Movie review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield are a couple in real life.

Spider-Man may be a superhero, but there is a lot that's normal about Peter Parker and his alter ego.

Peter (Andrew Garfield) is basically an ordinary guy doing extraordinary things.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has the required level of action but there is a surprising amount of storyline and dialogue in this adventure, too. What is also a real asset to the storytelling is the chemistry between Spider-Man and his girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).

A couple in real life, Garfield and Stone carry off the girlfriend/boyfriend thing with genuine feeling. But Spider-Man needs more than Gwen's love to overcome his latest batch of enemies.

While trying to deal with his demons from being abandoned by his parents, Peter is trying to establish his place in the world. He wants someone to tell him who he is and what he should be doing with his life.

The enemy this time around is a corporation - Oscorp, the organisation his father worked for before his sudden disappearance. Oscorp engages in all sorts of medical research, both ethical and unethical, and it was his father's spider research that led to the abilities Peter has now. When one of the more intelligent but odd employees is electrocuted in an accident, a fearsome foe is created - Electro (Jamie Foxx). The electricity that pulses through his body is also a weapon of mass destruction.

Peter is caught between keeping his city safe from Electro and trying to discover the truth about his parents. The one constant in his life is Aunt May (Sally Field), who keeps him grounded.

The arrival at Oscorp of Peter's best friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), should be a good thing but the demons inside him are sure to create new issues for Peter. Craig Nicholson