Three's a crowd

Rating: 6/10 (1 May 2007)

If one were to go by the rumors that "Spider-Man 3" would be the last installment involving director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire, then it's possible that Raimi wanted to cram as much elements into this film as possible before exiting the franchise (although judging from the local crowd turnout that fell in line as early as 8 am for the opening, I doubt Columbia will be putting the web-slinging hero to rest any time soon).
The jam-packed third part of the series picks up after the events of "Spider-Man 2" and Peter Parker (Maguire) has grown confident in juggling his life between being New York's beloved superhero and a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle. Oh, and he's about to propose to Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), too.
But complications arise in various forms: Peter's best pal Harry Osborn (James Franco) is still seething with anger over the death of his father (Willem Dafoe), which he attributes to Spider-Man; Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), a small-time crook who has been accidentally transformed into Sandman, has been found to be the real culprit for the death of Peter's Uncle Ben; and a mysterious black goo from space has landed into earth, eventually finding its way to Eddie Brock, who has his own reasons for wanting to kill Peter, and morphs him into Venom. As if Peter doesn't have his hands full of villains that would fill up three separate graphic novels, screenwriter Alvin Sargent gives Spider-Man yet another demon to conquer: his inability to empathize with MJ that results to a falling out in their relationship.
Granted, the story lines are ultimately wrapped out nicely and the issue between Parker and Osborn is finally given a much-deserved closure; but not before a shaky set-up with far too many subplots that has no villain fully realized, resulting to a lack of an emotional core that has been the main attribute of "Spider-Man 2". Grace's Venom, the supposed iconic villain of Spider-Man, and Church's Sandman, ultimately come as less memorable than Alfred Molina's Dr. Octopus whose personality - motivation-wise - comes as more natural and believable.
But despite the narrative faults, Raimi finally builds enough momentum going into the climax that features a New York showdown among Spider-Man, Venom, Sandman, and the New Goblin. He also manages to keep a consistent impertinent tone throughout, adding a nice blend of humor and special effects into the action that escalates in terms of scope.
While the massive anticipation that comes prior to it - partly due to the intense marketing campaign Columbia does, but mostly due to the high standards set by its predecessor - is perhaps its chief undoing, "Spider-Man 3" is still a worthy entry into the franchise. It's certainly better than some comic-book movies that had come out previously. While it's not up to par as its predecessor, it's an adequate movie as far as summer blockbusters go, and it should satisfy fans and casual moviegoers alike.