Instead, the studio is so petrified by the idea that you might leave this movie depressed that they rush Spider-Man into another action sequence in order to get him back into wise-cracking mode. And the seasons-passing montage at the cemetery is effective, if all too brief.īut that’s my biggest problem with the decision to kill off Gwen Stacey: They rush through it! I would have loved to live with that plot point a little longer, or even let the mood marinate between films, à la The Empire Strikes Back. I do think the part where she falls is well-done, and of a higher caliber than most of the rest of the movie (perhaps the slow-mo, arms akimbo plunge just reminded me of how Sam Raimi would have shot this). I could smell the studio note there: “We have to make it clear that Peter did not want Gwen involved, and is therefore not responsible for what happens to her.” I practically expected Spider-Man to present her with a waiver beforehand. KYLE: Well, it’s interesting that you bring up the whole paternalism thing, because I found it funny how much Peter tries to dissuade her from taking part in the final battle. What did you think? And how did you take seeing Emma Stone die? Did you cry? If not, guess how much I cried. Sure, it’s called Spider-Man (and not Gwen & Spidey Forever), Peter Parker is the protagonist, and ultimately Gwen’s death is about how it affects our hero, but, inside that, they were able to create a character with real agency. I think in that capacity, this Spider-Man reboot nailed Gwen’s arc. And is there any greater freedom than the freedom to die? In her death, she is a symbol to Spider-Man that just because he saves people, it doesn’t mean that he’s a savior. ” Guess what, men: Gwen Stacy got into Oxford without you, so you don’t get to tell her what she can and cannot do. I kept thinking of Mad Men ’s Peggy Olson saying, “Well, aren’t you lucky, to have decisions. The whole movie is Peter saying how he can’t date Gwen because of a promise he made to keep her safe. Especially, in this case, with Denis Leary always lurking around with that sour puss of his. I think the trouble with the whole great power/great responsibility thing is the inherent paternalism. Weirdest Debate in Spider-Man History Rages On My answer to you is yes, I think her death works - both for her character arc and for Spider-Man’s. And unsurprisingly, I took her death very hard, but we’ll get to that later.
For years, I’ve very vocally said that Emma Stone should’ve been Spider-Man. Kyle, I really didn’t want Emma Stone to die. JESSE: I went into the movie aware that she was going to die and spent much of the movie asking myself if she had to. Before I get into my own feelings, what was your reaction to all this? I also wonder whether the scene works in the context of the movie. This is something that comic-book fans have seen coming for quite a long time - director Marc Webb has said numerous times that he wanted to be faithful to Gwen’s doomed arc from the comics, and Stone was photographed in Gwen’s “death outfit” while filming - but I wonder whether general audiences will be taken aback. So, Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) dies. This is the part where I sound the obligatory SPOILER ALERT. KYLE: Hey, Jesse! Now that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has been out in theaters for a full weekend (at least in the United States, since it’s been out abroad even longer), it’s time we discussed the movie’s third act.
Join Kyle Buchanan and Jesse David Fox as they debate some of those big moments below. Things take quite a turn for the web-slinging Peter Parker before The Amazing Spider-Man 2 draws to a close, and the last twenty minutes of the movie deliver some twists and shocks that have had audiences gasping (and Vulture staffers arguing). Emm Stone stars in Columbia Pictures’ “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” also starring Andrew Garfield.