Blown-Away & Disappointed all at the Same Time

Rating: 7/10 (11 January 2008)

Spidey Volume 3. The most hyped up movie of the year? For good reasons though - the first two films were simply amazing & a treat to any of his comic lovers. 6 years on after the first film - Does Spidey still have his groove? Critics say no, but it's funny as the same amount of people disagree. A very "Love or Hate" film you might say.?
The start credits were as fun & suspenseful as ever - comic book drawings popping up with a spiderweb red background and a picture of one of the last 2 films every few seconds. Unoriginal after so many films have done the same thing but still you got to love credits which actually get you thrilled & geared up for the film.?
The first 20 minutes of Spider-Man 3 don't blow you away too much - staying safe with just a follow-up on how Peter Parker's life has been since Spider-Man 2. Much like the entrance to Spidey 2, but now Peter loves his life. The way every core character is introduced doesn't amaze & the whole few scenes have a certain 'cheesy' undertone to them but that doesn't differ from the following 120 minutes. ?
We see MJ has a rise & fall music career, Peter is still underpayed & unrespected but is as happy as ever with his strong relationship with Mary Jane, in fact so much that he is about to pop the question to her which he seeks Aunt May's advice on. Suddenly, we are given an inside look on a mysterious new character who looks to be a runaway convict as he has a certain 'sandy fall'. We also see a still-distraught revenge-seeking Harry as Peter begs for forgiveness which he is not granted (right at that moment at least).?
3 villains. Too much of an overkill? Perhaps for the critics & small-flaw seekers but not for me, just makes it that much more exciting. Your core villain in the first-half is Sandman followed by Venom in the second-half. The Green Goblin Jr comes & goes as he pleases (and remembers!) The resolution to every villain is extremely satisfactory & somewhat predictable, but oh well!?
Good parts? The action parts are entertaining & the end is extremely pleasing, also the rise & fall of PJ's relationship is entertaining & surprising. Bad parts? The start is weak & the middle feels like a huge gimmick where it just focuses on the Venom-struck Peter.?
Following on from my complaint of the middle, just as we think the Sandman storyline has ended, Venom gets more involved & takes possession of Pete's body causing him to take revenge & act on his feelings of anger. During this film period, it feels like you've exited Spider-Man 3 & walked into a film spoofing it. Simply awful, too cheesy to be true! But don't panic, it kickstarts it's glory once again in about 15 minutes.?
The end is the best part. Predictable yet amazing ties. Sad, relieving, surprising & even heartwarming when we see the films big message involving forgiveness, mistakes & choices.?
So the big question is was it as amazing as it's 2 prequels? Some will say no & some will say yes. My opinion: Some parts of the film are mega, quite phenomenal & very satisfactory while it also disappoints at places. I can see where the critics are coming from, but do feel the film is overlooked & people should just take it as a comic-book film. I'd say it's not as good as Spidey 1 but better than no. 2, needless to say I loved every film in the trilogy & I highly recommend this film