The Amazing Spider-Man 2

As the summer movie season starts this weekend, it starts off with a bang and the visual effects companies are loving it, not to mention Hollywood as a whole--cha-ching! Sci-Fi seems to be the favorite genre as we are off and running with "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" which will undoubtedly make a ton of money. This being the second installment of the much improved overhauled franchise, this will definitely captivate that younger audience who just happen to be out of school. Did I say cha-ching?

We've always known that Spider-Man's most important conflict has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in this installment of the franchise, Peter Parker finds that his greatest battle is about to begin. It's great to be Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield). For Peter Parker, there's no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (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 who is also Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) returns after his father Norman (Chris Cooper) dies, Peter comes to realize that all his enemies have one thing in common: Oscorp.

Others to round out the cast are Colm Feore as Donald Menken, Felicity Jones as Felicia, Harry's assistant, Paul Giamatti as Aleksei Sytevich, Sally Field as Aunt May, Embeth Davidtz as Mary Parker, Peter's mother, Campbell Scott as Richard Parker, Peter's father, Marton Csokas as Dr. Ashley Kafka, and B.J. Novak as Alistair Smythe.

This was directed which such measured ingredients probably so as to be as true to the first installment by the formidable Marc Webb ("500 Days of Summer" "09, "The Amazing Spider-Man" '12), that it almost seemed 'clinical'. I'd like to see this guy direct more than franchise commercial film work, because the independent, "500 Days of Summer" was crafted well by this director. He can do it if given the opportunity and right project. It was written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Jeff Pinkner based on a screen story by Kurtzman, Orci, Pinkner, and James Vanderbilt which is based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. With the exception of some sappiness in a few places and a bit of non-cohesiveness, this was not a bad plot. Shocker--there's going to be a third installment. Please tell me you weren't shocked by that news. The visual effects predominantly created by SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) were a little over the top, but certainly seamless.

If you're a comic book or especially a Spider-Man affictionado, you will be in your own form of bliss, but if you're not, you'll love the visual effects with the nifty 3D process to bide your 141 minute time.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                              Rated: PG-13                             141mins.