The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Parent Guide

Andrew Garfield may be amazing as Spider-Man, but even more incredible is the fact the spandex-wearing Marvel Comic superhero has shown up on the big screen in his own movie five times in the last dozen years. Take that Iron Man!

After assuming the role from Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield fills out the suit for the second time as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Having just graduated from high school, Peter has come to grips with his supernatural powers and the ability he has to help others. The public however is still split on how they feel about him.

Regardless of more personal peace, what Peter continues to struggle with is the sudden disappearance of his parents (Embeth Davidtz and Campbell Scott) and the stories circulating about them. His Aunt May (Sally Field) keeps a tight lip whenever he asks her questions, yet he feels a gnawing need to uncover the truth about his father’s role at OSCORP.

Peter is also in a complicated romance with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). While he thinks he can’t live without her, he is nagged by the promise he made to her dying father—that he wouldn’t allow anything to harm her. And that’s a problem because Spider-Man seems to attract trouble like flies to a spider web.

In this movie, Peter’s first unwanted nemesis is Electro. Before he was a super villain, Max (Jamie Foxx) was an unassuming and unnoticed engineer working at OSCORP. Then, thanks to a work place accident where was electrocuted before falling into a vat of eels, Max was reborn with blue skin and shocking personality. Now as Electro, he stands out in a crowd and he wants to make sure everyone, including Spider-Man, will take notice of him.

Also in the wings is Peter’s old friend Harry Osborn (Dane DeHann) who has just inherited the leadership role at OSCORP from his fatally ill father. Unfortunately Harry shares the same genetic defect as his Dad and is determined to find a way to stay alive even if it means giving in to less-than-ethical means.

The onslaught of problems generated by these characters, along with a variety of other miscellaneous evils, keeps Spider-Man swinging from one skyscraper to another in an attempt to keep the public safe. His crime fighting involvement results in plenty of brutal fistfights, wild car chases (that appear to decimate the NYPD’s fleet of cruisers) and frequent gunplay in the city’s streets. Meanwhile, Electro takes tazing to a whole new level when he begins electrocuting anyone who crosses him. People are also choked, burned and transformed into gruesome figures.

This intense action may be too much—especially for fans that are still young enough to wear Spider-Man pajamas. But despite his young years, Peter manages to bring hope to the citizens of New York. As well he shows compassion for his family and friends. And for a boy who has the entire city to protect from bad guys like Electro, the Green Goblin and the metallic Rhino, that may be the most amazing ability of all.

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.