Sign #3738 that your comic franchise is going down the crapper: More than 2 villains inserted in the sequel!

Rating: 6/10 (16 December 2007)

So after two films, do writers just run out of ideas? I blame Batman for starting this trend. Remember when Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher's Batman sequels started inserting the same amount of villains as the numeral for the sequel? Hey Hollywood, if one villain doesn't make the film interesting enough, inserting two or three extra foes won't improve the quality of the film! How many guys does Spidey fight in this film? A dude who can turn into sand, a living costume and then the next guy the costume attaches itself to, his former best friend who is now a psychotic pretty boy from "Party of Five" and did I forget anyone else? And if that wasn't enough, there's a huge love triangle between Spidey, a hot red-head, and a hot blonde. It's as if Sam Raimi found his 50 favorite Spider-Man comic books and tried to merge them all into one film. After the movie slows down (like when the credits roll), I realize I was just tricked into watching another summer popcorn film that decided to abandon any serious approach to a comic superhero in favor of a two hour battle royale. And one more thing... the rumor is that Tobey Maguire will never again don the blue and red spandex, and after watching him with his new alcoholic flabby jaw, I've come to realize dude is not aging well. Like Ralph Macchio, he has that eternal baby face, and it looks straight up scary on a guy who is entering his 30's. I also think Maguire has only one acting method -- the shy spaced out prepubescent style -- and it was "cute" in his first films, but it's annoying as he reaches mid-life crisis. Yeah... like Hulk, Punisher, Batman and other popular comic film franchises, I think it's time to throw this one back in the blender, and see what new remake concepts Hollywood can come up with.