Ambition Exceeds Grasp

Rating: 7/10 (1 July 2007)

Spiderman 3 is a much more ambitious film than its two predecessors. It features three villains/plot threads: the Peter Parker/Spiderman-Harry Osborn/Goblin-Mary Jane Watson love triangle thread, the Flint Marko/Sandman-Uncle Ben's murder revenge thread, and the Eddie Brock/Venom rivalry thread.
Unfortunately, Sam Raimi and co. can't keep all of this going. The movie starts off promisingly enough with the inevitable Spiderman-Goblin showdown. But then it bogs down in the middle and never quite gains momentum again.
Tobey Maguire, so good at playing a nerd with hidden hero potential, is unconvincing as a bad guy. And when did Mary Jane Watson become so whiny? There are references to everything from The Blob to The Nutty Professor to Charlotte's Web to Saturday Night Fever, but none of this coalesces. The big Spiderman-Goblin vs. Venom-Sandman climax feels more like a professional wrestling tag team match than a real emotional payoff.
I've read that Sam Raimi didn't want to do the Eddie Brock/Venom plot thread, that it was forced upon him by the producers. If true, that's unfortunate; one less plot thread might have given him room to more fully develop the other two. Let's hope Spiderman 4 is better.