Spider-Man 3 Tobey Maguire Kirsten Dunst James Franco It’s not often that I go to the theater to see movies. I much prefer waiting for the DVD release so I can watch the film on my own terms: start it when I want, take breaks when I want, re-watch certain parts, etc. In other words, it usually takes a pretty compelling movie to goad me into paying $10 for a ticket. I felt that the first big blockbuster of the summer season, Spider-Man 3 (with its monstrous $258 million budget) would be a good candidate.

Before getting to my review in earnest, I’d like to point out that I am not familiar with the comic books at all. I’ve never read a Spider-Man comic in my life, so there’s a lot of backstory that I’m unaware of. Nevertheless, I think the films are made so that the average fan can enjoy them even without having read Stan Lee’s works. That being said, let’s get on to my review.

Spider-Man 3 more or less picks up where the second film left off, and then goes in a completely different direction. So we begin with Peter (played, of course, by Tobey Maguire) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) completely in love with one another. Mary Jane knows Peter’s identity as Spider-Man, and she’s willing to accept it. Peter, back in school now, is ready to propose to Mary Jane, and gets Aunt May’s blessing (as well as her wedding ring).

Peter is also still feuding with one-time friend Harry Osborn (James Franco) because Harry is under the impression that Peter killed his father, the Green Goblin. Harry has been tinkering in his father’s lab, and has succeeded in turning himself into a new version of the Goblin. He flies around on what looks to be a snowboard, but instead of wreaking havoc on New York City in general, he targets Peter/Spidey in particular.

The first part of the movie shows Peter dealing with these two people, and we also get a glimpse of what’s to come in the second half. Flint Marko, the robber who shot Uncle Ben, escapes from prison, and while running from the police, gets trapped in some kind of molecular disintegrator that causes him to turn into the Sandman. As Sandman, Marko causes all kinds of destruction around the city, so of course we need Spider-Man to come to the rescue.

The second half of the film also brings us to the point where Spider-Man gets that sleek black outfit that has been featured in all the previews. Spidey’s costume turns black when a “symbiote” from a meteor lands on earth and binds itself to Spider-Man. This substance enhances Spidey’s powers, but also causes him to be more aggressive. In addition, the symbiote will give rise to a new enemy when Eddie Brock turns into Venom.

It seems like there’s a lot going on in this film, and there is. But with a running time of 2 hours, 20 minute, director Sam Raimi is able to wrap everything up before the credits roll. The story is easy to follow, and makes as much sense as these comic book movies can make.

My Reaction: I enjoyed Spider-Man 3, but not as much as the previous two films. The FX were much more advanced in this latest version, so the whole thing looked slick and very cool. But I thought the story was a bit lacking, and the ending dragged on far too long.

Furthermore, I felt that there were a couple of scenes that could have been edited out entirely without detracting from the work as a whole. For instance, I thought it was funny when Peter started dressing in black and was walking down the street like he was the coolest guy ever while everyone just stared and rolled their eyes at him. But I thought it was too much when this act carried over to that date scene in Mary Jane’s nightclub (where Peter danced all over the room). I thought that part was boring and had passed the point of being funny a long time ago.

Also, I didn’t get a feel for what the villains were after. Sandman wanted money to treat his sick daughter? Okaaay… so why didn’t he just smash his way into a bank in the middle of the night and get it? Why do stuff during the day when all of NYC is out and about? And what did Venom want? Just revenge on Parker? Meh. It’s much more interesting when the villain is after world domination!

Overall, I give Spider-Man 3 7.0 stars out of 10. It’s not as good as the previous two installments, but it’s still worth the price of admission!