Best of the bunch

Rating: 7/10 (18 April 2007)

I'm not a huge fan of the Spiderman franchise but I have to say, this is the best of the bunch so far. Story - as always - is complex with not one but 3 villains to contend with but (unlike the last batch of Star Wars) you can actually follow the story. And that's saying something.
Least interesting parts of the movie were the (very obviously) digitial flying/fighting scenes. It's a bit sad that with all the hundreds of millions thrown at the screen that it still looks fake. In its own way original Superman's effects were just as good - Just a different kind of fake. Digital extras stand out like a sore thumb.
Best thing in this movie is Thomas Haden Church's Sandman. Best supervillian performance in a while. Credible, fearsome and very moving. Tobey Maguire also stretches some acting muscle, playing a bad guy and a psychotic '77 John Travolta. There's are some genuinely funny scenes. Didn't even recognise Bryce Dallas Howard. Was surprised to see she played Blondie when end credits rolled.
Multimedia screening I attended garnered a round of applause at the end. Guess that's saying something.