10 Changes That Would Have Improved The Amazing Spider-Man 2

4. Less Cameos

Yes, it's always funny to see Paul Giamatti crack out a hammy performance. Usually confined to more restrained parts, there's just something brilliant about seeing an indie-friendly actor don a preposterous Russian accent and chew the scenery, and he proved a fine villain to open the film €“ not powerful, but comedic and showy, and offering an excellent sounding board to re-acquaint us with Spider-Man's abilities and personality. But then they dropped the ball by bringing him back within the same film. When he rocks up in the Rhino suit at the end and the film cuts to black, it's just a bit cheap, and makes it clear to the fans that the scene only existed to make the trailer look exciting. Ditto, but less so with Felicia Hardy. The movie seems at great pains to point out that she'll be relevant later, with Harry going beyond the call of duty to bestow what most audiences would assume to be a background character with some form of meaning. He asks her name €“ a clear sign you're going to be important in these films €“ and then gives her the company's second-in-command post. It just seems drastic €“ your average, non-comic-book reading audience member will think she'll have some bearing on the plot, and would probably be confused when her arc just peters out. She's just another one of these superfluous plates Webb insisted on spinning for later efforts, and it took time away from more important plot points. It probably would've been better to hint at what's going to happen in future instalments when setting up a character €“ the fact there's a Felicia Hardy at all would be enough for comic book fans (who such a reference was clearly aimed at) and just implying at the Rhino's eventual fate would've been good enough. After all, we all already knew what Giamatti was going to become, right? Why string it out this much?