A Disappointment

Rating: 5/10 (10 May 2007)

My first reaction to this film when I saw it last Friday was, What the heck?? I feel like I can't even have an opinion about the movie because it's so all-over-the-place. We get dramatic special effects scenes, stylized but cool villain battles, a strange black-suit core plot, a romance side story, and the typical villain back-stories. There have always been these kinds of elements in the Spiderman movies, but in this one, they're over-packed. There's just too much, and for the most part, none of it is great. I'll break it down into different sections so my vote will make sense.
Effects Extravaganzas 8/10 The effects in the movie are breath-taking. The problem with the purely effects-based scenes is that the coolness factor wears off quickly. When Spiderman dives through wreckage in slow motion to save a damsel-in-distress (we later find that her name is Gwen Stacy), the excitement only lasts about a second. Then, I just wanted it to speed up.
Romance Sub-plot 2/10 By far the worst part of the movie is this sub-plot. We meet a new possible love interest for Pete (the above-mentioned Gwen Stacy), but she proves to be a very thin and boring character in the film, kind of like Mary Jane. MJ does what she did in the first two films for the most part. She whines, cries, gets captured, has useless fights with Peter, and performs terribly on the stage. However, now these things are repetitive, and this installment amps them up to the max. MJ seems to whine constantly, her kidnapping is more predictable than in the first two, she performs badly on Broadway instead of a local theater, and all of her fun and deep enigma is gone. In addition, she and Pete take turns acting like jerks to each other.
Villain Back-stories 3/10 I'll start by saying that Sandman is not exactly a menacing villain. His back-story is completely repetitive and ridiculous, verging on corny. Eddie Brock, on the other hand, could have been done well. However, Topher Grace turns in the worst performance of the film as Eddie, and does not become threatening or cool at all until he turns to Venom.
Black Suit Core Plot 7/10 The parts of the film focusing on the black suit are not menacing, like I expected, but rather funny and quirky. Unfortunately, this campy plot does not fit with the rest of the film, which tries to be dark. Spidey and Peter Parker both get emo make-overs, and Peter becomes a loser who thinks that he's insanely cool, strutting down the street and dancing 1970s style.
Villain Battles 10/10 The battles that Pete has with the New Goblin, Venom, and Sandman are the best parts of the film, and make it worth seeing. This is where the big budget comes into play. Seeing Spidey kick butt has never been so real as it is now. Though I give it a rather low rating, I urge you to see it just for the experience of seeing Spiderman as you've never seen him before in battle. Still, this movie has fallen under my expectations. Better luck next time, Mr. Raimi (if there is one).