Very entertaining but I hope this isn't the last one...

Rating: 7/10 (12 May 2007)

After the scope and setting up of the first two films they decided to go down a more personal route with Spiderman and the villains with a humiliation/revenge theme running through the movie.
One of the scenes I related to was when MJ - Kirsten Dunst - seems to tell Peter that he doesn't understand her insecurity regarding her acting career. It was almost as if she was forcing the issue rather like a bored girlfriend gets and she wants to take it out on someone. This builds up in the movie even though I thought that Peter was supporting her with the "you have to pick yourself up, get back on the horse and look how my life's improved" speech.
This part of the film reminded me of a previous girlfriend who was going through a similar "I can't cut it at work and what am I doing with my life it's all a tragedy and you don't understand me even if you think you are I'm just gonna be bloody minded and take it out on you" phase.
Indeed it was a cathartic experience. It seems like she's jealous of his Spiderman alter-ego which in this film is becoming more popular to the people of New York. Which in turn related to my cheerful, positive and hopeful outlook on life and my girlfriend's resentment of that.
Anyway back to the film. There was a particularly enjoyable scene with J. Jonah Jameson being "bothered" by his secretary regarding his medication. Harry Osborn didn't really become the New Goblin i.e. a villain at all - he just used/upgraded some of his dad's stuff and wound Peter up about MJ. Although Parkers and Harry's fight scenes were cool but not overwhelming.
The Sandman transformation was good and seemed to be the only mature i.e. sensible character in the movie. The Venom character was played well by Topher Grace/CGI. His Eddie Brock character reminded me of James Spader in Wolf. But I have to agree that there were too many character developments in this film to give them any depth esp. the evolution of Venom - a parasite which can't be killed so I've heard - which was a bit rushed. Maybe Venom will return. Spiderman forgiving Sandman was a bold move, maybe they'll team up in the next one.
All in all an entertaining film for most parts although Peter Parker as a bad boy worked ironically if you think of it as him trying too hard esp when you see the bemused looks of women he scopes as he walks down the street in some scenes. I thought that part was quite funny.
But as I said at the beginning, I hope this isn't the last one.