The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Goodbye Gwen Stacy
To say opinions on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 were a tad divided is putting it lightly. Fans of New York’s favorite webhead were put off by the overstuffed plot, the poorly developed characters, and of course, Electro’s infamous dubstep-tinged operatic soundtrack. And as a huge fan of the film, I’ll admit and agree that those are perfectly acceptable reasons to be put off by Spidey’s latest adventure.
Yet, even the most cynical audience members had their stone hearts melted by the relationship between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, played to perfection by Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. The chemistry between the two could best be described as adorable, and if you knew how much I hated using that word, you would know that it’s high praise.
Even though they spent much of the film separated as part of Peter’s wish to keep Gwen safe from harm at her father’s request, a glimmer of hope shines through in the end when the two get back together and plan to move away from the Big Apple. Sure enough, a villain or two shows up to try and take the girl/destroy the city/kill all humans/etc., but Spidey and Gwen put the kibosh on everything posthaste.
As the battle with the Green Goblin draws to a close, Gwen gets dropped down a clock tower, and Peter naturally saves her from danger by a hair, with both of them getting the storybook ending they wanted. Except Peter is too late this time. Right when you think he’s saved her, that devastating shot of Gwen’s head smacking the ground shatters everything.
Fans of the series will know that the name Gwen Stacy basically spells out “I will die eventually,” but to see it happen so suddenly, so brutally, and in the wake of such hope, it’s heartbreaking. If not for the relationship built between the two throughout the beginning of the film, this would have just been another plot point to cover, like Uncle Ben’s death or Peter’s transformation.
Even if the final few minutes of the film fumble Peter’s character arc as he deals with the fallout of Gwen’s death, relegating what should have been a full-length, emotionally invested movie into a handful of schmaltzy scenes, her death still haunts me. As a fan, I was completely aware that Gwen would be an unfortunate catalyst in Peter’s maturity, but it’s never been as heartbreaking to watch as it was in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
– Christian Law