Spider-Man 3 swings into becoming the best film of 2007

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2007)

As a long-time Spiderman fan, I expected a lot from this film. The 'spidey' universe is full of interesting and exciting characters and super villains, and Sam Raimi managed to incorporate three of the best into this summer blockbuster. Toby Maguire shone as Peter Parker once again as he struggled to life a normal life with Mary Jane but with the added trouble that comes with owning an alien being. On the topic of Mary Jane, I feel that her role in this film was small compared to others, possibly due to the lack of time in the film, or prehaps movie fans and comic fans saw that there was no-where else for her character to do within the plots confines. Instead, Kirsten Dunst portrayed a Mary Jane without a direction or focus, the first theatre scene her best contribution by far. Now, Bryce Dallas Howard as the lovable Gwen Stacey was the highlight of the film for me. Gwen Stacey has always been a favourite character of mine for many years and Dallas managed to bring her magical persona to the screen perfectly with just a dash of 'girl-next-door' looks (very simular to Mary Jane in Spider-Man 1). If asked, I really hope she is brought back for Spider-Man 4. Howard should be proud. J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson is, and always will be, the best comic book film character ever. The humor of his character and scenes is just side-splitting funny to watch and it hasn't lost its impact. More of this would have been apreciated however. Sandman, Green Goblin and Venom. Three of the favourite Spider-Man villains. All used to perfection, all had reasonable backgrounds and worked within the confines of the story. But my main problem with having three villains is what killed over the Batman film series with Batman Forever. Having two villains team up is always an mistake. The ending for me was good, but prehaps a little too predictable. Finally, the whole 'black-suit' Spider-Man was a real letdown for me as it didn't feel like it did in the comics. The suit was always meant to be a part of Peter Parker and allow him to change at will. It was never a separate costume. Overall, this film is 10/10 on everything.