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."
Posts
