Oh that I could give it an eleven

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2010)

This is another movie where I wish I was in "Spinal Tap" and able to exceed the limit of "10" to give it an "11." We missed this movie in the theaters a few years ago, read some of the lackluster/negative reviews of the film in the media, and didn't make seeing in 2007 a priority. I regret this, having just viewed the film on DVD this weekend.
What an outstanding, if uneven, movie. While I can agree with some of the people writing here who are critical of a few bits of clumsy dialog and exposition, it by no means detracts from those many places in the film where the movie WORKS.
Part way through the film, I found myself remembering some of the lapses and flaws in the narrative of the first two films, and I became worried that there would be a new set of loose ends hanging by the end of this. But to my surprise, it all fell into a satisfying state of resolution.
I have discovered in the news that none of the creative people of this set of Spiderman films will continue in the series, with Spiderman 4 set for a 3D release in 2012. I think this third movie places a perfect end-cap on the story arc, and sets the bar adequately high for any future inheritor of the franchise keys.