Good But Could Have Been a Masterpiece

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2007)

I was disappointed but not devastated. What was good about this film was very, very good, but what was bad was pretty awful. Though I am happy to report that there is more of the good than the bad. The Sandman character was pulled off really well although it wasn't needed to have him be Uncle Ben's killer. I think it would have been better if Peter didn't have the meteor land right near him. It seemed way too coincidental. I would have had him notice an explosion and have him go to investigate it. I've been seeing a lot of comments about Peter being too "emo". No doubt this was coming from a lot of younger fans who aren't quit in touch with their own feelings. If you followed the movies or read the comics, Peter was always this way. There wasn't a single time in any of these film where Peter's crying or angst wasn't justified. But of course your average teen or pre teen will simply not get this. The acting, FX and action was quite spectacular. It seemed that this movie had a lot going on and sometimes seemed a bit all over the place. The way the film chose to portray Peter's "dark side" was where I find the most fault. The aggressive, arrogant nature I thought was fine, but oh my dear lord! The strutting and dancing in the street was ridiculous. And when did the alien learn to play piano????? Removing all the silliness and musical interludes would have done this film a BIG favor. Harry was done really well also. It was nice to see him learn the truth finally, though it would have been nice if the butler clued him in a little earlier...like say in the second film!!! But of course if they did that, Harry would not have found his dads stash and we wouldn't have gotten the really cool team-up we see in this film. It as sad to see Harry die in the film, but I understand why it was done. I thought Venom/Eddie Brock was pulled off great. Fanboys will argue that Venom was too small and he wasn't portrayed like this in the comics and to that I say "This isn't the comics, its a different incarnation. Leave it at that, have an open mind and get over it." I also believe that Venom is indeed not dead and he will return to give Spidey headaches in future films. I think this movie will get a bit of a bad rap from fans who come to expect so much from this franchise. I think whoever will be making the next film(s) will take note and make adjustments accordingly. All in all, I thought the first two films were a bit better. It was a really good movie that had a chance of being an epic, fantastic film but it fell a bit short...or long....about 20 minutes or so too long. 7.5 out of 10