Spider Bites.

Rating: Null/10 (28 May 2007)

Third and by far the weakest in the famed "Spider-Man" trilogy falls way short due to characters that have apparently run their depth course, hully-gully direction by co-writer Sam Raimi, and a running time that goes way beyond the outer limits. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) seems to have everything going his way. His girlfriend (Kirsten Dunst) now knows he truly is the titled character and they are about to be wed. Plus her aspirations as a serious stage actress seem to be becoming reality while his college career continues to take flight. However, there are evil forces that loom in seemingly every direction. James Franco is back and still seeking revenge on his father's death which occurred at the conclusion of the original. An escaped convict (Thomas Haden Church), who might have had something to do with Maguire's uncle's death, has become some strange sort of super-villain after a strange accident that gives the character human/sand-like powers. Then we have an upstart cameraman (Topher Grace) who wants to steal Maguire's spotlight at work, and finally a strange cosmic black substance that attaches itself to entities of rage. Still with me? "Spider-Man 3" comes with too much baggage. The first two were heavy enough as they were, but this one is way too cute and smart for its own good. Too many side-stories, too many black and white characteristics of the major players and too many special effects-laden sequences that dull rather than excite cause this movie to be a gigantic bore of near epic proportions. It is saying a lot when B-movie ham Bruce Campbell, with his typical cameo, ends up being the most interesting and intriguing part of the whole flimsy production. 2.5 out of 5 stars.