"Does whatever a spider can"...and a whole lot more...

Rating: 10/10 (13 May 2007)

Life for Peter Parker in the city of New York has never been better. His web-slinging alter-ego, Spider-Man, is the hero of millions; his "day job" at the Daily Bugle is going strong. His college grades are in top form, and to top it all off, he and the lovely Mary-Jane Watson are madly in love with each other. For once in his life, Peter has very little to worry about...until a strange, small object crashes into Central Park, unleashing a living black ooze that eventually...well, more on that later.
On the other side of town, Flint Marko sneaks into his sleeping daughter's bedroom through an open window. Before leaving, he has a few words with his estranged wife about their child, and then leaves, lamenting, "I'm not a bad person. I've just had bad luck." The same night, Peter stops by Aunt May's apartment to tell her of his plans to marry MJ. May shares a heartfelt story about her late husband Ben, and how he proposed to her 50 years prior. Peter is on his trusty moped, when out of nowhere Harry Osborn swoops him into the sky for a battle-royale that ends with Peter sliced a few times, and Harry in a severe coma. A few days later, he awakes with very little of his recent memories, prompting some heartfelt scenes that touch on what Harry's life might have been, had his father not been so neglectful.
As for Mary-Jane...well, her job at a Broadway show is cut off, and due to his crime patrols, Peter hasn't exactly been the most attentive guy on the planet. Neglected, confused, and borderline hopeless, MJ's mood only gets worse when, at a special ceremony, Spidey is given the key to the city, and gets an upside-down kiss from blonde bombshell Gwen Stacy! Jealous and frustrated, she is shattered when Peter takes her for a romantic dinner, and Gwen shows up to say "hi". MJ walks out, blind to Peter's plan of a (now-botched) wedding proposal.
Meanwhile, Harry is recovering at home from his stay in the hospital, when his memories return in a flood of imagery, restoring his desire for vengeance against Peter. He blackmails MJ into dumping Peter, telling her she'll die if she refuses. And, the police inform Peter and Aunt May that Uncle Ben was not killed by a random carjacker. Instead, their new suspect is none other than Flint Marko, who falls into a crater after escaping a chase, only to become trapped in a nuclear experiment that transforms him into a being made entirely of living sand.
And as for that black ooze, it bonds itself with Peter's costume while he sleeps. Peter's mind slowly crumbles under this symbiotic influence, going so far that he retaliates against everyone. A fight with Marko leaves Peter believing him dead after opening a floodgate. Harry and Peter have a fistfight inside the Osborn mansion, leaving Harry disfigured by his own pumpkin bomb. News rival Eddie Brock's work is revealed to be a fraud, causing J. Jonah Jameson to publicly fire him. And Peter even woos Gwen Stacy, right in front of Mary-Jane! All these events come to a devastating head when, during a barfight, Peter forcefully knocks Mary-Jane to the floor. Faced with all the consequences of his actions, Peter flees to a cathedral, where the sound of the tolling bells causes the symbiote to weaken, and Peter rips it away from his body...
...where it drips down through the rafters, and lands on a grieving, bitter, and angry Eddie Brock. Consumed by the evil entity's power, Brock is transformed into the psychotic creature known only as Venom. Tracking down the Sandman, Venom arranges a team-up to take down the heroic wall-crawler, and kidnaps Mary-Jane to use as bait. Soon, Peter swings to the rescue, once again clad in his familiar red-and-blues. But the fight is too much for even him, and as the "Sandman" prepares for a death-blow, Harry appears, having been told the truth behind his evil father's demise. Thus, its two against two across the skies and down the streets of New York. In the end...well, let's just say many lessons are learned, about love, duty, and yes, even responsibility. When all is said and done, Peter somberly approaches MJ, with one sentiment on his mind...