Action packed and entertaining...but still has problems

Rating: 4/10 (5 May 2007)

Spider-Man 3 has been the most anticipated film of the last 3 years without a doubt. Unfortunately, it is one of those 'hate it or love it' movies. The story is very complex, but the incredible visuals (including all the actors being very good looking) make up for it...a little bit. All in all, Spider-Man 3 might disappoint some, but there are those who will have a great time. Don't go in with high expectations...just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) appears to have finally found balance in his life. He is in love with the girl of his dreams, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), and all of New York loves his alter ego, Spider-Man. Despite this beautiful scenario, trouble lurks ahead. Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), the man actually responsible for Uncle Ben's death, has escaped from prison and genetically combined with sand particles, and Harry Osborn (James Franco) is plotting his revenge against Peter/Spidey for the murder of his father. To make matters worse, Peter and MJ's relationship is threatened by other people (including Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy), and there is a competing photographer at the Daily Bugle named Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), a young man with a venomous future ahead of him because of an alien symbiote that has landed on Earth, eventually taking over Peter's suit and changing him as a person...confusing, ain't it?
As always, Spider-Man 3 is very well casted. I'll start off with our returning 3 stars, Maguire, Dunst, and Franco. Maguire needed to show even more acting muscle this time around, as Peter changes drastically throughout the movie. He pulls it off well, and some scenes are so different from the Peter we know to the point of extreme laughter. Aside from that, Maguire captures the often changing personality of Peter with ease, and gives a great performance. Kirsten Dunst gives her best performance as MJ, but she still isn't really that likable, which is a shame because MJ is supposed to be a character the audience loves just like Spider-Man. She has her moments, however. James Franco is extremely likable in the film, even though he is a villainous character. You'll identify more with Harry than you will with Peter, and I'm not the only one who liked him more than Peter. Franco's performance is layered and unpredictable (except the end), very similar to Willem Dafoe in Spider-Man 1. Thomas Haden Church is also likable, and he hopes people like him because he must've worked out for a century to transform from a scrawny middle aged man to a very cut and muscular man. He transforms into the Sandman, a villain that isn't really popular, but his inclusion really allows for some phenomenal effects that will blow you away. I'm sure filming that part was a pain. My favorite performance of the film was Topher Grace as Eddie Brock, and eventually Spider-Man's arch-nemesis, Venom. Grace is sickeningly sarcastic in the character, and when he does become Venom, will be scary. He gets some of the best lines in the whole film. Grace nailed the role when so many people doubted him, and I'm really happy with the way he played Venom. Definitely one of the most unforgettable bad guys of recent memory. Bryce Dallas Howard is also likable in limited screen time (maybe it's because she's absolutely beautiful). Dylan Baker has a slightly increased role as Dr. Connors, and his involvement in this film (you'll get this next statement when you see the movie) leaves a small window of chance for another Spider-Man movie, because of the material that he keeps.
The visuals are breathtaking, especially the climactic fight sequence, which incorporates almost all the main characters. The two main villains of the film are computer generated, and that is incredible because they really don't look like it. Venom especially. The detail added to each scene is remarkable. It's amazing what a flip or web shoot every now and then will do to improve your action sequences. The action is by far the strongest point of the film. The weakest is the writing. The brothers Raimi crammed way too much into this film. 3 villains plus all the inner turmoil Peter suffers is too much to keep track of in one 2 and a half hour film. That is another fault. The movie is way too long. It focuses too much on Peter and not Spider-Man, making it have moments where it'll seem like a chick flick because of all the relationship drama. Sam Raimi forgot to make a movie about a superhero. Instead we've got a movie about a guy who happens to be a superhero. I enjoyed all the acting and action, but the story was way too rushed and should have been spread over two movies. While Thomas Haden Church was good, the movie could have been made without the entire Sandman storyline. They could have left the Uncle Ben subplot alone, and given all that time (Sandman has by far the most screen time of any of the baddies) to the wonderful Topher Grace and Venom. It was really disappointing to see Venom go to waste like that. Because this route was taken, the stories behind Gwen Stacy and Eddie Brock are chopped and sadly nonexistent. Brock was turned from one of the most developed, dark, and three dimensional characters into a two dimensional sadistic crazy man with little motive, and the writers should be ashamed. That's Carnage, not Venom. Venom has very little screen time, and in my mind should have had his own movie to fight Spider-Man...after all, he is Spider-Man's worst enemy.
Spider-Man 3 is a good film. It's definitely up there with the better comic movies, but it didn't reach my expectations. Due to some strong violence and the scary Venom, Spider-Man 3 probably isn't appropriate for kids 11 and under.
7/10 --spy