Spidey still spins a mean web...but the romance is wearing thin...

Rating: 7/10 (10 May 2007)

First of all, let me say that the romantic angle is played up more so in SPIDER-MAN 3 than it was in the other Spider-Man films, which is a distinct handicap for what is primarily an action film based on the famous comic book characters.
It seems to drag noticeably in all of the quietly played scenes between TOBEY MAGUIRE and KIRSTEN DUNST, as his girlfriend May Jane whose singing career is stung by bad reviews. Then too, the scenes with ROSEMARY HARRIS, a warm and engaging actress, add to the almost soap opera flavor of the script in dealing with Spidey's human side.
But fortunately, there are enough humorous moments to atone for some of the script's shortcomings in this regard. BRUCE CAMPBELL as a French Maitre d' has a wonderful bit at the restaurant where Spidey is preparing to meet and propose to Mary Jane with a ring. And even bigger bits of humor are provided by J. K. SIMMONS as J. Jonah Jameson, the harried boss of the Daily Bugle, notably in his wonderful office scene where a diligent secretary has a novel way of reminding him to take his blood pressure pills. He's a welcome scene-stealing presence in any scene.
There's plenty of villainy going on in the guise of three chaps bent on destroying Spider-Man, the best of which is THOMAS HADEN CHURCH as the ex-convict who gets caught up in an experiment that turns him into the Sandman creature that terrorizes New York City. His transformation scenes are brilliantly done with the CGI effects outdoing themselves. He has that tough guy persona that looks just right for the role.
But the best written part for one of the three villains belongs to JAMES FRANCO who is able to convey much more of what makes Goblin II tick. He switches from affable to intense hatred with the greatest of ease and gets a lot out of the character he's playing.
Not as well scripted, but easily among the best performers in the film, is TOPHER GRACE, arrogant rival photographer at the Daily Bugle, who does a fine job as a Spider-Man adversary when he turns into Venom. Unfortunately, this comes pretty late in the film (almost as an afterthought by the writers) and he doesn't get enough time on screen to flesh out the character which would have been one of the most interesting villains if time permitted.
As it is, it all runs well over two hours and stays on a pretty smooth course throughout, for such a long film. Except for the lulls whenever Spidey deals with his romantic complications, it's a pretty fast-moving story that has some eye-filling special effects whenever things get too dull in the storytelling department.
TOBEY MAGUIRE certainly gets a chance to stretch. When his darker side takes over (and he's wearing that black suit), he shows a side of his screen personality that's been hidden in all the other Spider-Man films, and his arrogance with dance moves--while staying in character with his nerdy side--are played for laughs which are intentional.
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD makes a suitable cliff-hanging sort of heroine who can scream as well as Fay Wray (the Queen of Scream), and THERESA RUSSELL stands out in her one brief scene as Mrs. Marko.
I thoroughly enjoyed it as a blockbuster movie designed to entertain and thrill as only these Spider-Man movies can.
The CGI is remarkable for the Sandman sequences, all the production values are first class and Christopher Young's background score is a decided asset.
But, personally, I still think I preferred the other two Spider-Man films over this one.