By Caitlin Walsh, managing editor
A drive-in double feature night requires some fair preparation. A packed cooler, some snacks, a full tank of gas for the long ride up, lawn chairs, blankets and pillows—all of which I had prepared this past Saturday night.
Apparently, I forgot the most important item: a box of tissues.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was everything and more I hoped it would be. From start to finish, director Marc Webb’s sequel to his summer 2012 blockbuster hit was riveting. Andrew Garfield once again commands the screen as the charismatically geeky Peter Parker and Emma Stone was right beside him once more as the quick witted, independent Gwen Stacy. Their on screen romance is only amplified by their real life romance—their chemistry is undeniably smooth and strong, and the Gwen and Peter love story ends up being the dominant plot line of the film.
From the beginning, we see the weight of the first film bearing down on Peter, who had promised Gwen’s father as he was dying that he would leave Gwen out of his life as Spider-Man—meaning leave Gwen alone all together. Though the pair are still together in the opening scenes, the movie quickly addresses Peter’s guilt by showing him seeing Gwen’s deceased father, Dennis Leary, everywhere he goes. When he confronts Gwen about it and breaks things off with her, it is revealed that this isn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation since his death, and Gwen, frustrated on top of her hurt, forcefully tells Peter that he won’t do this to her, again. “I break up with you,” she said, taking control of the situation.
Gwen Stacy is all kinds of admirable. Much of it is doubtlessly due to the fact that Emma Stone is truly captivating in every role she plays. Gwen is a brilliant student, valedictorian of her class, endlessly charming and above all, completely independent. As she points out to Peter during the film, it’s Peter she fell in love with—not Spider-Man. She’s never been the damsel in distress and refuses to ever be seen as such. She makes it clear to Peter, more than once, that what she does is her decision—not his. If she wants to put herself in danger, that’s her decision to make.
She’s my kind of girl.
Of course, the Peter and Gwen love story is not the only plot line of the story, nor are they the only two characters in the film, even if part of me wishes they were. The sequel introduced Harry Osborn into the picture as Peter’s childhood best friend who had been shipped off to school by his cold father, the founder of OsCorp, who passes away early in the film. Harry and Peter have a brief scene where we see them catch up and chum it up before Harry descends into a villain. If any complaint were to be made about the movie, it would be the rushed storyline of Harry Osborn. Just as suddenly as we meet someone who was apparently once a major part of Peter’s life (though never once mentioned before) he just as suddenly spirals dark side.
And so it goes.
Of course, even fans of the Tobey Maguire franchise know that Harry Osborn’s descent means the introduction of Green Goblin, one of the most famous villains of the franchise—and the end of this movie does not disappoint on that front. Green Goblin’s entrance into the franchise is made powerfully, at the very least.
The film also followed Max Dillon, a completely nerdy and all around ignored employee of OsCorp. Dillon, played by Jamie Foxx, is trampled over by everyone he encounters—but when Spider-Man saves his life one day and shows him such kindness, he quickly becomes an obsessive fan of the hero. An accident at the OsCorp labs one night, as the story always goes, leaves him a new super being—Electrode, he comes to call himself, in all his blue, electrified glory. Though at first he means no one any harm, he quickly remembers the poor treatment he’s been given and even mistakes Spider-Man’s attempt to help him as an attempt to set him up—and thus, another villain is made.
The movie focuses on much on the fact that Harry, dying from what killed his father, is looking for Spider-Man to give him his affected blood, which he sees as his only chance at survival. Because Peter has photographed him, Harry tries to enlist his help—but Peter, wary of the results, shows up as Spider-Man to tell Harry he can’t give him his blood just yet, causing Harry to enlist Electrode’s assistance in taking back OsCorp (which he was framed out of, in a fleeting storyline) and taking down Spider-Man.
To say the ending is happy would be far off the mark. Though in typical superhero fashion, the bad guys are defeated—Eletrode for good, Green Goblin for the moment—the rest is nothing short of heartbreaking. Those who knew the comic books had a hunch of what was coming, and once pictures surfaced of Emma Stone in a very particular outfit, true fans knew immediately that Gwen Stacy’s fate would be the same in the film as it was in the comic books.
Knowing it was coming made it no easier-I’d venture to say that, if anything, it made it that much worse. My heart was in my throat the entire second half of the film, and my emotions bubbled over well before her final moments. As soon as they seem in the clear, having defeated Electrode with each other’s help, Peter and Gwen are suddenly faced with Green Goblin—who instantly puts together, by Gwen’s presence, that Spider-Man is none other than his old friend Peter Parker. Harry wastes no time going for Peter’s weak spot: Gwen.
The battle that ensues is quick, and it seems like Peter has it—Gwen is released from Harry’s hold, Peter has her, it’ll be fine. But when she falls, Peter catches her with web and tries to hold on while also fighting off Harry, and the cogs inside the clock tower are threatening to cut the web.
When they do, when it all starts to fall with Gwen, you know that Peter’s web catching her once more wasn’t enough. Andrew Garfield delivers one of the most heartwrenching performances I’ve seen to date when he rushes down to where a dead Gwen is hanging from his web, lifeless despite his best efforts. His frantic, panicked cries for her to be okay brought on uncontrollable sobs. When he is holding her body close to him, crying, I felt like I was falling apart. Maybe it’s the romantic in me, but all I could imagine was the difficulty Garfield had shooting that scene, having to play out Emma Stone’s death.
Whatever he pictured, it worked. There wasn’t a dry eye around.
After Gwen’s death, Peter’s Spider-Man days are over and the city seems to fall apart without the webbed vigilante.
As you could guess, in the very end, Peter watches a video of Gwen’s inspiring commencement address that he had missed, and her words of encouragement to her high school class reignites a flame inside of Peter—and Spider-Man returns.
Despite The Amazing Spider-Man 2 being the second movie in my late night drive-in double feature experience, my attention has never been more focused and my emotions have never felt so explosive. From opening to finish, every actor delivered and every scene hit its mark, making for one of the most memorable films of the year, for sure.
Gwen Stacy, you’ll forever live on in all of our hearts.
Photo Courtesy BagoGames, Creative Commons.
