The difference between a great 2 hour movie and an overlong 2 hour and 20 minute movie:

Rating: 6/10 (7 May 2007)

1. Absolute nonsense detour of musical numbers. Sam Raimi, if you desire to do musical numbers, go make another movie musical, but please, spare us action movie audiences these groaners.
2. Convoluted Sand Man who was real Uncle's killer, who had to kill Peter's Uncle to save his daughter....whah? The backstory, which is repeated a few times throughout the movie because it just makes no sense at all. What did the Sandman guy have to do with robbing the wrestling club owner? And how does creating general mayhem as Sandman monster help save his daughter?
3. Recycled Green Goblin backstory, with the same rivalry over MJ. Been there, done that.
At least two reels worth of this movie was just story on autopilot. What barely saves this film is the the rest of parts that keep you watching. The action sequences, even though they get repetitious as they whirl around in the air, nevertheless are a roller coaster ride on the big screen. As usual, Raimi injects the right amount of small film humour to keep the characters somewhat grounded. The action set pieces have a few new things to offer, but even so seem routine these days (watch how disinterested bystanders are during some chase scenes). If a couple subplots were removed, this movie could have been as good as #2. There are enough elements, such as the Photographer/Venom character, that breath some life into this sequel.
I found the look of the film to be on par with previous efforts, with a suitable score bringing us through the highs and lows. I was warned by the reviews that there is a little too much tearjerking going on in this movie, and it's true that when you hit those emotional beats too many times, they lose impact. One thing that does not make sense is the ridiculous price tag of $250 - 300 million to make this film. An open checkbook causes excess. Raimi comes from the B-movie horror genre that has creative ways to make less look like more. That creative economy also helped to make tight scripts and fun movies, not just showpieces. I wouldn't say this movie fails in this respect, but it has fallen symptom the the 3rd sequel curse; been there done that forces over the top. But then it feels like jumping the shark, and turns either into a farce or dull tedium.