"Amazing Spider-Man 2 nimble with power, humour

LOS ANGELES - Young Anglo-American actor Andrew Garfield is springing back into action in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," throwing himself anew into the web-spinning ordinary hero's role.

The Sony film has its North American premiere on Friday after a staggered release around the world that started in mid-April.

Marc Webb, who directed the first instalment of the trilogy, is behind the camera again and 30-year-old Garfield and Emma Stone - a couple both on- and off-screen - return as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy.

The first part of a new Spider-Man trilogy opened in 2012, replacing a well-received series directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire.

The new Garfield-led Spidey fared quite well at the box office, bringing in $754 million worldwide.

Now, despite "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" heavily on big action scenes in the style of "Iron Man" and "The Avengers" - Garfield says there is time to own the character introduced in the first instalment.

Similarly, his character Peter Parker finds himself coming into his own as his heroic alter ego, Spider-Man.

"It was very fun to own the character. And Peter Parker is really owning the character too and is really enjoying himself. He is really realizing that this is an amazing opportunity," Garfield told AFP.

The film revisits classic Spider-Man themes, such as how Peter can possibly balance normal life with the life of a super hero protecting New Yorkers from villains: this time Jamie Foxx as "Electro."

"I'm still learning"

For lanky 30-year-old Garfield, whose Hollywood ascent took its time before the Spider-Man franchise came calling - Spider-Man is not just about the heroic. He also has things to teach us.

"I want to take the ethos and the lessons learned from the character, from Spider-Man and bring them into my life," he said.

"That's the most amazing thing about playing the part as I get to spend time in the energy of this hero, this very ordinary hero. And the big lesson is that even if you're ordinary, which we all are, we all are human, we all have the possibility and capability to do extraordinary things in our lives." This new film has also been a chance for Garfield to give Peter's character more nuance, and humour, than he did in his first go.

"We tried to do it in the first but Peter was going through too much stuff personally to really get the humour going. But now he can really enjoy himself," Garfield says.

Though busy with "Spider-Man" filming and promotion, Garfield also finds time to take parts in smaller, independent films. This year he will be in "99 Homes", which he also produced.

"That's the main message that I take away from playing this character. I don't really judge things based on size. I judge things based on how my heart feels about them and what my gut tells me," Garfield says, adding: "I'm still learning.

"I'll be able to answer when I finish the journey because I think that when you're in the journey, it's hard to be objective. But I know I'm learning a lot, it's been a very accelerated process for me."