Marc Webb’s rebooted Spider-Man was divisive. There was a lot to like – Garfield’s take on Spider-Man, for one – but also plenty to remain unsure and sceptical about. Was it too soon?

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The sequel will likely elicit similar reactions. There’s great action and compelling performances – Garfield is Spider-Man – but there’s also an obvious pressure to rapidly expand the Spider-Man universe that threatens to derail the film at points.Events begin not long after the end of the first film. Peter is still haunted by the death of Gwen’s father and the promise he failed to keep (to protect his daughter by leaving her alone). But in some ways he’s moved on, graduating high school, enjoying life and really embracing the role of being New York’s protector. Unlike so many superheroes, the identity of Spider-Man doesn’t seem to be a burden but a release for Parker – he’s confident and cocky with his now-honed abilities.There’s a lot going on in Amazing Spider-Man 2 , and sadly it doesn’t always come together. The whole 'should-they-shouldn’t-they' dilemma of Gwen and Peter’s relationship forms a huge part. The more traditional aspects of the plot are put in motion by Dane DeHaan’s Harry Osbourne, who returns to New York to head up Oscorp. We learn he and Peter are old friends, and while this inevitably creates a feeling of deja vu – it’s a problem that such a recent reboot was always going to encounter – DeHaan is so creepy yet appealing as Harry that the relationship between them is as fascinating as ever.Harry is suffering from a degenerative condition and requires Spidey’s blood to stand any chance of survival. This plunges proceedings back into the mystery surrounding the death of Peter’s parents. We eventually discover the truth, though the eventual revelation is in no way proportionate to the amount of mystery the series has already built up around the event.On top of all this, there still needs to be action, of course – enter Paul Giamatti’s Rhino and Jamie Foxx’s Electro. Giamatti is limited to cameos, providing short action sequences, but Electro appears throughout the film as a main antagonist, yet the function is very similar.The film tries to introduce Max Dillon as a character for whom we should feel sympathy – he’s socially awkward, lonely, unappreciated, and since Spider-Man saved his life, he’s become obsessed with the hero.After an uninspired accident – he falls into a vat of genetically-altered electric eels – the whole world starts to pay attention to Max. But the film lets him down – it doesn’t ever establish him as a central villain, with real motivations, but more as a reason for the film’s set-pieces to exist, and later exists more as Harry’s lackey.That’s not to say the action isn’t great – the Times Square showdown is definitely a stand-out sequence, brilliantly showcasing Spidey’s unique set of powers, especially his spider-sense. But you never genuinely feel the sympathy towards Electro the film wants you to – he’s a far cry from Alfred Molina’s tragic genius, Doc Ock. Foxx is fine, but the role is misused, the depiction too brash, and he's saddled with one or two cringe-worthy lines that would be more at home in a superhero film from the mid-Nineties.There’s a lot going on, but with a running time of 142 minutes it’s strange that I came away thinking there’s so much Amazing Spider-Man 2 leaves out. We learn that Peter’s in college, yet never see him actually attend a class. We find out he’s started to submit pictures to the Daily Bugle, but he never steps through the doors of that publication. That’s because there’s so much to get through, but also set up for future sequels and spin-offs. There’s a pressure being exerted on the film and it loses a bit of focus.When you start to elide those aspects of Parker’s character, using that screen time elsewhere, it ultimately changes your perception of the character and his actions. You’re no longer conscious of just how young he is or the other pressures he is constantly facing – so instead of coming across as immature and unguided, the risks he takes seem all the more reckless and egotistical. Amazing Spider-Man 2 doesn't succumb – possibly due to Garfield’s likeability – but it’s definitely a growing problem.The film is at its strongest when it comes to matters of the heart, whether it’s Peter’s complex relationship with Gwen or his increasingly strained relationship with Aunt May. Sometimes the scenes between Peter and Gwen are so intimate you feel like you’ve become a third wheel on a date, but that’s probably a measure of just how successful they are and testament to the strength of Garfield and Stone’s chemistry. This is undoubtedly where Webb is at his most comfortable as a director.The action itself is also strong. While we’ve seen it plenty of times, it’s still a pleasure to accompany Spider-Man as he web slings around Manhattan. There are loads of great touches – his suit ripples as we plummet to the ground alongside him or we get wrenched across screen as he takes a tight corner. Garfield’s Spider-Man is more balletic than ever before, constantly striking iconic poses. And the depiction of his Spider-Sense during key action sequences is great – time slows to a crawl, allowing him to evaluate and instantly prevent disaster. He's the superhero who enjoys being a superhero, protecting his city and giving hope to its people, whether that's as a makeshift fireman or protecting a little kid from being bullied. No other superhero does that quite as well.Whether it's as a fireman or a protector of bullied kids, Spidey is undoubtedly the everyman's superhero.Amazing Spider-Man 2 gets a lot right, yet there’s a constant awkwardness to the machinery of its plot; you can almost hear the cogs turning. However, what’s worse is that at times it becomes overtly patronising: there are flashing screens and computer voice-overs constantly telling you what something is or what something is doing, just in case the people in the back rows aren’t paying attention, which feels at odds with the film’s emotional intelligence.Emma Stone is a great foil for Peter and Spider-Man alike, though in the later scenes she’s gets stuck on exposition duty. But it’s Andrew Garfield who delivers the standout performance. He’s a great Peter Parker and an even better Spider-Man. He’s cocksure, funny, yet still loveable. The film absolutely nails those moments when the bravado drops and the sincerity seeps through – when he protects a little kid carrying a science project from a gang of bullies or speaks directly the citizens of New York. There are legitimate concerns that we aren’t going to see enough of him as Peter before we get tangled up with more villains and even more elaborate plots, but there’s enough charisma in Garfield’s performance to keep those worries at bay for now.