Not what it seems at first glance...

Rating: 5/10 (27 December 2007)

I have finished watching "Spider-Man 3" for a second time after my initial viewing when it first came out. I must admit, I have a greater appreciation for this film once I watched it more intently.
Like many others, my initial impression of the film was that it was filmed half-hazard. There was too much going for there to be any development; the Peter-Harry conflict was pushed aside in favor for an appearance of Venom; the Sandman's involvement in killing Uncle Ben being a terrible subplot and made the events of the first film void; and the horrific Peter dance. All of this made me despise "Spider-Man 3" when I first watched it.
However, with my second viewing, I decided to watch the behind-the-scenes concept work to understand why the film was made the way it was. I watched the film afterward more objectively to see what I could interpret from the film.
Having done that, I have come up with this observation: "Spider-Man 3" completes the trilogy in that Peter Parker finally becomes a man. In the previous films, Peter is tested in upholding his motto "With great power comes great responsibility" and succeeds in doing this while winning the heart of Mary Jane Watson. In "Spider-Man 3", Peter becomes confident with his success and feels that he is ready to marry his love and be a mature, understanding husband.
However, Peter demonstrates his immaturity by letting his confidence become pride. As a result, Peter acts with ignorance and selfishness: he is ignorant of Mary Jane's need for his understanding and feels confident that he doesn't need any help to keep him on the right track. The events of the film and how it negatively affects those around him result from Peter giving in to the temptations of power and success, the evil stemming from it manifesting in the form of Venom.
There is a large amount of character development on the part of Peter Parker as he recognizes his own immaturity and decides to confront it. Harry Osborn likewise realizes the faultiness of seeking revenge. Eddie Brock becomes a victim of his own ambitions when he favors the power given as Venom in light of his personal failure, resulting in his demise. The only superhuman character acting unselfishly is Flint Marko, whose motivation for committing crimes is to save the life of his daughter. Mary Jane Watson and Aunt May act as the medium through which Peter Parker obtains maturity, albeit after his downfall.
Admittedly, there are several aspects of the film that are unnecessary. However, upon understanding the deep moral message driving the events of the film, I find that "Spider-Man 3" is a surprisingly mature film that needs multiple viewings to appreciate.
Rating: ** 1/2 - Fairly Good