There is a difference between a movie doing bad and a movie being bad. Sometimes they are one in the same, though (Jack and Jill [2011], Catwoman [2004], etc). But in this special case, we have a movie that did very well in the box office yet failed to capture the hearts and minds of many viewers.
The Amazing Spider-man 2 (TASM2) was a lot of things, from very good visual film to a very bad character development film. It was quite possibly the most hyped movie coming into 2014 with an unbelievable number of movie trailers. I was afraid the trailers would show me too much of the movie plot, when what actually transpired was worse: the movie didn't even live up to the trailers. The tone was all over the place, it did not seem like there was just one director taking calling the shots about the artistic direction (SONY I'm pointing the finger at you), and the lack of pivotal character developments was just the finishing touches to a movie that was rather hindered by its glaring inconsistencies, despite its great upsides. And despite all of this ASM2 still racked in $706,342,322 the world box office, covering its $200 million production costs. That means (from a producer's point of view) that an Amazing Spider-man 3 film is definitely coming, despite the franchise's critics.
But from the point of view of the fan, one ought to be concerned. Looking at the mistakes made in TASM2, one has to think if this is even worth it anymore just from a story-line perspective. A lot of people liked this movie, but I think a lot more people were angry or disappointed with the overall product (like seriously, wheres the director's cut already). A 7.3 overall on Imdb (as of 7-27-14) but this movie had way more potential than a 7.3. Those movie trailers were more than a 7.3!
Sony had future plans to make an ASM3 and Sinister Six movie sometime in the near future, but looking at how TASM2 was received by the fans, it seems that Sony is switching its gears. They are changing the release dates, placing Sinister Six to precede the ASM3, as opposed to the order before, and they are pushing TASM3 release date down a year to 2018.
Here's the big challenge that I think Sony is facing: How do you redeem a franchise that took a rather significant blow to it's authenticity?
Before I give my two cents I want to just warn you that there will be spoilers. So in the name of courtesy, SPOILER ALERT BELOW.
The ASM2 felt like a part one of two movies or something. The character development with Harry and Electro was just rushed and hardly believable in some respects, Norman Ozborn dies off-screen, Electro's rise ended fairly quickly, Rhino was just pushed into the movie like SONY has characters to waste (here you goo!), the tone was dark and then not so dark, and at the end of all of this TASM2 ended up disappointing primarily because it was overcrowded and confusing.
So what can a Sinister Six movie actually do to correct that?
- Make the movie revolve around Harry. Every good movie has a strong main character, and for the Sinister Six movie to make waves, I think it would be best in this case to revolve the group around Harry. It makes sense since a deeper character development was neglected in TASM2. With Dane Dehan as the primary star, the movie can explore Harry as a more 3-dimensional character. Even better, make him think he is the good guy. We can love him or love to hate him, but it is important that we understand him, especially for upcoming movies going forward.
- Leave NYC. I think that a Sinister Six movie would do better if they leave NYC and come back towards the end. They might not leave NYC, and that is fine, but Id like to see them in a different environment so we don't have to ask where is spider-man when all of this is happening. Plus if the Sinister Six team up outside of NYC, that can make for a great ending, being that they know they must defeat Spider-man but that is just a thought.
- Make the Gentleman the true "villain." He has been pulling the strings all this time, might as well ride with him till the end, no? I think his real loyalties are with Norman Ozborn, so to see him work with Harry just to for Harry to realize he was being used would be great, even for a band of six villains. That's what he started to do with Ozcorp in TASM2 when he raided in with Electro and eventually took the Goblin outfit.
- Give a better reason to hate Spider-man. TASM2 was weak in character development with Harry partly because he simply began to hate Spiderman because he looks at Spiderman as a selfish jerk, and to find that it was Peter just made him angry (or did it make him happy? Because he didn't seem conflicted that it was Peter). Anways, a better reason to hate Spiderman is need. Maybe bring a master plan of some sort and realizing Spider-man will ruin that plan? I don't know, but anything better than what we got in TASM2.
- Make Peter (or Spider-man) cameo. Not really in need of a discussion for this one.
- Expand Felicia Hardy's role. Of all the characters brought up in the ever so crowded ASM2, one of the pleasant surprises (perhaps the only pleasant surprise) was Felcia Hardy (aka Black Cat), and she can become a love interest for Harry before somehow going solo. Depending on how she is written, she could want to destroy Ozcorp or Harry.
- Bring Electro back. Electricity doesn't die. It goes somewhere else. If Electro is truly dead, after that short tenure, then I think that further ruins TASM2 because of all the hype he recieved. He may not come back, but it makes more sense if he did. Plus, if he comes back (lets say towards the end) then the write has to worry about Harry coming across 4 more people.
- Hint that Norman is alive. I want to know who truly bought that Norman Osborn is dead? My anticipation to see a showdown with him and Spidey is what really what keeps me excited about this franchise. He died off-screen. No important character dies off-screen like the way he did. Not to mention there was a particular deleted scene you might have learned about.
- (Optional) Introduce the symbiote. If a Venom movie is really coming, plant the seeds in this movie, not TASM3. If no Venom movie, forget it.
It is no secret Sony needs to step up its game, whether it be new management, new plan or whatever. They have no choice but to (and shouldn't have to be redeeming it), but I am confident that they can do that. I think it can really start with the Sinister Six.
