Doesn't touch its immediate predecessor, but nice try anyway.

Rating: 6/10 (10 May 2007)

"Spider-Man 2" eclipsed my expectations of what to expect from the mega-popular superhero franchise. Not only did it ramp up the quality of the action set pieces and visual effects considerably from its predecessor (the entirety of what most action blockbuster sequels encompass) but it also tracked and maintained the natural progression of all the characters involved, based on what was left after the first film. It wasn't afraid to further explore the emotional weight that comes with been a teenage superhero, nor to flesh out a villain that was sympathetic and not entirely malevolent. This, along with the perfect interplay of comedy and dazzling action made SM2 in my opinion the perfect comic-book movie. No surprise then that I had high hopes for this second sequel (as if no one else did!). From what had already passed and with a considerably bigger budget ($250 million +, the trailers prove that alone), Sam Raimi and co. were looking to once again up the stakes in all areas. But surely no one can beat the "perfect" comic-book movie?
All is rosy and right with our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman at the outset of his latest adventure. In stark contrast to what began the first sequel, the man sized creepy crawly is the toast of the city, now balanced perfectly with alter ego Peter Parker's straight A student life and blooming Broadway beau Mary Jane Watson, who is now aware of Peter's secret. However, not all is serene under the screen. Peter's best friend, Harry Osborn, is still seeking revenge for his father's death and now that he knows who's behind the mask of his adversary, he can finally squish the bug from the source by continuing is father's legacy as the New Goblin.
Enough for the latest episode you say? Well barely half an hour in, at least three more plots surface; during a night under the stars for Peter and MJ, a meteor strikes covertly close by, subsequently releasing a writhing, crawling black ooze that manages to hitch hike home with Peter that same night; a rival photographer in the form of Eddy Brock (Topher Grace) is slithering his way into the Daily Bugle as Spiderman's new photographer, much to Pete's disdain; Flint Marco (Thomas Hayden Church) is a runaway criminal and allegedly the real killer of Peter's Uncle Ben (a major plot motivation) who ends up accidentally trapped in an elaborate experimentation chamber that turns him into a disintegrating sand monster, aka the Sandman.
So after two paragraphs I've basically described almost the entire setup act. This is nothing we haven't seen in the trailers and even more is yet to come. There's the case of Spidey's black suit, Gwen Stacey (Bryce Dallas Howard) as the rival love interest, Venom and not to mention how all this affects Peter and MJ's relationship. People who are familiar with the comics or have seen the trailers will be aware of most of these plot points so I'm not going to elaborate, and for those who aren't aware, well, I don't have the space.
Yes, Spider-Man 3 is stuffed when it comes to content. The filmmakers have clearly seen this as possibly the capper on the trilogy so they decided to add in as many popular characters, villains and stories as possible while settling a number of plot lines started in the first two films. What results is at times an immensely entertaining film with action set pieces and special effects that out do its predecessors, trademark moments of zany and self aware comedy (Spidey empties his boots of sand after a long bout with the Sandman, asking himself "Where do these guys come from?") and our favourite characters portrayed perfectly by skilled actors. But by the end there's a distinct sense that everything else that the other films nailed could have gone smoother had they reduced the content.
This movie has enough to span at least two and to be honest that's probably what should have happened. While the black suited Spiderman is partly the result of the Sandman's existence, due to Peter's thirst for revenge for his uncle's true killer (feeding the black clinging symbiote), it could have been left for another film, leaving Peter to deal with the Sandman, Harry and MJ here. That's more than enough to engage for 2 hours. As much as I loved Peter's new attitude with the black suit and all the comedy that ensued, the development needed more time to illicit the sense of struggle in the character (Black Spidey is hardly seen in action nor are the symbiote's origins thoroughly explained).
Venom is another example. Probably the most infamous villain in the comic books, he's given nothing more than 20 minutes of screen time here, making him seem like a complete after thought, just shoehorned in for popularity's sake. He looks cool and his eventual appearance sticks to the source, but it's too little of too much too late. Along with the black suit, Venom should have been reserved for another film. New villains, especially of this ilk, need that time to develop. Venom and Sandman each deserved a full length feature at least.
Despite these annoying flaws, there's no denying Spider-Man 3 is still a very entertaining comic-book film due its incredible action (New Goblin vs Peter can take the prize for that), gorgeous special effects (Sandman's first appearance is a short film in and of itself due to its beauty alone) and show stopping comedy (Bruce Campbell once again has a hilarious cameo). It's never boring despite the length and the pacing is fairly consistent. It's also the most fun you'll have at the movies thus far this year, so I recommend it for that alone. But as an entry in the superior Spider-Man saga, it falls behind number 2's stunning all round quality and even number 1's tight plotting. In the end, they really couldn't improve on the perfect comic-book movie. Go figure!