A Great Disappointment

Rating: 3/10 (25 October 2007)

I was all ready for the third installment of Spider-Man 3 as soon as I saw the excellent Spider-Man 2. SM2 was maybe the best superhero film of all time (if it isn't, only Superman 2 is better), and the promise of Venom had me unable to wait for this flick. Then I saw it opening day. It's like they took all the flaws from the first two and left out the good parts. Peter Parker's efforts to cope with his powers always set the comics apart from the comics at the time. Here, Raimi jumps the shark and makes the boy emo. How is any intelligent person supposed to take emo seriously? Gwen Stacy, a very important figure in the comics, is reduced to minimal screen time and few lines. I don't even read comics, and I know she's significant. That's an indicator you should probably give the lady some lines.
The main villain is Sandman, a misunderstood criminal who has maybe the least scary powers ever. Oh no, it's the Sandman! He's gonna get stuck in my crack! Sandman is played by Thomas Haden Church, who actually gives the part the depth and feeling that should have been given to Peter Parker. James Franco is back as Pete's former best friend Harry, and it's painfully obvious that Franco pushed that part as far as it could go in the last film. Venom is reduced to about 15 minutes of screen time, which is the greatest travesty of the film. Venom is the greatest of all Spidey villains. Topher Grace doesn't have enough time to build up Eddie Brock or his fiendish alter-ego, making him yet another victim of the film's bloating.
Venom's not the only bad villain. The New Goblin, Harry Osbourne's vengeful alter-ego, is a mess. Harry, who would have failed out of high school without Peter's help, somehow managed to build an all-new array of weapons and suits. Okey-dokey. As I understand it, the substance that he took to gain the Goblin's heightened strengths also increased his intelligence, but I don't know for sure because it wasn't explained. Next, he doesn't wear a mask. James Francois not menacing in any way, shape, or form. It's such a great irony that the animated Willem Dafoe was restricted by a mask yet James Franco gets to show his pretty mug. He bore almost no resemblance to the Green Goblin, and his weapons were over the top even for a superhero film.
Here's a bit of advice: don't hire good performers like Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, and James Cromwell (who plays Gwen's dad), and then not let them develop their characters. Don't interpret the mood swings and aggressiveness brought on by the black suit as emo. Most importantly, don't put a dance number in a superhero blockbuster. I hope they fix these bugs in time for Spidey 4. Sony, let this be a lesson not to go crazy just because a franchise is successful.