A grand finale that sets the bar for future comic book films to come

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2007)

Despite never really being into comics, I knew the Spider-Man mythos, and watched the animated FOX series religiously. When the first movie came out, I was underwhelmed, but thoroughly enjoyed the second. As the hype machine built up for his third outing, I had my usual skepticism, and really did not want to set myself up for disappointment. And thankfully, the film did not disappoint as much as I was lead to believe in the days leading up to it.
The rumours are true. There is a hell of a lot going on in Spider-Man 3. So much so, that a quick synopsis will not do it justice. But in essence, much like the first two films, the third film is about Peter Parker's (Tobey Maguire) struggle to juggle his personal life, his love life with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and his life as Spider-Man. Thrown into the mix this time are two villains: Flint Marko aka Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), an ex-con looking for the money to save his ailing daughter, and Eddie Brock aka Venom (Topher Grace), a rival photographer just looking to move up the ladder.
And of course, they also have Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), Peter's scheming friend Harry (James Franco) and another female love interest, Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard).
While it is heavy on plot and even heavier on story, it is held together fairly well. Despite clocking in at one-hundred and forty minutes, the majority of the film moves at break-neck speeds, rarely slowing down at all. There is a lot of emphasis on Peter, and his slow brooding ego-centrism, but there was a surprising amount of material for the supporting characters too. Franco's character is really well shown, and his motivations are felt throughout. His scheming tendencies are put to good use finally (and not just nudged at like in the previous film), and really helps to flesh out his character. Much the same can be said for Dunst, who is probably the most evolved of any of the characters. Church and Grace's story lines are done fairly well, although I wish they both had a bit more material to help flesh them out even further. Howard's character, while being a bit of an anomaly for comic fans, is not too bad, but she sadly is the most underwritten of anyone in the main cast.
If anything can be said against the story, it is that they play up Peter's ego a bit too much. I understand that it is the central core to the film, but some of his most ego-centric scenes are played off more so for laughs than anything. I liked them, but they could have done with a lot more dramatic flair.
The same goes for the dialogue. I laughed a lot, and I enjoyed his smart-ass quips, but when the real emotionally wrenching stuff comes, I still felt a bit of an urge to laugh. It is very true to the language of a comic, but it could have done with a bit of beefing up with how serious it had to be. Some of these sequences are downright heartbreaking, and having the characters just rhyme off comic book dialogue can only go so far for so long. I will say though, it did not help that I had a running commentary going on behind me, making a joke out of just about anything dramatic the characters were saying. But if it was that easy for them, then clearly something needed to be fixed.
But even with saying that, the acting is not ruined. It actually is the strongest of the series. Maguire is at his absolute best, playing the conflicted web-slinger. Even the slightest touch of evil from him feels magnificent. If anyone was not convinced before that this was the best choice for Peter Parker, they will after seeing this movie. Dunst and Franco are both excellent, and bring a lot of previously unseen maturity to the franchise. They work wonderfully against Maguire. Church is great as always, and Grace is pitch-perfect. I was absolutely awestruck by just how good his performance was. Smaller roles from series regulars like Harris, J.K. Simmons, Elizabeth Banks, Dylan Baker and Ted Raimi are all done with just the right amount of finesse, and cameos from Stan Lee and Bruce Campbell are more than applause-worthy.
Thankfully, the film does not skimp out on the action, or the special effects. With a mostly fast-paced runtime, the film weaves itself in and out of impressive action sequences that slowly become greater in both the stakes at hand, and the intensity of the scene. And even the smallest fight scene tops anything done in the previous two films. They are choreographed wonderfully, and are captured even better. The effects are really in high gear here, and never is a scene left looking too choppy or fake. Even the most ridiculous of sequences has great CGI. They are outstanding in every sense of the word, and are not easily going to be topped. The transformation of Sandman is a particular standout, as Church is blended beautifully into the sand in one fluid motion, leaving the audience wondering if the scene was actually real or not. It is unbelievably well done, and is one of the key highlights of the film.
Spider-Man 3 was an ambitious project that could have been a complete disaster. But thankfully, despite a few blemishes, the film delivers and sets the bar for future comic book films to come. The acting is top-notch, and the effects are above and beyond superb. If this is how the summer of 2007 is going to begin, I can only hope that the rest of the films coming can live up to this one.
8.5/10.