The hero known as Spider-Man deals with the mystery of his father's disappearance and the burden of trying to keep his loved ones safe. Peter Parker is a teenager given added abilities (increased strength, agility, awareness, speed) when bitten by a radioactive spider. In his adventures in the previous film, his girlfriend Gwen's father, a police lieutenant, made him vow never to get romantically involved with Gwen, because as long as he acts as the superhero known as Spider-Man, his loved ones will be in danger. At the beginning of the new film, we see him haunted by visions of Gwen's father, and despite his immense love for Gwen, he continually tells her he can't be with her. Meanwhile, he continues to wonder what happened to his father an mother, who disappeared one night when Peter was young, leaving him with his aunt and uncle. His childhood friend, Harry Osborn, comes home from school in time to find his father dying. His father informs him that Harry will have the same disease, and Harry curses him for sending him off to boarding school. Peter and Harry bond over their anguish due to being cast out by their fathers. Norman dies, leaving Harry in charge of his company, OsCorp. When a nerdy electrician obsessed with Spider-Man named Max has a terrible accident on OsCorp property, the board attempts to cover it up and pin the cover-up on Harry to force him out of a position of power. Max develops intense electrical power, feeding off electricity and expelling it from his body. Max attempts to get Spider-Man's attention, but when he feels Spider-Man is hogging the attention for himself, he grows bitter and vows revenge. Meanwhile, Harry begs Peter to allow Spider-Man to donate some of his blood so that he can be healed from his disease, but Peter (as Spider-Man) refuses, giving Harry motivation for revenge as well. Peter learns that Gwen is planning to go to England to study at Oxford, and he begins falling apart emotionally. He also investigates the disappearance of his father further, discovering that the research he was doing was on spiders-- but the powers would only work with the Parker bloodline. When Norman attempted to sell the spiders to foreign buyers, Peter's father refuses, destroys the evidence, and hides the truth in a secret subway station, which Peter discovers. Before he can warn Harry not to use Spider-Man blood, Harry finds some of the venom from the radioactive spiders and plans to get it-- but he is removed from power in his company. He breaks into the lab prison where Max is being held, breaks him free, and with his help breaks into OsCorp to get the venom. However, as Peter would've predicted, the venom doesn't work, turning Harry instead into a vicious monster. Meanwhile, Max uses the power grid at OsCorp to turn off all the electricity in New York City. After a lengthy battle, Spider-Man, with the help of Gwen, overloads Max and he explodes. However, Harry attacks, using a powerful suit to stay alive, and the ensuing fight results in Gwen's death. Peter hangs up his costume, refusing to be Spider-Man again, and Harry, healing in his lab, plots his next move, using OsCorp technology to form a small team designed to weaken and kill Spider-Man. When one of these, a Russian gangster named Aleksei in an armored suit, calling himself the Rhino, attacks New York City, Peter uses Gwen's graduation speech as motivation to put the outfit back on and leap into battle. The movie ends with Spider-Man delivering a potential knockout blow to Rhino.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's got its high points, but it's incredibly cluttered, and it primarily serves as set-up for a sequel instead of functioning as its own movie.
Best scene in story:
Spider-Man saves a little kid from bullies and fixes his science fair project for him. This feels right for the character and is what a hero should do.
Opinion about the main character:
Peter means well, he's quick-witted, and Andrew Garfield is incredibly charming. However, he definitely doesn't feel like a nerdy high school student-- more like a twentysomething model, which loses some of the character's appeal.
Peter Parker has to come to terms with his alter-ego as Spiderman, resolve his feelings for Gwen and battle a number of super-villains. The movie starts with a flashback of Peter's parents - Dr. Richard Parker and Marie Parker being killed by a sinister gunman, Before they die, Richard manages to upload a video explaining why he had to run away, leaving his son Peter with May and Ben.
Years later, Peter (Andrew Garfield) is on his way to attend his graduation ceremony when a truck carrying radioactive material is hijacked by a dangerous criminal. Peter, as Spiderman, manages to save the city from a horrible disaster and while doing so, saves the life of an ordinary employee in Oscorp - Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx). Max is an extremely brilliant electrical engineer, but has severe self-esteem issues and is constantly put down by his boss. Max develops an admiration for Spiderman when he saves his life. Gwen (Emma Stone) and Peter break up that night due to Peter's fear that his life as Spiderman might put her in danger.
Gwen joins Oscorp as an employee while continuing to try for a scholarship to Oxford. Peter's childhood friend and heir to Oscorp empire, Harry Osborn (Dane Dehaan), returns to New York. Before his father Norman Osborn dies, he tells Harry that all Osborn men are cursed to die from the same disease and gives him a clue to save himself from the same affliction. Harry's father and Richard Parker had worked on the same secret project years ago and Harry suspects that Spiderman was a result of one of their projects. He believes that Spiderman's blood will help him overcome his disease and asks Peter for his help to contact Spiderman.
Meanwhile, Max has an accident in an Oscorp lab and transforms into Electro. Electro and Spidey have a face-off in Times Square. Max, as Electro, becomes angry when Spiderman fails to recognize him from their previous meeting. Electro is only starting to become aware of his power but still manages to wreck severe destruction. Spiderman manages to save the day, but manages to create an enemy in Electro. Electro is transferred to a super-secret lab operated by Oscorp where scientists continue to study him.
Peter, as Spiderman, meets Harry and tells him that he wants time to think about it. Peter is afraid that his blood will only make things more dangerous for Harry, but Harry feels that Spiderman does not want to save his life. Harry comes to know that Electro was created through an accident in a super-secret project at Oscorp. He liberates Electro from the lab and together, they return to Oscorp and New York city to take revenge on Spiderman - their common enemy. Harry's attempt at injecting himself with spider venom turns him into the Green Goblin.
Harry comes across the video which explains why his parents had to leave him under Aunt May's care and is finally relieved to know that his parents loved him very much. Gwen is about to leave for England to pursue her Oxford dream, but Peter stops her by confessing his love for her.
Electro stops all power in the city by destroying a power grid. Spiderman, along with Gwen's help, manages to kill Electro and return power to the city, saving several lives in the process and narrowly averting a mid-air plane collision. But the Green Goblin returns to take revenge on Spiderman. He realizes that Spiderman and Peter are one and the same person and flies away with Gwen. Spiderman manages to stop the Goblin, but Gwen dies in the process.
Gwen's death makes Peter hang up his Spiderman boots. Oscorp, under Harry's leadership, sends a new villain called the Rhino to wreck havoc on New York. Peter listens to Gwen's valedictory speech and is inspired to answer his calling yet again. Spiderman returns to the job he was born to do - hunt down criminals.
Best part of story, including ending:
The special effects were outstanding. Andrew Garfield as Spiderman is exceptional. Emma Stone made for an extremely pretty heroine. The dialogues were markedly clever and witty!
Best scene in story:
Gwen has decided to go to England to study at Oxford and leaves without meeting Peter, leaving a message on his voicemail. She is stuck in a traffic jam, when Peter, as Spiderman, spins an 'I Love You' web across the bridge. She gets out of the car and Spiderman whisks her off to convince her of his love. Peter promises to follow her to England, saying that he could keep himself busy fighting criminals there.
Opinion about the main character:
Life as a superhero is not easy and Spiderman realizes that. There are times when his duty to protect people comes in the way of his personal relationships, but it does not stop him from turning away from his responsibility.
