The Amazing Spider-man 2 is overall a fun Spider-man movie. It's not the best, but it's still a good time, and I think it's better than the first Amazing Spider-man.

The creators seem to be running with with some parallels to the recent Ultimate Spider-man cartoon. Sure, there's a lack of nostalgia on some points, but nothing can stay the same forever. And despite a few lulls in the pacing there's definitely some entertaining action.

Although Andrew Garfield pulls off a much better (or at least recognizable) Spider-man persona when compared to his last outing, his Peter Parker still needs some work. Thankfully he's got a supporting cast that can pull him through those scenes. Ema Stone does a great job as Gwen Stacy (and I say that not really knowing her character from the comic very well). She's smart, likeable, and contributes to the story as opposed to being a damsel in distress. Sally Field may not deliver the look of Aunt May many of us keep in mind, but provides the maternal and even pushy persona that the character deserves. Those two alone delivered all the emotion and setiment the film needed, making the continuing story of Peter's parents a little distracting and unecessary. There's ways to get around that and still deliver on Harry's story. As for Harry Osborn, I gotta admit that I even liked Dane DeHaan in that role, and I liked how they portrayed Harry's character.

Unfortunately, it's the villains that lack the polish that would have really made them shine. Sure, I did like Electro more than the Lizard, even without the green and yellow suit, but he still felt like he was missing something. Taking some time to flesh out Jamie Foxx's character into something a little more than I remember him to be was probably a good idea, but it didn't feel like quite enough.

Having the Green Goblin alter-ego in the movie felt forced and rushed, but thankfully it didn't overwhelm the plot with too much screentime; so for what they needed to do, it was a good choice.

Although I wasn't a fan of the new Rhino suit (which again seemed to rush the reasoning for him to be in the suit), watching Paul Giamati as Aleksei Sytsevich was fun enough and I didn't mind HOW they used the character. I get that there's really not enough depth to the Rhino (or time in the movie) to make him a starring villain, so using him more as a way to kick-off the action and a bonus to tie up some loose emotional-ends was a nice touch.

Plus, I liked the ending. I could see some people complaining that it went on for one scene too long, but I think it was another smart choice to send the message they did now as opposed to waiting for the inevitable sequel.

Overall, the Amazing Spider-man 2 was fun. Not perfect. Not particularly thoughtful. Fun.