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.