Rent Spider-Man 3 on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent (screenplay), Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi (screen story), Stan Lee and
Steve Ditko (Marvel comic book)
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Topher Grace, Thomas Haden Church, James Franco, Bryce Dallas Howard, J.K. Simmons, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks, Bruce Campbell
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
A strange black entity from another world bonds with Peter Parker and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge.
Verdict
This movie lost the tone of the Spider-man movies. This is far too comedic and silly in tone. At one point it feels like I'm watching a parody. Plot contrivances abound. This movie is lazy, and the inclusion of multiple characters is an attempt to hide that fact.
Skip it.
Review
Sometimes you forget just how bad a movie was. This is easily the low point of the Spider-man franchise which spans two reboots. The movie was financially successful which makes me wonder why Sony didn't option a fourth movie that was in Sargent's contract.
There's a lot happening in this movie, and it would have helped if this had focused on one plot line. There's a a new love interest for Peter Park (Tobey Maguire) in Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) when Peter is already with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). There's a new villain Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Harry Osborn (James Franco) is back and gets amnesia, Eddie Brock is a work antagonist, and then there's the good/bad Spider-man angle. Venom and Gwen Stacy were added at the behest of the producer. All of these character exist to make Peter's life contentious in friendship, love, work as a reporter, and protecting New York. It's a lot, and it's clear this movie lacks focus. The entire opening title sequence is a still image recap of the first two movies.
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| Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire play Mary Jane and Peter Parker |
Contrivances abound. The man who killed Uncle Ben actually didn't, and Spider-man gets to face this new character. For some reason the cops waited until this movie to tell Peter that. I don't know why they told him at all. Spider-man and Eddie Brock unknowingly end up at a church together so that Spider-man can shed the symbiote and transfer it to Eddie Brock. Spider-man rips it from his body and just leaves. He doesn't trap it to ensure it doesn't hurt anyone else. That seems out of character.
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| Tobey Maguire plays Spider-man |
The black suit Spider-man sequence is ridiculous. It makes Peter more confident and aggressive, but this really makes the movie seem like a parody with Peter finger gunning down the sidewalk and culminating in him gyrating after buying a black suit. When do you know that Peter is under Venom's influence? He combs his hair down over his eyes.
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| Black suit Spider-man |
Everything the first Spider-man movie built, and to a lesser degree the second, this movie undoes. I assume it was unintentional, but the tone is ridiculous. I don't know if the creators knew this would be the last movie in this line and wanted to cram everything in or that
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