Bizarre and Unsettling

Rating: 3/10 (5 May 2007)

A very strange, awkward installment in a franchise that seemed to be gaining momentum in its past two entries. Ridiculous dialogue and shameful interactions between characters culminate in a jumbled, ultimately incoherent plot line. As demonstrated with Schumacher's Batman films, more villains does not make a movie better. Unlike the previous titles in the franchise, the focus here is on three different foes, who are ultimately left undeveloped because of a sheer lack of screen time. Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina were given opportunity to explore their characters, but the same courtesy is not extended to Spider-Man 3's villains.
Those who are seeing this movie for the appearance of fan-favourite Venom will likely leave the theatre unsatisfied. His appearance is rushed considerably, and he hardly seems as deadly as a foe as Green Goblin or Dr. Octopus. The symbiote plot line and Venom's origin are depicted much more effectively in the mid-90s Spider-Man series, which is a shame considering how much more they could accomplish through a film. It would have almost been a more cohesive movie without him, though it certainly would have been great to have him as the film's one central villain.
By the end of the film, it is almost as if the franchise becomes overwhelmed by itself, and in so doing creates a lackluster entry into the Spider-Man series.