SPIDER-MAN 3 (Sam Raimi, 2007) ***

Rating: 7/10 (9 May 2007)

I loved the first film (which I watched twice in theaters) but recall that the second installment was rather less enjoyable; this seems to me to be slightly superior to its predecessor. Unfortunately, however, the action set-pieces are too dizzyingly-edited to be properly evaluated; still, the high-rise stunt early on and the climactic battle of the mutants are undeniably spectacular.
Besides, the complicated plot results in gross overlength - featuring yet another round of the Tobey Macguire/Kirsten Dunst/James Franco love triangle, too many adversaries for Spider-man (with allegiances shifting frequently and unconvincingly), and a baffling insistence on the deaths of the Willem Dafoe and Cliff Robertson characters from the first film! A platinum blonde Bryce Dallas Howard brings some much-needed freshness to the proceedings - though her role, ultimately, proves of little consequence.
The Sandman's back-story is especially ludicrous and sentimental with an utterly wasted Theresa Russell as his resentful wife; Venom, however, is interesting (especially in the way he represents Spider-man's alter ego) - but comes to the fore far too late into the game: his demise is nicely handled, too, but it's then ruined by the apparent necessity to eliminate the Topher Grace character. The scenes involving the 'Evil Peter Parker' swagger, then, are eye-rollingly embarrassing, as is the musical number sung by Dunst during her disastrous Broadway stint! The film allows Bruce Campbell yet another delightful cameo, and there's even a wonderful bit involving Spider-man co-creator Stan Lee. In the end, SPIDER-MAN 3 succeeds mainly as a slick and solidly entertaining ride (as long as one doesn't analyze it too deeply).