Here it is, Spider-Man 3, the most anticipated movie of the year. As a Spider-Man fan for most of my life, I can safely say I was counting down the days for this release. After Spider-Man 2, I found myself yearning for more. Could the third installment best the sequel which actually bested the original Spider-Man?
First, let's get the synopsis out of the way. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is living the high life. He's got his dream girl, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and the public adores him. Yet, things unravel quickly - a meteor strike brings about a symbiotic being, which will be known as Venom after fusing to another host Eddie Brock (Topher Grace). This entity attempts to bond and take over Peter by bringing out his dark persona. There is also this little grudge being kept alive by Harry Osborne (James Franco), since he believes Spider-Man killed his father (Green Goblin). And to top it all off, enter the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), a career criminal who falls into the path of Spider-Man when it is learned he was the gunman who killed his uncle Ben. All these villains and so little time! All Peter wants to do is settle down with the woman he loves. . .
So as I initially asked in the opening of this movie review, could Spider-Man 3 top its predecessors? Yes, it could have. However, as Uncle Ben told Peter, “With great power comes great responsibility.” So taking his words to heart, it is my responsibility to inform you it doesn't. Close, but no cigar.
Here is issue number one and it's a big one. There are simply too many things going on and not enough emphasis on any one thing that interested me (more on that remark later). I wasn't sure if having three villains was too much to have, and Spider-Man 3 proved it damn near is. The writers (Sam and Ivan Raimi) tried to walk a very thin tightrope, providing some history of the Sandman and rehashing the new goblin's (Hobgoblin?) background without detracting from the movie, all the while giving them and Venom equal screen time. It just doesn't work.
There wasn't a need for the Flint Marko (Sandman) family scenes, and watching him morph into Sandman wasn't done to aid the story, it was done to showcase the computer-generated imagery (CGI). Venom is a total loss. Venom is a badass - one of the nastiest villains Spider-Man ever faced. Here we have no background on what it is (for the truth about it, see Secret Wars), and aside from the final battle there is little to no interaction.
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