Throw A Bunch of Crap Together

Rating: 5/10 (11 May 2007)

Hmm where to start? I'm well-versed with Spiderman and the other characters in the movie, so I have a basis for saying this movie was below average. Above all it was okay as a popcorn movie so I gave it a five. I don't just settle for popcorn movies unfortunately for Hollywood and that's where the movie becomes unacceptable. I enjoyed the first Spiderman even though I felt it was a pretty "safe" adaptation, and I honestly hated the second one but I'm in the minority on that one so I still had huge hopes for the third installment.
There's plenty of reviews bashing the fact that there's too much going on in the movie, so I'll just focus on what else I saw. Where has the creativity gone? There is no plot point in this whole movie that made me think the writers/producers/director did anything original. You've got whining over uncle Ben (again), two villains who team up at the end (what a concept!), a love story, and the good guy briefly turning bad only to realize he was heading down the wrong path. That's a pretty basic list, and believe me there's more cliché than I can write about here, but this stuff can be found here and there in probably 2/3 of movies that are out there today.
Also, there are so many plot conveniences that act as main catalysts for twists in the story. The symbiote happens to fall near Peter. Fine, that's what makes it a tale worthy of being told, but how about explaining it a little? Spiderman happens to bump into a huge bell while writhing around in the black suit, and THAT is how he figures out how to beat it? And the worst: the ever-so-convenient phasing in and out of harry's amnesia. His condition basically unclutters the movie for about an hour, then his memory is restored to hate and then eventually help Spiderman. If you've already seen the movie you know what I mean and if you haven't, well it sounds great doesn't it?
Sandman was a waste. Again, back to the lack of creativity. He can turn into anything he wants, but we'll just turn him into a huge sand version of king kong. I think anyone involved in Terminator 2, including the caterer, would have had some suggestions to improve on this. Also, Sandman is a bad guy but wait a second he's doing it to steal money and pay to make his sick kid better. How noble! Ever hear of getting a job?
The lack of focus on the symbiote and its affect on Peter was disappointing as well. Of course, it was given a bit of face time. Too bad it was treated like a comedy. I didn't know alien symbiotes turned you into an overconfident pig when dealing with women. I can't criticize Maguire's acting too much, but that doesn't mean there was any thing positive about it either. He was just kind of there.
Venom wasn't given enough screen time we all know that already. He also suffers from something that's not unfamiliar to a lot of superhero movies: although he is a substantial nemesis to the hero, in this case spiderman, he isn't treated as such. He's just another villain churned out to last for one movie and one movie only.
On a final note: What was with Harry's death scene? I was waiting for Mark Hamill to step in for Tobey Maguire at one point it reeked so much of Vader's demise from ROTJ. Just a thought, haven't seen that commented on yet.