Too many villains Too many story lines

Rating: 6/10 (22 February 2014)

Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is finally getting good press for Spider-man. However Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst)'s life is spiraling after a bad review gets her fired from her Broadway show. A new lady Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) comes into Peter's life. She's his fellow student and gets rescued by Spider-man. Harry Osborn (James Franco) still wants revenge as The New Goblin. Love complications abound for Peter when MJ gets jealous and Harry loses his memory then regains it back, only to blackmail MJ.
There is more. Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) is an escaped convict. When he gets caught in a experimental machine, he's transformed into the Sandman. Later Peter finds out that Flint is Uncle Ben's true killer. Also a black substance from a fallen meteor attach to Spider-man forming a symbiotic relationship. Spider-man becomes dark in more ways than just the color. Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) is Gwen's boyfriend and a competitor for Peter's job as photographer. He's a little weasel. When Peter rips off the symbiont, it attach itself to Eddie Brock and he becomes Venom.
There are just too many villains, and too much story. Director Sam Raimi struggles to squeeze everything in. It's hard to lay all the blame on Raimi, but he has to take on his share. It still has its entertaining moments. There is good action, and the new villains look great visually. Let's face it. When the villain gets amnesia then switches back and that's a side story, this thing is overstuffed. Also the tone of the movie is problematic. Bruce Campbell and J.K. Simmons are making childish campy fun. Tobey Maguire looks silly desperate to be believable as dark. That part is cringe-worthy. Topher Grace also overdoes his weasel character. Too many times, the movie goes into silly territories. The best thing in the movie is the theme of forgiveness. Peter Parker, Harry Osborn, and even MJ have to find their better angels as they escape their individual darkness. At least, all the stories have that connective tissue.