The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (released with the subtitle Rise of Electro in some markets) is a 2014 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, directed by Marc Webb and released by Columbia Pictures. It serves as a sequel to the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man and was announced in 2011. The studio hired James Vanderbilt to write the screenplay and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to rewrite it. Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, and Sally Field star.

Development of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 began after the success of The Amazing Spider-Man. DeHaan, Giamatti, Jones, and Cooper were cast between December 2012 and February 2013. Filming took place in New York from February to June 2013. The film was released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on May 2, 2014 in the United States. The film received mixed reviews, and grossed $708 million worldwide, making it the lowest-earning entry in the franchise.

I had very high expectations on this sequel as The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) was an amazing film. This film exceeded my expectations. The action was brilliant, casting and special effects were amazing and there was a great use of comedy thrown in there too. Many people say that there was too many villains in the film but I don't see how 3 villains is too much! Speaking of villains, the villain choices were great, Electro's big screen debut was an amazing one as was the Rhino's, and the Green Goblin, I think, was not as good as the Willem Dafoe Goblin but a close second. A VERY close second. One downer was that they killed Gwen Stacey. I didn't like that as she is a strong female character in the Spider-Man universe and much much better than MJ Watson but, if they want to follow the comics, then I guess the Death of Gwen Stacey comic is a brilliant one to follow. Overall, I think The Amazing Spider-Man is truly amazing and I do look forward to The Amazing Spider-Man 3 in 2016 and The Amazing Spider-Man 4 in 2018!

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X-Men Days of Future Past

X-Men: Days of Future Past is a 2014 superhero film based on the fictional X-Men characters that appear in Marvel Comics. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the seventh installment of the X-Men film series and acts as a sequel to both 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand and 2011's X-Men: First Class. The story, inspired by the 1981 Uncanny X-Men storyline "Days of Future Past" produced by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, focuses on two time periods and Wolverine going to 1973 to save the future of mankind. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Nicholas Hoult, Shawn Ashmore, Peter Dinklage, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart. Simon Kinberg wrote the screenplay from a story conceived by him, Matthew Vaughn, and Jane Goldman.

The film is a British-American co-production with a budget of US$200 million. Principal photography began in Montreal, Canada in April 2013 and concluded in August the same year, with additional filming and pick-ups taking place in November 2013 and February 2014. The film premiered in New York City on May 10, 2014, and was theatrically released on May 23.

X-Men: Days of Future Past received widespread critical acclaim, becoming the best-reviewed film in the X-Men series. Reviewers commended its fresh visual style and storyline. It is also the highest-grossing film in the series, having earned over $741 million worldwide. A sequel, X-Men: Apocalypse, is scheduled for release on May 27, 2016, with Singer returning to direct.

Days of Future Past continues the work of X2 as genre-defining. I have to classify it as a work of art/comic book pulp fiction. The characters, effects, and story are outstanding. Everything in this movie is exceedingly better in the sequel then even the first two films and First Class. Like X2, the acting is superb and the dialogue is rich. Every character feels believable. No cartoonish villains, every side of the issue is presented by people who believe they are the ones who are in the right and the underlying message of tolerance and bigotry only add to the depth of this film. What's better then its predecessor X3 in every way. It restores the sense of epic adventure and grand-scale storytelling that's been absent from far too many of most alleged blockbusters.

This film is far more sophisticated and has a better story than any X-Men movie to date. Here, the characters previously introduced but under used are utilized in a comprehensive and cohesive manner, and the newly introduced characters are blended in seamlessly with the story. The music is very good as is the special effects. The budget clearly hit the screen fully and there are truly some amazing sequences to behold. The cast-selection is still perfect.

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