Technical proficiency will amend a disjointed plot

Rating: 6/10 (4 May 2007)

Continuing this franchise like clockwork, Sam Raimi again starts off just like the others with Tobey Maguire beginning his introduction monologue. Fulfilling it's obligatory requirements in spades, Spider-Man 3 continues to provide enough action, romance, drama, and comedy to justify another family outing. This time around though, mostly in place of a steady narrative lies the littered extracts of multiple threads tied together. In place of one encompassing conflict, the compacted screenplay attempts to mold no less then three of Spider-Man's enemies into this action extravaganza. For better or worse this will make or break the film for fans. Different concentration on Spidey's multiple adversaries lends well to keeping a diverse set of cutting edge fight sequences on hand, probably outshining any of the visceral memories from the last two films. But in fragmenting his attention amongst the different villains, Raimi (who this time was actually involved in writing the script) never really brings a worthwhile conflict to the fore, instead indulging crowds with an assortment of spectacular though mostly insignificant brawls. The technology behind capturing these heated battles has obviously never been better, as always there are plenty of moments that beg to be witnessed on a theater screen, but the overall impression is a bunch of fabulous, adrenaline pumping scenes that do not add up to cohesive whole.
Still, it may be for that very indulgence that the film is as successful as it will most likely be. Whereas in the past I felt perhaps too much time was spent on completely clichéd wisdom, taking Parker's struggles to an unnecessary pulpit of sorts, this time around the heavy-handed dialog seemed toned down a bit, more in touch with web-slinging roots that dominate the visuals. Yes, there is another trial Parker must face within himself as he continues to identify the real person he thinks he is, but this time psychological undertones do not drown out Spider-Man's intended purpose, which would be to dazzle.
And dazzle it does, cutting through much of the generic repetition with some of the finest CGI technical work to date. Exemplifying the quality design this team has become known for, right from the start it is apparent the action will definitely be trying to one-up some tough predecessors. From the film's first breakneck action sequence, Raimi shows his phenomenal talent for directing at high speeds, and puts forth some truly exciting chases. Along with Maguire's newfound pleasure in taking this little walk to the dark side, lies the heart and soul of another box office smash. Raimi is just able to ink out another worthwhile story from these mostly reused elements between spectacular confrontations, fittingly ending this trilogy on an appropriate, if obvious note. One does wonder what he will have left to say, if rumors hold true and Spider-Man is given a second trio of films; most characters just feel used up from this point out.