Spider-Man 3 Review

Overall Rating

An excellent movie, strong believeable storyline, great special effects that do not get in the way of the story.

Too good to be true!
There should be more of this kind of stuff!

It has been a long time since the Godfather II was hailed as they only sequel that ever surpassed its original. Now it has SPIDERMAN 3 to contend with for that honour. Sam Raimi manages something that has been rarely seen in a mainstream film since the CGI craze took over Hollywood: he actually makes it work with the story. It is not an added bonus or parallel diversion, no; his actors are not dwarfed by the technology, and the result is a multi layered, well acted, human and action packed blockbuster, where the human story makes sense and is more interesting.
In this last instalment Spiderman/Peter Parker played by superb understatement and restraint by Tobey Maguire has to contend with three separate villains, Venom, Sandman and the Green Goblin/Harry Osborn Jr, who almost steals the film every time he is on. And as nothing is as simple in superhero land, Spiderman get taken over by an evil dark shiny suit that makes him sleeker and stronger, but also, makes him, unfeeling, nasty and downright inhuman.
And it is this humanity peeking through the armour, so to speak, in all characters that is the greatest brilliant achievement of this film. Spiderman for instance is arrogant, full of himself, jealous, insecure, incompetent in relationships, unfeeling, and even nasty. This comic hero has come a long way, it is not a kiddies' film any more. It is a strictly adult film in theme. His and MJ's is a wonderfully observed relationship, complete with misunderstandings, arguments, tiffs, jealousy and even heartbreak. In a memorable scene between the two, MJ has just received some very bad reviews about her singing in a play. When she arrives to cry over his shoulder, Peter Parker goes on a rant about how Spiderman gets that all the time, and the best thing to do is to pick you up and go on. MJ of course is not amused, and when she leaves upset, Peter still has not figured out what he did wrong. The film is interspersed with great vignettes of a relationship that is quickly running into trouble, yet the man still does not see it coming. But when it finally blows in his face, it is heartbreaking to watch.
Let us leave Spiderman alone for now and not mention his other human foibles: insecurity and jealousy, arrogance and nastiness. I don't want to spoil it for you.
Mary Jane played by Kurstn Dunst is not your damsel in distress anymore, but a fully blown character of a woman, complete with angst, insecurity, love problems and a geek for a boyfriend. James Franco as Harry Osborn shows a great range, swinging between almost naive, to bad, to menacing is a joy to behold, and lights up the scene every time he is on. There is also Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), the image of the pushy upstart, arrogant and unfeeling. Yet, when he is publicly humiliated by Peter, he is the epitome of the broken man. By the time he is in church, communing with God " I'm here humbled and humiliated to ask you for one thing... I want you to kill Peter Parker", you are siding with him. I mean, Spiderman is not on his best behaviour either, is he?
So, Spiderman as a morality tale? Maybe. I think, this movie shows what is possible with film, and hopefully its future. By combining talent, plausible, multilayered storytelling, technology, and above all, recognisable human drama, this is the kind of film that audiences have been harkening for for decades. Watch it in cinema if you can, take the kids, and above all, be moved.

Members' Comments onaneshat's Review

• Cognition on 16th May 2007

  I couldn't disagree more, sorry. I thought Spider Man 3 was pretty rubbish, maybe bordering on "ok". It had so much to live up to from the other two movies, but I feel didn't quite get there.

• paradise on 17th May 2007

  Respect for this review, but I think kids might find it frightening in places if 12/13 years old or younger. I personally thought the special effects good, but story line boring and adults, as I saw many did in our cinema, were yawning or falling asleep. This review is very good review nevertheless - glad you enjoyed it and I'm sure many Spiderman fans will do the same. 10/10 for this review.

• affleck on 23rd May 2007

  I can understand Spidey fans loving this movie, I like nothing better than a good Superhero film. But I did find the film laboured mid way through and although the ending was superb I would only give this film maybe 6 out of 10. Not great but not bad.