The Amazing Spider-Man 2

(Image credit: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures/So)

Andrew Garfield's second screen outing as the geeky science whiz-turned-web-slinging superhero finds Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, swinging back and forth between cocky bravado and brow-furrowed angst

Andrew Garfield's second screen outing as the geeky science whiz-turned-web-slinging superhero finds Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, swinging back and forth between cocky bravado and brow-furrowed angst.

Being cheered for his crime-fighting exploits is a great ego boost, but it isn't so much fun when a new batch of super villains puts his on-off girlfriend Gwen (Emma Stone) in mortal danger.

Childhood friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan) turns venomously against him as the Green Goblin, as does a nerdy former fan played by Jamie Foxx, who's transformed into mutant monster Electro after a freak accident.

Again directed by Marc Webb, the film is as up and down as its troubled hero.

When Spidey is swinging through the New York streets, the film shares his gravity-defying exhilaration, but it hits dull spots when he is fretting about his lot.

However, the digital effects dazzle, particularly in the scene where Foxx's rampant Electro lights up Times Square, Garfield and Stone's charm and chemistry lights up the movie and there are also some surprises in store as well.