Spider-Man 3 Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Sequences of Intense Action Violence)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 19 Minutes

Cast-

Tobey Maguire-Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Kirsten Dunst-Mary Jane Watson

James Franco-Harry Osborn/New Goblin

Thomas Haden Church-Flint Marko/The Sandman

Topher Grace-Edward Brock Jr./Venom

Bryce Dallas Howard-Gwen Stacy

Rosemary Harris-May Parker

J.K. Simmons-J. Jonah Jameson

James Cromwell-Police Captain George Stacy

Dylan Baker-Dr. Curt Connors

Bill Nunn-Joe 'Robbie' Robertson

Elizabeth Banks-Betty Brant

Ted Raimi-Hoffman

Cliff Robertson-Ben Parker

Willem Dafoe-Norman Osborn/Green Goblin

Theresa Russell-Emma Marko

Perla Haney-Jardine-Penny Marko

Elya Baskin-Mr. Ditkovitch

Mageina Tovah-Ursula Ditkovich

Joe Manganiello-Eugene 'Flash' Thompson

Michael Papajohn-Dennis Carradine/The Carjacker

Bruce Campbell-French Maître d'

Directed by Sam Raimi

In "Spider-Man 3," Peter Parker confronts his dark side when a parasitic alien attaches itself to his costume.

Note: Part of the "Spider-Man: The High Definition Trilogy" Blu-Ray set.

The trilogy is now complete, and no, we're not talking about "Star Wars" but "Spider-Man," specifically "Spider-Man 3," the latest installment of the series based on Marvel's flagship character. It certainly isn't the last movie, as both director Sam Raimi and lead actor Tobey Maguire has already signed on to do the fourth and fifth installments, filming both back to back like the second and third "Pirates of the Caribbean" films. Hopefully, they'll give the series a proper send-off as doing any more runs the risk of ruining the franchise. Despite the hype for the film exceeding both the previous movies, with tickets selling like hot cakes on Fandango, "Spider-Man 3" ultimately proved to be a disappointment and buckled under the weight of its overstuffed story.

The film takes place approximately six months after the events of "Spider-Man 2," with Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) on top of the world. The people of New York City now love him and he's planning to propose to Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). However, a storm is brewing on the horizon. A mysterious meteorite crashes into Central Park, and an alien 'symbiote' oozes out, attaching itself to Peter's moped. Peter soon learns that the actual killer of his Uncle Ben is still at large and it is none other than Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), who becomes the Sandman after a freak accident. One night, while Peter is asleep, the symbiote bonds itself to his costume, turning it jet black and increasing his superhuman abilities tenfold. He uses his newfound power to defeat the Sandman but the symbiote soon begins to corrupt him, making him more aggressive and alienating his loved ones. To make matters worse, Harry Osborn (James Franco) takes matters into his own hands, recreating the experiment that turned his father insane and taking up the mantle as the second Green Goblin. Peter manages to shake himself of the symbiote's influence but it manages to find another host, Edward Brock Jr. (Topher Grace), a jealous rival and photographer at the Daily Bugle who becomes the monstrous Venom. Peter must now confront the darkness within his soul in order to face his greatest challenge yet.

If you were confused by that brief plot summary, that's all right because "Spider-Man 3" is like having breakfast, lunch, and dinner all at the same time. Written by Sam and Ivan Raimi—with Alvin Sargent contributing—the script is definitely the main reason why this installment is the weakest out of the entire trilogy. There are just way too many characters and way too many subplots. In fact, it's a miracle that the film is even coherent at all. Some of the new characters are given so little screen-time that it would've been better to excise them altogether to create a more streamlined narrative. Gwen Stacy, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, appears in only a handful of scenes and serves to create a love triangle between her, Peter, and Mary Jane. This is added to an already existing love triangle between Peter, Harry, and Mary Jane! Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the addition of Venom. For a character that has been a fan favorite for over a decade, he only appears for about twenty minutes during the final battle and is easily beaten. To be honest, the Sandman shouldn't have been in the film to begin with because he was never a compelling character in the comics. This would've allowed the story to focus more on Harry as the new Green Goblin and give enough breathing room to set-up Venom as a threat. If you must have Sandman, then an alternative would've been to end the movie when the symbiote attaches itself to Brock (which many fans speculated to be true) and then have the fourth installment devote itself entirely to Spidey and Venom's conflict. I have mentioned that the humor in the previous films provided a nice balance to its more serious aspects but here it got way out of hand, particularly when a corrupted Peter (with his emo-looking hair) starts dancing on the street like a moron. I did like how the symbiote made Peter look like a drug addict to show how it's slowly taking over him but the dancing was just too much for me. The story is certainly ambitious with its themes of revenge and forgiveness but the various subplots weight it down, resulting in a "Spider-Man" film that's a far cry from the high standards set forth by its predecessors.

The acting is still good for the most part, although I didn't like the characterization of Mary Jane this time around. I know the writers wanted to give her more obstacles but it ended up making her seem selfish at times. Thomas Haden Church did a great job as Sandman, making him a sympathetic villain who's not truly evil at heart and just wants to cure his sick daughter. Topher Grace gives a mixed performance due to the fact that there's just not enough back-story for him in the film due to the many subplots vying for our attention. Nevertheless, he tries his best with what little he has and the Venom suit does look cool. At least the special effects are still excellent, especially the sand effects. The action scenes are rather intense, particularly the first one where Peter and Harry engage in a brutal airborne battle over the rooftops of New York City. However, I'm not a big fan of Harry's 'New Goblin' costume, which makes him look like a surfboarding ninja. The only fight scene that bothered me was the last one involving the Giant Sandman. It just seemed a little too cartoonish for my taste.

When "Spider-Man 3" was released on May 4, 2007 (a three year gap was set to allow more time to refine the visual effects), reviews were initially promising but it ended up getting a mixed reception with 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised the action scenes but concluded that the film wasn't 'quite as refined as the first two.' It made a whopping $151.1 million during its opening weekend (which has since been surpassed by "The Dark Knight") but ended up with only a domestic total of $336.5 million. However, it's the most successful film out of the franchise with its massive worldwide box office gross of $890.1 million. Arriving five months after its theatrical release, the Blu-Ray is flawless, with stunning picture quality and sound. Film grain is minimal, and the audio is sharp and loud, particularly during the fight scenes, which will give your sound system a workout. Unlike the previous two films, a plethora of supplements are included, with two informative audio commentaries (one with the entire cast and the other with the producers) and a feature-length documentary on the making of the film on a separate disc. I know a lot of people condemn this movie but I don't feel "Spider-Man 3" is that bad. In fact, it ended up being an entertaining comic book flick in its own right. No one will dispute that "Spider-Man 3" is the weakest out of the entire trilogy as it ends up collapsing under the weight of its lofty ambitions. However, that shouldn't stop you from watching it and overall, it provides a satisfying enough conclusion to one of the best comic book movie franchises we've seen in awhile.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

"Uncle Ben meant the world to us. But he wouldn't want us living one second with revenge in our hearts. It's like a poison that can take you over. And before you know it, turn us into something ugly."