Actor Andrew Garfield puts on the spidey-gloves again for the second of “The Amazing Spider-Man” series. Following the death of Gwen’s (Emma Stone) dad in the prequel*, Peter Parker (the Spider-Man) begins to protect his girlfriend and fellow New Yorkers from harm while dealing with unanswered questions about the mysterious* history and disappearance of his parents.

    Parker is forced to fight his personal troubles along with the coming of Electro, a new villain* who threatens to destroy the city’s power.

    Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), is an electrical engineer at science company Oscorp Industries who quickly develops an obsession* for Spider-Man after being saved by the superhero. While working after hours on his birthday, Dillon is caught in an accident with electric eels* undergoing research and becomes Spider-Man’s new enemy.

    Old friend turned enemy, Oscorp heir* Harry Obsorn (Dane DeHaan), adds to Parker’s dilemmas* after Osborn discovers he has his father’s illness and asks Parker to provide Spider-Man’s blood.

    Spider-Man can multitask. But can his director? Marc Webb, returning after the last Spider-Man movie, again shows a better feel for the relationships than he does for knitting in all the overlapping* story elements.

    Garfield’s charm lights up the movie with dark plots. Emma Stone, Garfield’s girlfriend off screen, adds some rom-com* moments. In the film, the couple know they should break up, and keep trying to. Their chemistry gives the film a sparkle.

    Big-budget, 3-D special effects will make you feel as though you’re swinging along the streets of New York with the man in red and blue himself.

    A number of characters, including The Rhino and the Green Goblin, are shoehorned* at the end of the movie but unfinished stories leave the plot open for a possible sequel.

    (SD-Agencies)