Spider-Man 3

Again, I reviewed this movie for a new magazine I’m involved in, but this is a far longer, more in-depth review than the one that will appear in print.

As a sidenote: For anyone wanting to see this film at IMAX – book! I have never seen the cinema so busy.

And, for those of you interested in box office figures, as expected, Spidey 3 has shattered records, with the biggest opening in cinema history... $375 million worldwide! I’m curious to see what the drop-off will be next weekend. And don’t forget that Pirates 3 opens on 25 May, in 3 weeks’ time.


Spider-Man 3 may have plenty of flaws, but it’s easily the most interesting of the Spider-Man movies. This is largely because the returning cast finally gets to explore different aspects of their characters.

Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man, for example, is no longer a teary-eyed, frequently bullied wimp. His life is going well – Spider-Man is a celebrated hero, he’s top of his class, he’s finally earning some respect at the Daily Bugle, and he’s ready to propose to dream girl Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst).

Peter is happy and refreshingly confident – to the point of being self-absorbed. When a gooey alien symbiote (a little too conveniently) lands near and then attaches itself to him, his confidence turns into arrogance. His new Spidey is both darker in appearance and behaviour. Disappointingly, though, the audience sees little of the ‘evil’ Spider-Man, in favour of nasty Peter – as in the other films, costumed Spidey action takes a backseat to Peter Parker’s emotional turmoil. Maguire has fun with the symbiote-related personality shift, though.


Kirsten Dunst, meanwhile, finally has something to do as Mary Jane Watson other than look angelic and be rescued from dizzying heights. It’s been something of a role-reversal for MJ and Peter. Now she’s the one who feels neglected, is jealous about the attention Spider-Man receives, and is in a funk over her failing career. MJ’s halo tarnished, the role of the film’s sparkling heroine role falls instead to bubbly, platinum blonde Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard).


Unlike the other 2 Spidey flicks, Spider-Man 3 features 3 villains – Peter’s best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco, who here gets to do something other than scowl and grumble about Spider-Man) as the new "paint-ball/Tony Hawk hybrid" Goblin, the morphing, mournful Sandman (a hulking Thomas Haden Church), and Venom (Topher Grace), a vengeful product of the symbiote.

Despite all these opponents, the film actually doesn’t feel rushed until the overblown, overly convenient climax. The film’s last 20 minutes feel like a desperate, contrived attempt to resolve events. Characters find each other and team up too easily yet again.

Also, the climax betrays the difficulty of working with face-covering costumes. It’s impossible to convey emotion when you can’t see actors’ mouths. Director Sam Raimi’s only solution seems to be having characters continually removing their masks. That applies especially to Venom, whose grin keeps peeling back to reveal Grace’s easily corrupted Eddie Brock – Peter’s blatant parallel for much of the film.


Of all the villains, the film could easily have done without Venom. It’s hard for me, as a huge fan of the comic character, to say it but he felt tacked on, and totally wasted. There is no real sense of his abilities as a super-powered villain, actually physically superior to the original Spidey. This said, Topher Grace is great as driven photographer and master schmoozer, Brock.

Up until Spider-Man 3’s conclusion there’s enough to keep audiences amused – especially the brilliant Sandman special effects. I never thought it would happen but the film-makers have actually topped the revolutionary sand particle effects in The Mummy.

Ultimately, it’s not outstanding (or even unforgettable), but Spider-Man 3 is a satisfying end to director Sam Raimi’s superhero trilogy. It’s certainly NOT the bloated blasphemy of X-Men 3.