Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Spark of Life, The

Being quite familiar with Bobson’s work, several of his edits replacing the theatrical cuts in my collection, I came into this edit expecting a miraculous make-over. And even though I can testify that The Spark of Life is a vastly better viewing experience than the mess that the original film was, it would be a lie if I didn’t confess that by the end of it I felt a little disappointed. For even the most talented of editors need the right ingredients to work with, and TASM2 simply does not deliver.

To begin with, the story here is tighter and much more focused. I was never a fan of the Parkers’ disappearance mystery, right from the start, so I was pleased to see it cut in Bobson’s editing room. That also comes with a price, though, taking down too much of Sally Field’s solid presence along with it. I actually forgot there was an Aunt May somewhere in the middle of the film. The mismatching, goofy or over-the-top elements seemingly coming out of Schumacher’s Batman era are also toned down to a palatable degree; Jaime Fox’s Max Dillon feels now less of a caricature and the same goes for Dr. Kafka at Ravencroft. Dane DeHaan’s Harry Osborn is also greatly benefited by the addition of the deleted scenes as well as his introduction in the very first scene of the film. In the original cut he seemed more like an afterthought to me, never really selling out his friendship with Peter and his personal drama, his character strangled in the web of plot threads. In The Spark of Life, with so much of the unnecessary subplots cut out, he has the chance to shine more as the main plot revolves around his quest to save his life. Unfortunately, though, it all crashes down during the final act of the film. Harry’s transformation still feels uneventful; his Goblin still as cringeworthy as he ever was. There’s no way for any editor to fix that, and inevitably this spoils (at least for me) everything that’s following down to the end.

Technically, while the edit mostly meets Bobson’s high standards, as other reviewers have pointed out, there are some audio issues here and there, most notably when the sound mutes for a few seconds during Gwen’s and Harry’s elevator scene. And I could also spot a quick flash frame as well.

Final verdict: A better experience than my original viewing altogether, but still missing those qualities that would transform it into a great film.

Does exactly what it says on the tin and does it really well: this fan edit (re)builds a really good film by adding in deleted material, moving things around, and ruthlessly cutting "all the crap and all the clutter" meant to set up sequels.

It clips along at a brisk pace, and the big theme about connections between people -- including Spidey's (doomed) effort to balance love for Gwen and his great responsibility -- is front-and-centre. Fewer lame jokes, less waffling; more action and a clearer emotional core; the interminable side-tracking to the world's least interesting, most inconsequential mystery, the fate of the Parkers, is gone, gone, gone. Seamless editing.

Honestly, I'd say what we have here is now one of the three best Spider-Man films ever (the first two by Sam Raimi still top the list, IMO), and something far better than the current bland, emotionally empty series with Tom Holland.

I really, really liked EXPOED's "Amazing Spider-Man 2: Reworked" but this is shorter, tighter and punchier.

PS. I didn't give audio full marks, because on my copy there is a brief silence when Gwen is taking leave of Harry in the lift during her escape from the Oscorp building – Harry talks but nothing comes out. Maybe something wrong with my copy? Happy to edit the marks back in if it’s just me.

Otherwise pretty much flawless.

The movie was not that Amazing but you made the movie better. You made the story better by cutting out Peters parents out, stupid Robot Rhino, some bad dialogue. What you took out that I like was Spidey singing and the music on his cell phone. m The Audio, Visual and edit was good. Great movie.

This edit is a great sequel to the TASM 1 Untold Extended Edition by Masirimso17 as this has no mention of the father subplot and the previous grabs all those scenes and puts them in the first film. That being said this is a much better fanedit with all the added deleted scenes in that add more context to the film and can spare it much better without feeling bloated.
Not to mention, it feels much more connected and complete. I would have loved to see Peters father return from that deleted scene put in here as even though it is a bit of a shocker and may not make much sense, the talk he has with Peter really shows how it can help him return to be Spiderman after Gwen's death.
Only issue I have is already mentioned by previous reviewers in that there are a few audio issues but other than that, its a great edit that makes the film much better.

It was fantastic.
The main characters seem more fleshed out with the added scenes, and the trimms and cuts are well executed (one exception already mentioned in previous reviews). Peter and Harry's relationship was very natural and Harry's turn by the end was truly tragic.
That new ending was great and now the movie kind gives this version of Spidey a different motto to the character, Hold on to Hope, become hope.
Absolutely my go to version from now on.