|
 Being Peter Parker, however, is much more difficult, especially
when it comes to love. And it's Peter's conflicted, earth-bound
romance with teen girlfriend Gwen Stacy that drives "The Amazing
Spider-Man 2," opening in U.S. movie theaters on Friday. The
film has already made $132 million at the international box
office.
"I didn't know how big a deal the love story aspect would be.
But it is. It is the heart of Peter and the heart of his story,"
said British-American actor Andrew Garfield, who dons the iconic
super-hero's blue and red suit for a second time.
"It's his Kryptonite. Love — his desire to be an ordinary guy
connected to a woman, a loved one — is a really big yearning for
Peter that he struggles with in terms of the sacrifice he has to
make as Spider-Man," the actor told Reuters.
Columbia Pictures' "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" reunites Garfield
with Emma Stone as Gwen and director Marc Webb in another
action-packed tale of the Marvel comic book crime fighter.
This time, Peter re-connects with old school chum Harry Osborn
(Dane DeHaan) and takes on some of his most formidable foes —
Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Harry's villainous alter-ego the Green
Goblin — in his mission to protect New York from the evil
designs of powerful conglomerate Oscorp.
"Spider-Man is really good at being Spider-Man," Webb said. "In
the last movie he was learning the ropes, and this time he has
really embraced that part of himself."
"AMAZING" CHEMISTRY
That Spider-Man will eventually triumph in the high-octane 3D
aerial battles and exploding buildings during the 142-minute
movie is hardly in doubt.
But amid the noise and destruction, an unusually tender romance
more common to smaller, low budget movies is played out between
Peter and Gwen as they graduate high school and take on the
challenges of adult life.
"It's like you are watching an intimate story played out on a
very big landscape," said Garfield.
[to top of second column] |
Naturally, it helps that Garfield, 31, and Stone, 25, have been
quietly dating in real life since meeting on the "Amazing
Spider-Man" set three years ago.
Webb, who directed the 2009 offbeat romantic comedy "(500) Days of
Summer," said he always hoped to fully embrace the early comic book
story of brainy science student Gwen as Peter's first true love, and
he struck lucky with his cast.
"Andrew and Emma are the kind of actors that can improvise and there
is an authenticity to that dynamic. It is fun to watch people watch
the movie. When they come on screen together, people sort of sit
back and smile," Webb said.
"It is playful, it is what you want relationships to be like. There
is banter and humor but underneath that there is a real affection."
The on-again, off-again romance, and Peter's promise to Gwen's
recently dead father to stay away from his girlfriend for her own
safety, provides as much dramatic tension in the movie as
Spider-Man's battles with his larger-than-life foes.
"It's what allows you to access Spider-Man and the drama that comes
from him trying to separate his life as Spider-Man from Peter
Parker. His inability to do that is hopefully what gives the story
its power," Webb said.
"The Amazing Spider-Man 2," which was made by Sony Corp's Columbia
Pictures unit for a reported budget of about $200 million, is
projected to make $102 million in its opening weekend, according to
movie tracker Boxoffice.com.
Its 2012 predecessor "The Amazing Spider-Man," took a total of $752
million at the global box-office to become the 7th biggest movie
worldwide of that year.
(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Diane
Craft)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
