Four Stars, Movie Reviews - Written by trench on Saturday, May 5, 2007 22:28 - 9 Comments

Spiderman 3 (Theaters)

Knowing how disappointing sequels can be, I came into the theaters with my expectations at a minimum. After watching movie franchises such a Batman take a nosedive due to its sequels, I had my reservations about Spidey’s third installment.

By the end of the movie however, my reaction to the film was very optimistic. I love non-stop action movies, and this film provided a ton of it. Spiderman 3 had some intense action sequences, its CGI and special effects were stunning, and the theaters were packed with excited fans that make watching films even more enjoyable.

Spiderman 3 was not free from flaws though. I thought that the biggest problem with the film was the number of villains casted. Some may disagree, but one of the most important features of any film is character development. The films villains in particular were shortchanged. Director Sam Raimi tried to include one too many foes for Spiderman to face. Villains need time to grow, and audiences need some sort of background info on them. Spiderman 3 provided neither. I think the worst villain was the most hyped one. Venom was completely under utilized and his character had no background at all. We never found out why the creature came down to earth or why it chose to bond with Peter Parker. All we knew was that it changed Spidey from Red and Blue to Black and made him feel good wearing it.

There were also too many subplots in the film. I do agree with others that Raimi did juggle these storylines quite well, but a more straight forward film would have received much better reviews in my opinion. We had a love story, a plot for revenge, a runaway criminal, an alien from outer space, and even more revenge. I’m sure you get the picture. With a window of 140 minutes, it was very hard to get all these plots to merge properly into a climatic ending.

The fact that Spiderman 3 is the first major summer blockbuster of the year and has a pretty loyal fanbase should help it do very well in the box office. It’s not a film you want to sit on and wait for on DVD and I would definitely recommend a matinée with friends or your children. Go see it!

Synopsis:

Peter Parker has finally managed to piece together the once-broken parts of his life, maintaining a balance between his relationship with Mary-Jane and his responsibility as Spider-Man. But more challenges arise for our young hero. Peter’s old friend Harry Obsourne has set out for revenge against Peter; taking up the mantle of his late father’s persona as The New Goblin, and Peter must also capture Uncle Ben’s real killer, Flint Marko, who has been transformed into his toughest foe yet, the Sandman. All hope seems lost when suddenly Peter’s suit turns jet-black and greatly amplifies his powers. But it also begins to greatly amplify the much darker qualities of Peter’s personality that he begins to lose himself to. Peter has to reach deep inside himself to free the compassionate hero he used to be if he is to ever conquer the darkness within and face not only his greatest enemies, but also…himself.

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9 Comments

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I watched it the other day - actually with some fairly high expectations because I’d enjoyed the other two (the first more-so than the second)

To be honest, I felt a bit let down at the end of the movie. It just didn’t “do it” for me like the other two had. It was a bit of a weird feeling because I couldn’t establish why but yeah - I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first two.

Agreed with the effects and CG though - props to them for that.
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Comment by Chris Boulton on May 6, 2007 at 2:26 am

Hehe, I saw it on Thursday mate! Just hadn’t have time to write the review until now :) But yes, we did it again!
BTW I think the second one is still the best of the three.

Whiney Spidey 3 just doesn’t cut it.
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Comment by ihad on May 6, 2007 at 4:15 am

It just felt depressing. And too much of a mishmash of the other two. The dancing down the street montage was pretty strange as well. And I like strange. But please. Spider-man goes dark I suppose, but not really. Only for a second. It’s just not convincing. They should talk to Christopher Nolan about making a realistically dark superhero movie.

I’ve always found Sam Raimi’s movies kind of odd, which is why I was surprised that I enjoyed the first two of these movies, but this third one just wasn’t good enough. I’m hoping they end the current version of this franchise now. Bring it back in ten years with a new director, new cast, etc.
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Comment by Greg on May 6, 2007 at 10:49 pm

i would have liked to see more of venom. topher grace was great as eddie brock. but you’re right, the movie could have done with a simpler storyline. and why do they have to keep warping ben parker’s death?

i liked watching peter parker fight without the suit. it reminds you that he’s still under that spidey costume. harry osbourne is like a cockroach, very hard to kill. :D

on a side note, i was wondering if you knew anything about labradors.
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Comment by kubi on May 7, 2007 at 7:17 am

I agree with you about the character development, things were all so sudden. I don’t read comics, so I’ve no idea who Venom was or how he came to be. So, it could’ve helped if they kinda explained who he is.

But, still, I loved it!
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Comment by Dre on May 8, 2007 at 9:20 am

I’m so out of date when it comes to movies. I mean, I know all the upcoming movies but I don’t get to watch them as early as I want to. :P
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Comment by Jaypee on May 9, 2007 at 12:45 pm

Jaypee, you need to keep up! Summer blockbusters are on the horizon! POTC 3 and Transformers!!! whoa!
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Comment by trench on May 18, 2007 at 6:45 am

[...] being a summer blockbuster. I hope the Transformers can save this summer’s box office because Spiderman 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean “At Worlds End” have certainly come up [...]
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Pingback by 7milesdown » Pirates of the Caribbean "At World's End" (Theaters) on May 28, 2007 at 3:07 am

Gotta disagree here massively.

Too crammed, could have been two movies. EMO was horrible. Horrible ending. Fight scene was horrible. Camera angles were, at times, naseauting. Acting was subpar.

It wasn’t as bad as X-Men 3, but it was bad.
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Comment by Kyle on May 28, 2007 at 9:01 pm