The Amazing Spider-Man 2: 10 Mistakes To Avoid

8. Character, Character, Character, Plot

Peter and Gwen

Marc Webb is really good at this one, so again this seems like a shoo-in. But judging by the work he did with the first film, you wouldn't know it except for some choice incidents involving Peter and the Stacey family, or Peter and Uncle Ben.

With Aunt May, Peter had too little screen time to really build anything beyond the shared bereavement of losing his uncle. Even Doctor Connors was more of a cookie cutter "man of science" than a three dimensional character, and Flash Thompson's transformation into Peter's new BFF was a little too quick. It's time to remember what's supposed to drive the plot, even in the best comic book films... character development.

What is perhaps most hopeful about the character development in the new Spider-Man franchise is that when they took the time to develop characters over mythos in the first film, it really really worked. Peter and Uncle Ben had a more realistic relationship between the two of them than even the Raimi films did. Not to mention the awkward hallway scene where Peter and Mary Jane set up a dinner date is just the type of thin you'd expect from the hand of Marc Webb. It felt like these two actually were awkwardly cute teens in love. However, the fact remains that there's two villains (and the possibility of a third) which gives anyone who watched Spider-Man 3 the slightest of chills. Not to mention, Mary Jane now has the potential to be a reverse Gwen Stacy by being added into the cast of the new film, just as the relationship between Peter and Gwen is starting to solidify. For love interests and villains alike, you need events to build their presence in organically. You need people to build events. Ergo, you need to develop the people in the world, before you can have things happen to them that either turn them into heroes or villains. And when you're trying to make two characters fall in love, it takes more grace than facing a Barbie and a Ken towards each other and writing the stage direction:"They kiss." Build your characters well enough and the plot will follow. Don't build them well enough... and you'll wind up with a scene where your lizard nemesis jazz-taps his way through his opposition.
Contributor
Contributor

Mike Reyes may or may not be a Time Lord, but he's definitely the Doctor Who editor here at What Culture. In addition to his work at What Culture, Mr. Reyes writes for Cocktails and Movies, as well as his own personal blogs Mr. Controversy and The Bookish Kind. On top of that, he's also got a couple Short Stories and Novels in various states of completion, like any good writer worth their salt. He resides in New Jersey, and compiles his work from all publications on his Facebook page.