Rating of
2.5/4
Watchable, but stll disappointing
filmfan09 - wrote on 01/21/09
Peter Parker turns to the dark side in 'Spider-Man 3'. This movie is filled with eye-Popping, jaw-dropping special effects. It's also far to long, handicapped by an wandering storyline and features tiresome returning charcaters and lackluster villains. To me 'Spider-Man 2' was the best superhero sequal ever!, and the thrid installment of the Spidey franchise is a major disappointment if only occasionally entertaining. The action scenes of course don't disappoint.
One of the many underdeveloped new characters is Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy whos has a thing for Peter Parker/Spider-Man but she's just a nice boring girl which would make her kinda like Mary Jane Watson, played by Kristen Dunst. Thomas Haden Church plays Flink Marko aka 'The Sandman', he an esapescaped convit who falls into a particla accelerator pit transforming him into a shape shifting sand manipulator. In the movie Spider-Man dons a black suit, tapping into his dark side because an alien symbiote from oter space attaches itself to Peter's costume and inflences his behavior for the worse. Topher Grace play Eddie brock, Peter's rival at the Daily Bugle who later becomes Venom. Spidey also has to deal with James Franco's Harry Osborn, Peter's former best friend who becomes the New Green Goblin. Meanwhile Peter has to handle Many Jane's whining and sulking and his halted photography career. Director Sam Rami adds a humorous moments,when black suit Spider-Man flirts with the dark side it's played mostly for laughs.
Spider-Man 3 doesn't know what it wants to be. It's thrilling but never scary and at times it seems very campy. Sandman and Venom are second rate villains while Maguire,Franco and Dunst are just repeating themselves. If there'sgoing to be a 'Spider-Man 4' I hope it better then Spider-Man 3's overlong, bloated and undeveloped story, with some truly worthy adversaries.
I loved the first two movies, the second one is fantastic with an unforgettable combination of great action sequences, well-written story alota heart. The problem with this one is that it's overloaded with too many things going on, it's all over the place. Too many villains, too mny plotlines people come and go that you really dont even care about. I like Topher Grace, but he's not very meancing at all as the Vemon and the Sandman does't make a good villain either, to me he was wasted in this movie.
It's watchable, but never quite as engaging or spectacular as it could be considering the standard set by the first two films.
