A Brilliant Piece of Entertainment, Yet Still Disappointing

Rating: 7/10 (10 April 2008)

I love the first two Spider-Man films, and was looking forward to this with great anticipation. But I won't deny that I was disappointed.
This is mostly down to the fact that the director, Sam Raimi, tries to cram too much into the movie's running time. The rumours about how this may be his last time behind the camera for the Spider-Man franchise explains why he may have done this, but it still doesn't stop his eagerness from nearly derailing the movie. Raimi's abundance of sub plots can also make some parts of the film feel underwhelming.
For example, the first two villains, James Franco's New Goblin and Thomas Haden Church's Sandman are complex, deadly and human. This is due to superb dedication from the writers, Raimi and the actors. However, the most anticipated of Spider-Man's opponents, Topher Grace's Venom, comes across as little more than an afterthought. Grace does all that he can with his role, but Raimi's disdain for the character is evident.
There are other hit-and-miss elements in the film. For example, whilst the script manages to retain a tremendous amount of the clever and natural writing and superb characterisation from the first two films, there are some moments where the dialogue seems to slip into melodrama too easily. These moments sometimes clash with the rest of the film, which makes them easier to make out.
However, despite all of its faults, SM3 is still a thrilling and intelligent action movie. The action sequences are all exceptionally staged, with one sequence involving Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man and the New Goblin in a mid-air battle over NYC especially jaw-dropping. There is also another gritty confrontation between the two aforementioned opponents which shows that Hollywood doesn't always have to rely on an overload of special effects to construct a terrific action sequence.
The acting is brilliant on all accounts. Tobey Maguire is perfect in the role of Peter Parker, constructing a human character that we can relate to and also immensely enjoying the introduction of Parker's new-found dark side. Raimi allows us to sympathise with Parker, and to laugh with or at him (the sequence in which he attempts to imitate John Travolta is hilarious), and Maguire has settled into the role nicely. Parker is a human being under the costume, and both Raimi and Maguire realise this and utilise it. As Mary Jane Watson, Kirsten Dunst crafts a beautiful, caring and flawed character, allowing us to care for her throughout the course of the story. The relationship between Parker and Watson is played out beautifully by the two actors, with scenes such as the confrontation in Central Park unfolding exceptionally well. It is a testament to the tremendous skills of Maguire, Dunst and Raimi that this relationship isn't rose-tinted, but that it is passionate, uncertain and all the more powerful because of its realistic approach.
James Franco is charismatic and complex as Spider-Man's most personal foe. The New Goblin may want to kill Spider-Man, but it is for a seemingly good reason. Franco explores these dark shades of his character with relish, without ever allowing his character to slip into the role of a predictable villain. Thomas Haden Church also creates a sympathetic and human villain in the Sandman. The moment when he struggles to come to terms with his new powers is one of the most powerful moments in the film, and is deeply moving and stunningly orchestrated. Of course, half of the making of the Sandman character comes from the visual effects, which are all used brilliantly to portray this monstrous beast. But Church still deserves the majority of the credit for creating a character full of heart and soul, which wouldn't have been realised by visual effects alone. Notable support is given by Rosemary Harris as Aunt May and a brilliant Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy, and J.K. Simmons seems to be thoroughly enjoying himself in his small role as newspaper editor J Jonah Jameson. He provides the majority of the film's comedy, along with witty writing and a terrific cameo by Raimi regular Bruce Campbell as a hilarious French waiter.
Visually, the movie is exceptional. Despite some flaws (sometimes the face of a character looks animated etc), the jaw-dropping quality of the visual effects on display is undeniable. The phenomenal action set-pieces in this film wouldn't have been anywhere near as gripping as they turned out to be without the terrific visual effects at hand to aid the illusion. Raimi and co. also use the visual effects to dramatically enhance the impact that some of the characters have on the audience. Aside from the incredible scene of Sandman's "birth", there is a genuinely scary and gripping scene in which Topher Grace's Eddie Brock first transforms into Venom. Despite a level of convenience which is involved, the sequence is still terrifically crafted, and is Venom's most memorable moment on screen.
Handling the whole affair is Raimi. He does tend to go overboard at certain moments, but his direction still shows that he is dedicated to the project. As well as this, his background as a fan of the Spider-Man comics tends to have more of a positive impact than a negative one. He directs with an understanding of Peter Parker, and ensures that there is humanity residing beneath the special effects and heroism. Apart from Venom, he also crafts the supporting characters in a sophisticated, caring and powerful way, and constructs most of the sub plots with beautiful confidence and craftsmanship.
The first two films weren't flawless, but whatever flaws they did have were easy to overlook. Here, the flaws are more noticeable, and that is what drags this film's quality down below that of its predecessors. However, it is still immensely entertaining, and boasts a humanity and care for its characters that most special effects orientated blockbusters wouldn't even dream of. So relax, and enjoy!