Recipe for Disaster

Rating: 4/10 (4 May 2007)

A recipe is a step-by-step process that if followed correctly will produce a satisfying outcome. When all the elements are added properly and put together and made in the right order, you cannot go wrong. However, sometimes, measurements can be misread, ingredients forgotten, and foreign substances making their way in. This produces an unwanted product. The third installment to the Spider-Man saga is a perfect example for a misread recipe.
Spider-Man 3 is one of the biggest let downs that cinema has seen. The first two films had everything done correctly. The script, the characters, the storyline, the director, and all of the little odds and ends that came together somehow did not appear in the third film. Everything that could have gone wrong did.
To place this film in the comic book genre would only fit for the characters and the creators. The film isn't action or suspense, but romance. The wonder and awe of watching Spidey fly through the air was non-existent and for the scenes that did have action, it was all repetition. Punch, kick, web, thrown person into a steel girder or metal pole over and over again. There was nothing that stood out in this film like the previous films had.
The story goes that Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) wants to marry Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) but Spider-Man's popularity is getting in the way of his relationship with MJ. His best friend from high school turned mortal enemy Harry Osborn (James Franco) is still trying to find a way to kill Spidey, but a certain turn of events will make things difficult.
New photographer Eddie Brock Jr. (Topher Grace) wants to beat out Peter for a new job at the Daily Bugle while Brock's girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) becomes entangled in Spidey's web and also with her schoolmate Peter. To top off the list of new editions is Flint Marko (Thomas Hayden Church) who escapes from prison after being charged with the murder of Ben Parker, Peter's uncle who was killed in the first film. While on the lamb, Marko stumbles into a scientific testing facility where he is accidentally mutated into a superhuman comprised of sand.
Making matters worse, an alien sludge attaches itself to Peter and transforms him into a meaner, more aggressive Spidey and Peter as well. Whatever the substance comes in contact with, it is hard to remove it.
All of the ingredients are ready to mix and transform. One thing is in the way; the script. Director Sam Raimi has done a magnificent job directing the first two installments, but decides to take a stab at writing the screenplay. This is where our creation starts to deteriorate. Poorly assembled dialogue and awkward scenes make it hard to watch the film without laughing or just shaking your head in embarrassment.
The story is another malfunction of the film. There is too much cheesy and cliché romance and not enough Spider-Man. I never thought it was possible to turn a comic book movie into a "chick flick". Every characters cries at one point or another and I mean every character. There is also a segment that is wildly hilarious but horribly out of place involving the "new" Peter Parker that is charged with energy, dance moves, and one-liners. It is something out of a disco movie!
Why did this happen? When you make chocolate chip cookies you don't replace the vanilla with teriyaki sauce. Follow the recipe, and add things that make sense.
Spider-Man will most likely be one of the highest grossing films of the year. It attracts a wide variety of moviegoers and countless die hard fans. But with the quality of the film and all of the disappointing elements, will this be the end of Spider-Man on the big screen?