For The Amazing Spider-Man 2, we get miscasting 101. Even when fully masked, Tobey Maguire could convey the web crawler’s emotional state. It’s not so easy for Andrew Garfield. The latter gets tangled in his own web. Only this time, he doesn't have a ridiculous lizard to face.

What compelled Paul Giamatti and Jamie Foxx to sign on here? Adding to which, their work gets hampered by one-time editorial whizz-kid Pietro Scalia. Remember The Quick and the Dead and Gladiator? He was so good back then.

As for director Marc Webb, he’s out of his depth. Rarely does it get this muddled. The idea of Spider-Man going up against a sparkly blue, iridescent foe called Electro (Foxx) sounds promising. Yet, the film goes on lengthy detours in which Peter Parker (Garfield) romances Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), his on again/off again love interest. This stuff belongs in another movie. As for electricity man, he seems like a reject from the Watchman auditions. Next to Godzilla, I’d say the prize for least convincing antagonist belongs here.

I try to give all blockbusters the benefit of the doubt. However, composer Hans Zimmer continues to persist with sub-par soundtracks. It’s not enough that The Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel were washouts. Now the high-flying, webbed crusader must suffer the drone as well. As a token for our pains, the famous Spider-Man song receives a welcome playback on Parker’s mobile. Hip hip hooray!

For shooting blanks and finishing off any chance at emotional involvement, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 puts the law of diminishing returns into frightening perspective.

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