Waste of talent and money

Rating: 5/10 (11 May 2007)

Considering the film's 258 million dollar budget and the fact that Raimi, Maguire, Dunst, and Franco have stayed on for this third film, it's quite a shock how far and fast it falls. The special effects are worse than the first film at times, the romance between Maguire and Dunst takes several steps back and is arguably again somewhere within the first story, there are THREE, yes THREE villains in this movie...
So, what happened? It almost seems like everyone involved either became complacent or bored. They know the movie will break the bank, as can be seen by its opening weekend, so are they just not putting forth the same effort? Spider-Man 2 was more than a comic book movie - it was a genuine film with ethos and pathos. Spider-Man 3 is computer schlock fest...two of the three villains are completely CGI 95% of the time. Where is the humanity? Where is the care factor?
The only things this movie has going for it are its humor and one emotional scene on a bridge. While funnier than the first two films combined, is humor a substitute for the brilliance of SM2? And the bridge scene between Maguire and Dunst almost redeemed their entire relationship in my eyes, but the intensity doesn't last and is almost forgotten toward the end of the movie. Honestly, I'd recommend waiting for the DVD, if you haven't already seen it in the theatre.