The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Perhaps the shelf life is longer than the screen life for our favorite web-slinging superhero.

Actually, that’s not true, given that his box-office potential should far outlast mediocre efforts like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which pales in comparison to its predecessor as it emphasizes spectacle more than story. Perhaps that shouldn’t be surprising, given the recent glut of cinematic comic-book fare that seems more about quantity than quality.

In this installment, Spider-Man is still working as a Manhattan freelance photographer as his alter-ego, Peter Parker, when he is forced to confront a pair of villains with axes to grind against Oscorp, his late father’s genome research company.

First it’s Electro (Jamie Foxx), a former nerdy scientist who is mutated in a horrific accident. Then, Peter’s old classmate Harry (Dane DeHaan) returns to town as the spoiled heir to the company with a terminal illness that causes him to blame Spider-Man for the lack of a cure. When they team up, Spider-Man must save the day with world domination in the balance.

Marc Webb, who also directed the first film in the current Spider-Man sequence, oversees some stylish effects-driven action sequences and makes abundant use of the film’s 3D capabilities, especially during the title character’s flying scenes.

By this time, we’ve seen Spider-Man’s bag of tricks already, how he’s playful and mischievous inside the suit, while Peter is more brooding and introspective outside of it. Instead, the most intriguing characters in the film are the two dynamic villains, who bring freshness amid the familiarity.

The script offers a logical narrative continuation from the first film, as it focuses on the relationship between Peter and the two women in his life — his girlfriend Gwen (Emma Stone) who becomes frustrated by Peter’s fear of commitment, and his aunt May (Sally Field), who is still grieving the death of her husband and her brother.

The film also offers a half-hearted examination of the perils of science and at the concept of a superhero in the contemporary big city before following a predictable pattern leading to an inevitable final showdown filled with massive urban destruction before an obligatory tease to the next sequel.

It adds up to a big-budget technical achievement that’s breezy and fun more often than not, while simultaneously signaling a franchise that — like its hero — is showing more signs of vulnerability.

Rated PG-13, 142 minutes.