Not the best nor the worst of the trilogy...just a decent second sequel..

Rating: 8/10 (6 May 2007)

I've been a Spidey fan since I was 6 (that's about 30 years now) and have watched all the Spidey movies directed by Sam Raimi. Having read most of the comments by IMDb users, I felt compelled to put in my two cents' worth.
Whilst Spidey 3 was, IMHO, not in the same league as Spidey 1, it was definitely not rubbish as some people have opined. True, there were numerous loopholes in the story-telling (as noted by several viewers already) like (1) Whatever happened to Spidey's spider sense? (2) Why did Osborne's butler take so long to reveal to him the truth about his father? (3) Where was he when Harry and Peter were fighting? The list goes on... However, one of the things that remained consistent with the comic book that was retained and emphasized in the movie was the friendship between Harry and Peter (in the comic book, Green Goblin junior also saved Spidey's life before he died...albeit under different circumstances). This for me, was one of the more poignant moments of the film...and IMHO, the primary saving grace of the film. Sure, there were the other themes of revenge and what not, but the friendship between Harry and Peter was the only thing that stayed true to the comic book.
Thus, the movie was not all that bad as far as sequels go. In fact, I'm not entirely convinced by the argument that Spidey 2 was better than Spidey 3. Both have flaws and if any difference exists between them, it's probably marginal; any notable differences only exist if you were to compare Spidey 1 with Spidey 2 and 3, with the original film coming up tops without breaking a sweat. In fact, I somehow get the feeling that Sam Raimi and Co. are beginning to get jaded over the Spidey franchise...as such, I feel that there should not be a Spidey 4...this ought to be the end of the franchise...at least for now...and not till at least 10 years later...
In the end, Spidey 3 probably deserves a better than average review although not one that breaches a rating of 8. It's probably a 7.5 out of 10. For IMDb users who have yet to watch the film, I'd say don't take my word for it (or any other commenters' for that matter). Go watch the film for yourself and make up your mind. No two persons will have the same opinion of one film...one man's meat is another man's poison...unless you are talking about clones..