MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!! Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) dies. Yes, that's right, they killed off Emma Stone. Despite having never read the comics, I do know that Gwen dies and she does, just after Spiderman (Andrew Garfield) finally completely saves the day, having defeated both Electro (Jamie Foxx) and the Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan).
Peter Parker just barely makes his own high school graduation, too busy out there saving the day. His biggest problem is that he still has lingering guilt about disobeying Captain Stacy's (Denis Leary's) strict warning on staying away from his daughter, which Peter has failed to heed. But the chemistry between the two is palpable, so it is extremely difficult for Peter to stay away and because he's also Spiderman, he can spy on her whenever he wants, which he does, just to make sure she's safe. Even though she gets an almost scholarship offer from Oxford, Peter insists on following her there, because crime also exists in England. The problem is, she never makes it to London.
Another problem is the amount of villains the film boosts. Three, to be precise. Two of them, Peter has connections to personally. Max Dillon (Foxx) is an extremely under-appreciated electrician at Osborn but he loves Spiderman because Spiderman saved his life. I wonder if he regrets that. But thanks to a work related accident, Dillon gets odd superpowers, which mean that he's not really a man anymore, but electricity, moving through the electric wires, controlling the electricity of the whole city, causing a city wide blackout. Two planes almost collide. Then there is Harry Osborn (DeHaan). He is an old friend of Peter's from years ago, before his father sent him away for boarding school. But, like his father (Chris Cooper), Harry has a fatal disease which will kill him. He wants some of Spiderman's blood because he firmly believes that it has life saving powers. It doesn't. And the spider venom that he takes, turns him into the Green Goblin. He doesn't die, but instead is locked up in a crazy, top of the line mental institution, something that would not be possible in the real world for the funds just aren't there. And the last villain is Rhino (Paul Giamatti) who appears at the beginning and the end, and will probably appear in the next film.
Peter also has his own demons, like his father and mother abandoning him more than a decade ago. But his father is still a good man but used his own DNA for the spiders, which is why their powers would only work on Peter and on no one else. He even had his own secret lab, which is completely bizarre as the old subway train rises from beneath the tracks in perfect condition. Okay, that's a stretch, as nothing is out of place, which would be impossible, but that isn't what bothered me.
Though I knew Gwen had a chance of dying, I am still angry about it. She should have listened to Peter and not followed him, but she did anyway. I understand why, but was she being stubborn and stupid or was she really ready to fight by refusing to obey a man? And she helped plenty, with the power grid to defeat Electro and Peter almost saves her, but her neck snaps back and she dies instantly. Peter will probably never completely forgive himself for that one.
Now, the acting is top-notch. Garfield is incredible and isn't afraid to cry and he weeps plenty, holding Gwen's lifeless body in his arms. Despite being thirty, he still has that boyish charm and fits the part and can show every emotion. Stone is also great though she doesn't have nearly enough to do. Foxx is also great as the lovable nerd who turns into someone who just wants to be noticed. But he has to be evil to do that. DeHaan is slick as the young heir to his father's fortune, with a permanent cold look in his eyes. Nothing can make him happy as Gwen makes Peter happy. Sally Field is also consistent as the reliable, sincere Aunt May.
The effects in this film are great and the fight in the clock tower is especially well choreographed, but despite the films good qualities, (I didn't mind the excess amounts of villains) I can't forgive them for killing Gwen, I love Emma Stone too much, she just can't die. And no matter what, I can't see Garfield with anyone else as the chemistry between him and Stone is just too great and it increases because they are dating in real life. He can't end up with Mary Jane, or anyone else. Still, this film is a great action, superhero flick and one that I mostly enjoyed. Grade: B+
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