Spider-Man Unhinged. Raimi's Trilogy Capper is a Big, Trashy, Deliriously Entertaining Superhero Soap Opera

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2017)

I've realized over the years that I have not been watching the much-maligned Spider- Man 3 the right way. The first time I saw Spider-Man 3, I came in with expectations that Sam Raimi could somehow pull off the impossible, and hit three straight home runs. Needless to say, Spider-Man 3 did not live up to the insurmountable standard set by the first two films. The precarious balance of tone in Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 had slid too far into the comedic, the effects had leaned too far into the digital, and the story had lost focus. I didn't like Spider-Man 3 the first time I saw it. Watching it now, my feelings have changed. Maybe it's the dreary-as-a-cubicle Amazing Spider-Man movies that have made me appreciate Raimi's gonzo energy, or maybe I've just come to terms with the fact that Spider-Man 3 is not the comprehensively perfect comic book adaptation its predecessors were. Either way, I can now enjoy Spider-Man 3 for the big, trashy mess it is.
You've heard the big complaint before, "Too many villains". It's almost become synonymous with Spider-Man 3. Any time a movie tries to cram more villains than needed into its story, it pulls a "Spider-Man 3". It's the rallying cry for Spider-Man 3 haters, but you know what? It doesn't bother me. Sure, Harry's "New Goblin" is an uninspired design, but his character arc demanded he take his revenge on his friend. Sure, the controversial Sandman retcon partially negates the impact of Spidey's origin, but his presence teaches Peter forgiveness. Sure, Venom is shoehorned in, but his story is directly tied to the symbiote suit and Peter's out of control ego at the heart of the film. To not have any of the three villains in the movie would have felt like a cheat. And individually, the villains work. James Franco does what he can with his role, even if his Harry Osborne is infinitely more interesting than his Goblin. The Sandman is an inventive digital creation and Thomas Haden Church gives a solid performance as Flint Marko. And yes, I like Venom. It was, and still is jarring to see Topher Grace's dorky face emerge from the snarling monster, but his Eddie Brock is a good character, developed over the entirety of the film. His transformation into Venom doesn't come out of nowhere.
So what are my problems with the film? Well, generally it comes down to the details. There are a lot of little contrivances and coincidences in Spider-Man 3, and a few big ones. Some, like Harry's amnesia or Bernard the Butler's late-game bombshell, I can take in stride. It's part of the heightened soap opera drama of the best Spider-Man stories. Others, like Sandman's phantom reason for wanting to kill Spider-Man, or the corny news broadcast as a framing device for the final fight, are harder to swallow. Spider-Man 3 is a movie in desperate need of another run through the typewriter. The whole thing feels rushed. Raimi was infamously saddled with studio interference and a firm release date deadline, so it doesn't surprise me that the script is so sloppy, but if you ask me, the best way to handle a sloppy script is to double down on the entertainment value. The biggest sin Sam Raimi could have committed was to make a boring movie out of this material.
Spider-Man 3 is anything but boring. This movie is pure entertainment on every level. The action scenes are clearly the best reason to see Spider-Man 3. Down the line, they pack that signature, high-flying, kinetic, Raimian dynamism that makes his scenes punch harder than most anybody else's. The special effects, on the other hand, are all over the place. There are times when Spider-Man is swinging through the New York skyline, and it hits like an air-born ballet. Then there are shots where the CGI looks shockingly, inexcusably rubbery and fake. Even so, accounting for the inconsistent digital effects and accounting for the fact that we've seen the same type of stuff twice already, there wasn't a moment when Spider-Man was on screen and my eyes didn't light up. The action is sumptuous to behold. The visuals, sound effects and direction of Spider-Man 3's action scenes are world class, and let's be honest, it's hard to complain about anything in a blockbuster that can deliver not one, not two, but at least three showstopping action set-pieces.
Between the action, things are almost as lively. Raimi is not interested in subtlety when it comes to the story's dramatic moments. Make no mistake, this is a soap opera. Relationships flip and flop, characters scheme and fight, and plot details turn so dramatically you can almost detect a faint "Dun, Dun, Duuuun!" on the soundtrack. The whole thing is so outrageous, that while yes, it is hard to take seriously, its rather easy to enjoy. Even those jazz scenes everyone complains about. They're funny. Whether the humor is intentional or not is irrelevant. Tobey Maguire going full tilt emo and dancing to old school jazz music is fun to watch, context be damned.
There are two ways to watch Spider-Man 3. You can watch it in comparison to the soul-affirming classiness of the original two movies, and lament the fact that the franchise has fallen victim to the "Bigger, better" curse that hits all franchises at some point. Or, you can give into the zaniness of the whole thing. This isn't a prestige picture. It's drive-in pulp. And it's some of the most action-packed, flat out spectacularly entertaining drive-in pulp you'll ever see. It might take a few viewings, but if you can get yourself to surrender to Spider-Man 3's giddy charm, it's well worth it. When it comes to summer blockbusters, give me too much action, too many villains, and too much humor, over ponderous, self-serious safety any day.
84/100