokes here (the script still isn't great though), and there are barely any gratuitous shots of females (zero of Nicola Peltz, she still looks good though). However, one thing has remained constant with Mr. Bay, he still loves him some good explosions, and he still doesn't know when to say CUT! The only real problem with Transformers: Age of Extinction is it's 2 hour 45 minute running time, which consists mainly of things going BA-BOOM (The film throws as many explosions as it can at you until you are forced to wave your white flag in surrender)!!!! If you love explosions, this is most definitely your film. I've got to hand it to Bay, while the film is WAY TOO LONG, it takes a special kind of crazy to decide your going to make an almost 3 hour epic consisting of pretty explosions and crazy action. The inner ten year old in me was quite happy, but my 23 year old adult self was super exhausted by the time the end credits rolled.

I should mention I saw the film in 3D, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The scenes that utilize 3D do so quite well, and to entertaining effect, just don't be surprised if you find yourself fighting off eye strain during the third act of the film.

I can confidently say  that Transformers: Age of Extinction is easily the event film of the summer. A nearly 3 hour film that is nothing but explosions and robots fighting deserves that title. The film definitely delivers, but maybe to too great a degree (TRAITOR!!! Yells my ten year old self). There's only so many explosions the human mind can handle before it starts to feel action fatigue. That said, this latest installment is still a major step up from Revenge of The Fallen and Dark of The Moon. The human characters are likable, it's not as jokey or goofy, the plot is cool (though there is too much of it) and there is a certain amount of surreal entertainment to be had listening to John Goodman's voice come from a robot. While there are some benefits to seeing this in the theater (like a larger screen and better 3D), I almost hesitate to say that maybe you should wait for Blu-Ray where you can fast forward to the good parts. Ultimately, the choice is yours.

 All in all, Transformers: Age of Extinction is a fairly harmless film that ranks in as the second best Transformers film to date. It will probably kill some of your brain cells, but this is Michael Bay people, so that is to be expected. Buckle up, and hang on because you are in for an insane, hella long film.

3 STARS

I WAS SURPRISED WITH HOW MUCH I LOVED EDGE OF TOMORROW

In Edge of Tomorrow, aliens land on Earth and Earth decides to fight back. Cage (Tom Cruise), a Major who is in charge of PR for the upcoming battle dubbed Operation Downfall, is ordered by his superiors to take part in the fight. He is forcibly shipped into the front lines where he and the rest of the army are defeated and killed, he then has to relive that terrible day over and over and over again.

 For the first 40 minutes of the film, Tom Cruise plays the biggest damn coward you will ever see, and we get to watch him die many gruesome deaths. Yes, it is huge fun (and very funny) getting to see Tom Cruise dying repeatedly, and I loved that at first his character is so not the typical Tom Cruise we get in films. Cruise is playing at a level we haven't seem him at in a long time. Emily Blunt is also the hottest she has ever been as the hardcore, ass-kicking soldier Rita. She is super impressive here, and I actually dug the relationship between Rita and Cage (Luckily for us it never turns into a full on romance).  

I saw the film in 3-D and I thought it was some of the best 3-D I have seen in a while. Things are constantly jumping into the theater or into your face, but at the same time we get great depth as well. The whole film is shot in such a way that with 3-D you really do feel like you are there. I love that this isn't cheap science fiction either, it's actually pretty strong stuff.

The director of the film is Doug Liman, who also directed Jumper and The Bourne Identity. He actually does a pretty great job here, he is clearly a competent and smart action director. He knows what he's doing. It also helps that the script by Christopher McQuarrie, Jezz Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth is a strong one which has been adapted from a Japanese Manga named All You Need Is Kill (This was the film's original title as well until what I assume was studio interference led them to change it. I honestly still prefer the original title, it sounds more bad-ass). 

In a nutshell: Edge of Tomorrow is what happens when you mix a sci-fi alien invasion film with Groundhogs Day and Call of Duty. It's almost like watching a video game complete with all the deaths and restarts the player has to go through.  I was surprised at how great the result was (especially with Blunt and Cruise as the leads, they are both spectacular and make the film that much more fun). My only real complaint was how they kind of backpedaled on the ending. Edge of Tomorrow truly is an original, innovative, creative, very funny, and endlessly entertaining film that most definitely is worth your time and money. It's the best film I have seen in theaters for a while, and you should definitely see it (in 3-D, if possible).

4.5 STARS

MALEFICENT IS NOT THE MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL WE REMEMBER

You would think a film about the"Mistress of all evil" would at least be dark and gothic. Alas, that isn't the case for Disney's newest film Maleficent (which is guaranteed to be a blockbuster). The plot as such is this: After cursing Aurora, Maleficent decides to keep an eye on the child and as Aurora grows they both begin to bond. With a new (and unexplained) attachment to the child, Maleficent begins to question her curse and seeks a way to undo the damage she has done before it is too late.

The marketing itself sells this film as a darker version of the tale. It would seem the film is being more marketed towards the Hot Topic crowd, but in reality it's more of a kids' film than anything else (imagine my surprise). Unfortunately, there is very little darkness here, instead we get lots of sunshine, colors, and wonder. Maleficent is nowhere near as dark as the original Walt Disney version was (interesting, if you think about. These days studios are too afraid to make a dark kids film, yet Uncle Walt inserted a good deal of darkness into his films like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, Dumbo, Fantasia, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, and Alice In Wonderland.)

What about the "Mistress of all evil" herself? How does she fare in this film? Well, if you are looking for the classic Maleficent from the original animated film, you've come to the wrong place. We do get a tiny touch of that character here but for the most part the Maleficent in this film is a completely different character.  I don't know how much I want to give away in this review, suffice it to say that for the most part Maleficent is a good fairy who loses her way and is corrupted by anger and a need for vengeance when a great cruelty is done to her (Yes, Maleficent does get her own backstory here that takes up the first 20 or so minutes of the film). Angeline Jolie portrays Maleficent and does a pretty good job considering what the script gives her to work with (more on that script later). She always has that same air about her that the original Maleficent did. Jolie definitely looks the role, and she always is most impressive whenever she dons those iconic black robes from the original film.

Remember that black crow that was always at Maleficent's side in the classic tale? Well, he is back here with a beefed up role. His name is Diaval, and he is a loyal but sometimes questioning servant to Maleficent. Maleficent can change his form at will, and he is often seen as a human that she has discussions and arguments with. Diavel is portrayed by Sam Riley, who was probably my favorite part of the film. He is in the film a good deal, but isn't given all that much to do (except act as the more or less moral compass of the film) and yet he still manages to impress.

 Sharlto Copley plays King Stefan, who was in love with Maleficent when they were both younger. However, his greed leads him to betray her trust and in return Maleficent places her curse. It isn't long before the king is driven mad by paranoia and a lust for revenge. Copley does a fine job in his early scenes, but quickly is tossed to the back burner and is given almost nothing to work with for most of the film.

What about all those other classic characters? Well, they are pretty much the same as we remember them. Elle Fanning plays Aurora and is pretty good even though she apparently only has three emotions: Joy, wonder, and hesitance. She's essentially the same Aurora we know from the original film. The three fairies are here as well: There's Juno Temple as Thistletwit (the green one), Imelda Staunton (aka Dolores Umbridge) as Knotgrass (the red one), and Leslie Manville as Flittle (the blue one). They are still bumbling idiots like they were in the original, but aren't quite as annoying thanks to a decreased amount of screen time. Prince Philip also plays a minor role here, and he is portrayed by Brenton Thwaites who is given even less to do than any other character in this film (He's pretty much there just to look pretty).

The film is directed by first timer Robert Stromberg, who is known for his visual effects work on films like Pan's Labyrinth (matte Painting supervisor), and Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End (visual effects design). He was also the production designer on Avatar, Alice In Wonderland, and Oz The Great and Powerful. While his directing skills are nothing special, it should surprise no one when I say that the visual effects and environments in this film are quite good. The film manages to keep familiar elements from the original such as the forest of thorns, Maleficent's decrepit castle, the burning of the spinning wheels,the score mimics the original's in one scene, and a dragon makes an appearance near the end. Yes, there are many nods to the original, and surprisingly the best parts of this film are two scenes which are lifted whole sale from the original classic: The curse scene, and the scene where Aurora is lead through the castle by a glowing green orb.

Unfortunately, all the good will I had started to build up for this film was erased during the last 20 minutes. For most of Maleficent, the story follows the same path that Sleeping Beauty did except we are seeing things from the perspective of Maleficent....and then the last 20 minutes take an abrupt detour into new territory with what is supposed to be a sweet twist (It's really just dumb and insulting) and a new ending that just didn't gel with me, plus some developments that just felt silly.

In the end, I can't say Maleficent is a bad film....it's actually pretty ok all things considered. The actors seem to be doing their best with what the somewhat flimsy script gives them to work with (which is written be veteran Disney scribe Linda Woolverton who also penned The Lion King, Beauty and The Beast, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland), the environments and visual effects are beautiful, and Jolie does look great as Maleficent. I just wish the film hadn't chosen to turn Maleficent into the hero of the story. Seeing that this film is clearly aimed towards kids, I can't say I'm surprised they went this route, but I really wish they hadn't. Although I do have my fair share of problems with this version of the tale (I really wanted more darkness, but since it's a kids' film there is almost none), I'm still going to say I liked it....somewhat. I'd gladly recommend it to kids and families with kids (the audience I was with was a camp of 60 kids who were quiet for the whole film and even clapped appreciatively at the end), I'm sure they will eat it up and ask for seconds. As for adults, you'd probably do best to look elsewhere.

2.5 STARS

MY TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS LIST

At 23 years of age, I am proud to finally announce my Top 10 Favorite Films of All Time! A long battle was waged inside my mind, and you can be sure I thought long and hard over this list. I'm not saying any one film is BETTER than any other, but I AM saying that these are what I consider to be my personal favorites. So sit back, and enjoy the fruits of 23 long years of labor.

1. Jurassic Park

2. Jaws

3. Back To The Future Part 2

4. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

5. Transformers

6. E.T.

7. Cabin In The Woods

8.  The Wolf of Wall Street

9.  The Raid: Redemption

10. Blues Brothers

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 WEAVES A TANGLED WEB

In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finds himself being torn in many different directions. He is still torn about what he should do with the love of his life, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). In the previous film he made a promise on her father's death bed that he would keep Gwen out of his life, for her own safety and while he still has strong feelings for her he doesn't like how breaking his promise makes him feel.

Harry Osborne (Dane DeHaan), an old childhood friend of Peter's and the heir to the Oscorp throne re-enters Peter's life. He suffers from the same disease his dead father had, and it is slowly killing him just like it did to dear old dad. Harry believes Spidey's blood could provide the cure he needs, but Peter isn't too sure, afraid of what it could do to his friend.

Along with all this, a new villain emerges in the guise of Electro (Jaime Foxx). Formerly, dweeb-ish Oscorp employee Max Dillon, Electro is tired of being ignored and decides to force NYC and the world to finally notice him. 

Andrew Garfield is back as Parker/Spider-Man, and looks significantly older. It's pretty hard to buy Garfield as a graduating high school student (maybe if you squint hard enough?), but he is still the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man we have had on the big screen, perfectly embodying both roles here (plus he doesn't take the mask off during fights in this one). Emma Stone is still a nice Gwen Stacy, and her romance and chemistry with Garfield (her real life boyfriend) is both palpable and real. Dane DeHaan is fantastic as Harry Osborne/Green Goblin (his laugh for the Goblin character is absolute perfection). Harry gets a LOT of screen time, while Goblin doesn't get much  (only one or two scenes) but his big fight with Spidey and Gwen is probably the best thing about this film. Paul Giamatti also does a very brief stint as Aleksei Sytsevich aka Rhino. He's only in two scenes here, and has just the right amount of screen time.

Unfortunately, Spidey 2 suffers from exactly what you would expect it to: There are too many story lines to follow. The main ones (despite what the marketing would have you believe), are really about Peter's and Harry's friendship, and Peter's and Gwen's relationship (both share about equal importance). Jaime Foxx is good as Electro, but he doesn't really stand out like I thought he would, plus he's more so on the back burner for most of the film (he's only got two fight scenes with Spidey, both of which are fantastic, and the rest of his screen time is him being tortured and making threats.). Contrary to popular belief, he's not the main baddie here. Instead, it's actually Harry who is the big villain. It's Harry who is the one pulling the strings, and planning the plans. In fact, Spidey 2 can almost double as an origin story for The Goblin.

While the focus is once again squarely on Peter Parker for most of this film, we still get more of Spidey than we did in the first film. I am happy to say we finally get the quick-quipped, fun, and fast Spidey that we all love from the comics. The fights he stars in and the scenes where he's swinging through the streets of NYC are easily the best parts of this film (especially in 3-D, where we get plenty of screen penetrating moments, an impressive deal of depth, and some scenes that once again make you feel like you are Spider-Man. That said, when the fights aren't around the 3-D is almost nonexistent.). 

While The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is indeed a mess, it's still more faithful to the comics than previous Spidey films, the acting is top notch, the 3-D is more than impressive during scenes with Spidey, and Garfield as Spidey/Parker is quickly becoming an icon (at least, in my eyes). The attempt to add some emotion in the end doesn't really work, but that final fight between Goblin and Spidey is still perfect in all the right ways. I'd say that Amazing Spider-Man 2 is indeed a bit better than the first Amazing Spider-Man (this sequel isn't dark, moody, or brooding, but is instead appropriately comic book-y) . Amazing Spider-Man 2 may weave a tangled web, but the end product is still satisfying, enjoyable, and fun. 

4 STARS

UPDATE: Upon a second viewing, I still agree with my original review for the most part. The film has way too many plot lines and it tries to do too much. This much can safely be said about ASM 2, it is an ambitious film, maybe too ambitious. The visual effects are all spectacular (both Goblin and Electro look fantastic,all of the fights are pretty and great,  and the various scenes of Spidey swinging around the city are breathtaking and fun). I think the emotional parts near the end actually work extremely well (maybe I was just having an off day when I first saw this film), and naturally the Goblin/Spidey and Electro/Spidey fights near the end are spectacular and awesome. Jamie Foxx is pretty great as Electro, although (as I said in my original review) he is on the back burner for most of the film. I still think Andrew Garfield is THE PERFECT Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and Emma Stone is just too perfect as Gwen Stacy (Yes, I still love their relationship and think they are a great couple). I'm happy that I can officially say I think this is a much better film than the first Amazing Spider-Man film. ASM 2 is certainly far from a perfect film, but it's still pretty damned great for the most part.