Written by: Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, Alvin Sargent
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace
Rating: [2.5/5]
Studios involving themselves to the detriment of a major film as they interfere with the creative inclination of the filmmaker who has delivered for them makes for such unfortunate movies. Instances where it results in such jumbled messes trying to cram far too much into it, which perfectly summarizes what took place with Spider-Man 3. A film with boundless potential but has far too much on its plate for it to handle.
Now fully adored by the New York public, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) enjoys the love while also preparing to propose to his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). Meanwhile, with all of the ammunition he now needs, Harry Osborn (James Franco) decides the time has now arrived to hunt down Peter as revenge for the death of his father.
Of the many things that made the previous two Spider-Man films excellent, a distinct focus on the characters, especially the villains made the battles emotionally impactful. It allowed the sequences to have meaning as we know the plight of these individuals and what it means to them to kill Spider-Man. For many reasons that have been famously cataloged, this feature decided to employ three villains at once towards Peter in different phases doing a disservice to each of them as a result. It makes for quite the messy viewing experience plaguing something that had the potential for greatness.
Each villain in this feature provides something of note to the story in isolation and how they relate to Peter. Harry, obviously, has the belief Peter killed his father, Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) hates how his career was ruined, and Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) has the web-slinger in his way in trying to get what he needs for his family. A film focusing solely on these characters in relation to Spider-Man would have made for quite the film, but in the effort of cramming them all together in one film, because the studio mandated it, each of them gets shortchanged. The introduction of Venom into this movie happens so late in the game it has no real resonance when finally making his appearance and impression.
Several elements of this feature certainly make you want to scratch your head but certainly makes them unique in the way it plays out in the story. Of the major themes explored, Peter’s ego inflating upon having the love of the people makes him do some questionable actions. One scene where he mimics the first kiss he shared with Mary Jane really displays it all bordering on uncharacteristic for the guy we have followed in the previous two films. Partly it makes sense, as in each step prior to this film, he struggled in at least one aspect of life. At the start of the feature, everything’s going well for him allowing this sense of comfort in expressing himself in the ways he does here.
This, of course, then gets accentuated by the introduction of the symbiote into his life which has quite an adverse effect on him making for some of the most infamous scenes. When merged with the symbiote, Parker has his hair done differently, wears eyeliner, and begins to give off a demeanor unlike anything ever seen with him. The dance sequence after stepping out of the suit store really adds it all up. This entire sequence comes as a mixed bag in some of its hilarious and what Sam Raimi wants to portray but it ultimately distracts from the scant amount of time already spend with these villains making it this goofy set of sequences where Peter acts like a jerk. Questionable decision after another makes the choices made in this feature drag it down as it does employ some terrific scenes.
Some of them include the initial sequence where Flint Marko becomes Sandman. A scene showing the sadness and anger of this circumstance utilizes a fine addition to the score of this feature. It demonstrates what makes Marko a villain worth following and certainly, one who deserved much more time in exploring his plight. This on top of the other action sequences makes for some exhilarating moments as displayed in the other features here showing Sam Raimi knows how to craft incredible sequences.
Quite the mess but one with elements of enjoyment, Spider-Man 3 has so many issues it fails to overcome. It certainly had no chance from the start based on what the studio wanted this feature to be. We have an intriguing exploration of Peter Parker’s ego and what he turns into when he has everything he wants and how the symbiote amplifies it. At the very least this feature will always have staying power because of the terrifically horrible dancing Tobey Maguire presented to us all.
Films with Josh 
