Definitely Worthwhile

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2007)

Let me say this right off the bat: In truth, while Spider Man 3 probably is the worst of the three, it's by the slimmest of margins. If the first two were 9s out of 10, then this is an 8.5. I am not going to talk about the plot, because I don't want to spoil such a fun movie experience for you. In short, this movie has something for everybody.
But let me put it this way: it is by far the most ambitious superhero movie I have ever seen, and probably will ever see. Bar none. Were the first two Spidey films better movies? Probably. Were the first two Spidey films more enjoyable movies? Definitely. But, for some reason, I don't have nearly the respect for those movies as I do for Number 3. While the first two films were just mindless action movies (albeit very skilled and very cool ones), Spider Man 3 is a drama first, and an action movie second. Although the action sequences are dazzling and well choreographed, in the end these scenes are overshadowed by the great acting, dialogue, story arc, and charm this film has been so flawlessly infused with. The relationships between the entire ensemble, and the way it affects each character's life, seems much more like Crash than Spider Man 2.
The movie is the quintessential guideline for how a movie of its ilk should be made. Its themes of respect, responsibility, forgiveness, and the ability facing oneself are handled so well that they don't seem to belong in a movie of this nature. And in the end, I think that's what turned a lot of viewers off. People will always have an involuntary urge toward complacency. When confronted with something different and more "out-there", such as a movie like Spider Man 3, the initial reaction will always be to criticize it, most of the time without exploring the film or their reasons for their dislike of it. And that's a shame. Because, while most of these people are looking for reasons to hate the film, a very good film was blaring right in front of them.