How Much Have We Really Seen of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2?


This article was conducted via state-of-the-art technology (I watched the trailers on YouTube and paused every time there was new footage), but of course, like all technology, it’s imperfect. I’ve tried to get the seconds of new footage as accurately as possible, but I may have added seconds or forgotten new footage. If there’s any more stuff I haven’t pointed out, comment below!

Whatever your opinions on The Amazing Spider-Man, the fan-dividing reboot of Sam Raimi’s trilogy, it’s pretty hard to argue that the first in the new series didn’t have a fairly exhaustive marketing campaign. As for the sequel, which releases later this spring – well, it’s almost impossible. We’ve had a domestic trailer, a bonus international trailer, a one-minute Super Bowl spot, a four-minute sizzle reel and a brand new international trailer – and that’s ignoring all the TV spots that are beginning to pop up.

So, it’s been a pretty bonkers marketing campaign, with Sony seemingly intent on bellowing ‘SPIDER-MAAAAAN!!!’ from the tallest building they can find at the terrified pedestrians below. But how much have we really seen of The Amazing Spider-Man 2? Has there really been that much released or do all the trailers contain nothing but repeated footage and a snippet of new stuff? Here’s my look at how much we’ve really seen of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, trailer by trailer.

TRAILER 1

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Any new (at the time) footage? Well, you’d expect new footage from a film’s first trailer – and fairly obviously, Spider-Man 2‘s first trailer delivers on that front. Clocking in at 2 minutes 16 seconds without logos and the like, there’s a lot of footage that we’ll see later on in other trailers.

What’s in the new footage? There’s plenty of glimpses of Dane deHaan’s Green Goblin and Paul Giamatti’s Rhino in action, but as with most of the trailers Electro gets most of the spotlight. There’s looks at Times Square getting a mighty beating, a crashing plane, a scene with Aleksei Sytsevich sans Rhino gear driving a truck in a police chase, Rhino clanking about on the streets of Manhattan, a glimpse of a battle with Gobby and Electro in action, just to name a few of the scenes.

How spoilery is the footage? Not very, but Gobby was a surprise for those who hadn’t seen the banner a few days before.

Total footage: 2 minutes, 16 seconds.

BONUS TRAILER

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Any new footage? As you’d expect from what’s basically an alternate version of the first one, not that much. There’s a little bit though, including a couple of new scenes and new shots peppered throughout the trailer.

What’s in the new footage? There’s a nice little 15 second scene with Peter and Aunt May in his bedroom at the start of the trailer, Spidey saving some New Yorkers from a bus, New Yorkers subsequently chanting his name (which evokes unpleasant memories of Spider-Man 3), a few shots of Spidey and Electro’s confrontation in Times Square, new shots of another Electro/Spidey smackdown, a new line from Electro, a kid in a Spidey suit, Spidey saving a police officer from a flying, and a new scene between Spidey and Gwen in which she makes a bit of a slip-up concerning his secret identity.

How spoilery is the footage? A little more detailed than trailer one but overall not much.

Total footage: Two minutes, fifty five seconds (approx).

SUPER BOWL SPOT

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Any new footage? A relatively decent amount – about fifteen seconds of new stuff.

What’s in the new footage? A brand new line from Electro, shots of Spidey blocking a rocket – but most important is the scenes of Gwen Stacy falling to her death, Spidey jumping to catch her and Gwen seemingly hanging on by a thread (or a web) as the shots close. Anyone who’s familiar with the comics will probably know this doesn’t bode well…

How spoilery is the footage? Pretty spoilery – we knew that Gwen would probably kick the bucket but this goes as far as to show most of what could be Gwen’s death scene. Great job, Sony.

Total footage: Three minutes, ten seconds approx.

SIZZLE REEL

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Any new footage? Hoo boy. There’s almost as much new footage in here as there was in the first trailer, but there’s plenty of old stuff too.

What’s in the new footage? A humorous scene at the start with Peter and Aunt May arguing about laundry, a healthy snippet of Spidey and Max Dillon’s, pre-Electro transformation, first meeting, Max waxing lyrical about Peter, shots of Max’s transformation into Electro via a nasty electric eel accident, and a much better look at Electro and Spidey’s first battle in Times Square.

How spoilery is the footage? We’re getting to the point where the trailers are highlighting key scenes that really deserve to only be teased and mainly held back for the movie itself – case in point, a 40 second look at Electro and Spidey’s first battle which details an awful lot of stuff. It also shows how Max turns into Electro (although that kind of stuff is pretty common for trailers) and a shot of Electro talking evil plans to someone who is almost certainly Harry, showing some kind of team-up will be happening. Well, the reel was called ‘Enemies Unite’…

Footage total: Five minutes, six seconds approx (one minute fifty six seconds of new stuff).

RISE OF ELECTRO TRAILER

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Any new footage? A little bit of new footage, but nothing huge.

What’s in the new footage? A look at what seems to be the opening of the movie – Spidey swinging around Manhattan while a radio station plays in the background, new shots of Spidey and friends, a new line from Harry during the ‘Oscorp surveillance’ scene, shots of Peter angsting over his parents, a new line from Electro, new shots of Electro tearing up Times Square, Green Goblin whizzing off to a power plant, a new line from Peter to Gwen and  a better look at Gwen’s possible death scene.

How spoilery is the new footage? Mostly not very, but the new line from Peter (‘What if something happens to you because of me?’) accompanied by Gwen falling seems to be a tease too far. We get it, Sony.

Footage total: Five minutes, fifty one seconds approx.

THE BOTTOM LINE

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So, there you have it – the trailers for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 have a collective total of about six minutes or so. It might not sound like much, but the sheer spread of footage is what’s concerning fans – there’s an awful lot of scenes shown in trailers, and even one second of a scene counts towards that. From the trailers, we can pinpoint where the movie begins, almost all of the key action scenes, several plot twists and quite possibly the ending – and that’s just in one viewing each of the trailers.

Movie marketing is getting more and more ballistic, with studios bashing each other in the face for a chance in the spotlight. Got a really spoilery scene that will hype fans up? Whack it in the trailers for maximum press coverage. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the worst offender, but it’s not the only culprit in bad marketing by a long shot. Hey, at least it’s not X-Men: Days of Future Past, where the producers have plumped for the Instagram trailer way of marketing. And that method of marketing is really, really bad.

We can only hope that this escalating marketing method doesn’t continue with The Amazing Spider-Man 3.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is released on May 2, and the There’s A Sinister Six Movie Coming Up, You Know and the Gwen Stacy Dies sizzles reels will be heading online soon.