Jamie Foxx's Most Memorable Moments As Electro In Spider-Man

Count me among those who enjoy "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." Yes, it's a mess of a film with a clunky script and a nonsensical plot. Still, it also features some of the best Spider-Man action put to film and terrific interactions between Andrew Garfield's Spidey and Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy.

The comic book epic sees our titular hero take on a trio of villains, specifically Rhino (Paul Giamatti), Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), and Jamie Foxx's electrifying Electro, who serves as the main baddie. Foxx begins the film as electrical engineer Max Dillon, a mild-mannered nerd whose life takes an unexpected turn when he bumps into the Web-Head and develops an affection for him.

Foxx has a blast in these early scenes, playing against type. Max is a kindhearted but intensely bitter soul longing for attention. As such, when he attains the power of electricity, he proves to be a destructive force due to his pent-up rage and aggression. How does he get those powers?

Bear with me. Max falls into a pool full of electric eels. Yeah, it's a little goofy, so I place the moment at the bottom of the list. Still, to Foxx's credit, he makes you actually sympathize with Max and even root for him to succeed until he flies off the handle in the exciting climax. It's also a very comic book-y origin story, which is always a plus.

Electro meets his end during the climax of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," after battling Spidey at New York's power grid. The scuffle, primarily rendered in splashy CGI, is glorious to watch, even when Electro uses his powers to play "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" — an admittedly goofy moment that induces groans.

Regardless, there's some good stuff here. At one point, Electro spews electricity on Spider-Man, a wicked effect that makes him look terrifying. Electro almost wins the match, but Gwen hits him with a car before he can deliver the final blow. A video game-esque chase sequence follows; destruction on a truly unprecedented scale. Eventually, Gwen manages to overload the electric grid, seemingly destroying the villain in the process.

I found this final confrontation quite exciting. I love Electro's look and think Jamie Foxx infuses him with an equal dose of anger and madness, letting the audience feel his hatred toward Spider-Man. While mostly rendered via computer effects, the personal animosity between the foes still shines through, making this sequence one of the more intense comic book movie standoffs.

Jamie Foxx's Electro pops in and out of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," often unexpectedly, making him unpredictable and all the more dangerous. Case in point, shortly after Spidey and Gwen reunite and agree to stay together, Electro absorbs the city's power and beckons the wall-crawler to join him for one final mano a mano battle royale at the local power grid.

Spider-Man obliges and swings into action as Electro rains down holy hell on the city, striking cars and buildings with electronic blasts that leave massive craters in the streets. We get an unbelievable shot of Spidey swinging through the darkened buildings. Then we see it: Electro's face forms on the side of a building, his eyes filled with hate. "Do you see me now, Spider-Man," he growls. "It's time to meet our destiny."

This is one of those holy s*** cinematic moments that leave you salivating at the mouth in the theater. Here, we see the true extent of Electro's power — his incredible ability to manipulate electricity is truly a sight. Moreover, this is such an enormous contrast to the Max we saw earlier in the picture that it's almost tragic to see the unhinged monster he's become. Foxx is fantastic at portraying characters suffering internally. This moment emphasizes how far this meek, lowly man fell in his bid for relevance.

To say "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" toes the narrow line between a slavish comic book adaptation and campy farce is an understatement. Director Marc Webb takes some wild swings with the material and occasionally stumbles. Regrettably, no scene better encapsulates this creative struggle than the heavily marketed "I am Electro" scene.

Let me set the stage. After battling Spider-Man in Times Square, Electro is apprehended and taken to Oscorp for further study by the nefarious, lipstick-sporting Dr. Kafka (Marton Csokas). The duo meets, where the good doctor reveals his desire to learn as much about Electro as possible. He taps on a keyboard and sends a burst of electricity into Electro, who snarls, "You want to know how powerful I am?"

"Yes," Dr. Kafka replies, punching the keys once more.

"I'm dying to know, Doc," Electro says, his face glowing red. "But you better make damn sure you kill me this time because if you don't, I'm going to kill the light so that everyone in the city is going to know how it feels to live in my world. A world without power. A world without mercy. A world without Spider-Man."

If that weren't enough, the villain's blue eyes widen when asked who he is, and he beams, "Don't you know? I'm Electro." Jamie Foxx's line delivery sends shivers down the spine. Here is when little ole Max finally becomes Electro, and you really start taking him seriously.

Moments later, Harry heads upstairs to confront Donald Menken (Colm Feore), who tried to remove him from the Oscorp company. A security guard notices the computer monitors going haywire and rushes to remove Donald from the building. Before he can act, the guard drops dead, and a hole burns into his stomach. Behind him, Electro's body, now outfitted in a black leather outfit, appears out of thin air.

"Remember me?" he says, lifting a hand and blasting away the desk.

Harry starts talking smack to Donald, who watches, a lifeless scowl etched on his face. When Donald tries to offer his insults, Electro zaps him unconscious with a flick. Eventually, Harry leads Donald out of the room with a gun and tells Electro, "The grid is all yours." Electro eyes a power socket in the floor, dissolves into a blob of energy, and zips inside, carefully closing the cap.

With every scene, Jamie Foxx becomes even more terrifying as the famed Spidey foe. He looks incredible in that shot, where he silently stands next to Harry, an uncontrollable force of nature oozing with anger. You half expect him to explode and wipe out everyone nearby. It's a great example of a brilliant actor doing a lot with a little. Unfortunately, the scene doesn't top the final two entries on our list.

Finally, my favorite Jamie Foxx as Electro moment arrives midway through "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" when the antagonist first reveals himself during the epic Times Square battle. I dig the way Marc Webb sets up this sequence. We see Max, fresh from his run-in with the electric eels, hobbling through the streets, starving for energy. Spidey, hanging out with Gwen nearby, senses something wrong. Hans Zimmer's rhythmic music kicks in — voices that increase with intensity the more powerful Electro becomes.

Electro latches onto a cable beneath the streets, draws the attention of the cops and nearby New Yorkers, and suddenly sees his face all over the billboards. The cops try to subdue him, and Electro loses it, unleashing a wave of energy that blows everyone back. Spider-Man arrives and tries to diffuse the situation, but all hell breaks loose when a sniper takes a shot. "I got so much anger," Electro barks. "I just ... I just wanted everyone to see me."

He loses control when Spider-Man's face supplants his on the massive billboards. Spidey finally puts him down with some water.

It's a wicked cool sequence that Foxx plays to perfection. We pity and fear Max, a loner with no friends who feels betrayed by the one person he thought he could trust. Foxx's slow evolution from a scared, helpless individual to a full-on anarchist is a blast and easily the peak of his time as Electro.