Super heroes have fascinated fans for decades, so when they went from comic books to films this new potential fell at the feet of filmmakers. The latest to hit the big screen is Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with Andrew Garfield returning as the great and surprising Spider-Man.

After a little catch up on how Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, lost his parents, the action begins. Parker is always a quick costume change away from imminent rescues, and in New York City there is always someone to rescue.

Those unfamiliar with the Spider-Man legacy might enjoy the slow move into the real heart of this story, including all about the Parker family, the spider that started everything, and how Peter came to live with his aunt and uncle. Aunt May, now a widow, shares her home with Peter. Fights about who will do his laundry aside, it seems nice to see Peter show genuine affection for his aunt, played superbly by Sally Field. However, Spider-Man fans want action plus new adventures, and this movie lacks some in those areas.

Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), who works for Oscorp -- the company ahead of others in scientific discoveries -- gets injured in a serious accident.  When he comes into contact with electricity in this accident, Max becomes “Electro” and sets out to destroy everyone at Oscorp who treated him badly as well as the citizens of New York City. Spider-Man is also on that list.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man’s romance with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) has reached a fever pitch. He wants her to stay out of harm’s way but can’t seem to be away from her for very long. She’s the same, trying not to interfere with his Spider-Man duties and even agreeing that maybe they should break up. That’s hard to imagine, since they can’t keep their hands off of each other. But Parker thinks he sees the image of her deceased father at times warning him not to let his daughter get hurt.

Parker’s old friend and at times foe, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), finally appears, and the two share some fun time together while skipping rocks across the water. Like the bounce in the stones hitting rough points through the water, so does the relationship between the two when Harry once again sees Spider-Man as the enemy.

Although the 3-D action is fun, this story doesn’t seem to offer much new. The plot gets revved up with romance -- which might make girls happy but has the males turning up their noses. Performances are mostly fine; Foxx leads the pack with his villainous attitude. Garfield appears to put little effort into the believability of his character, but then again, the comic book rules and changes are scarce in these films.

Die-hard fans appear split on whether to see this film. My advice? Go and make up your own mind.

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated "PG-13" for sequences of sci-fi action/violence.)

Review also posted at www.reviewexpress.com.