Spiderman 3 movie review

 

Despite being a Spiderfan, I’m going to look at this movie as objectively as I can and try not to let preconceived notions of the Spiderman universe get to me.  It wasn’t mindblowing, but it certainly wasn’t a flop, despite the arrogant observations of  certain ogres I know.  The film just barely managed to get a dozen or so subplots in line and make the movie work in the end, although I honestly think you could have made two good movies out of this, or a “one movie shown in two episodes” schtick that Kill Bill pulled off.  That said here’s my take on Spiderman 3 in an organized Good, bad, and ugly manner:

The Good

• Managed to pull off convoluted storyline
• Gwen Stacy is hawt
• Sandman’s more interesting than I thought he’d be
• Bruce Campbell as French Maitre’d
• Acting still as good as ever
• Love the black suit
• Action still good, but not great, maybe I’m just jaded but the use of CG is starting to wear thin
• “Before Sunset”-ish ending is a nice way to close out the trilogy, because a wedding would have been too much

The Bad

• When a single movie has enough story elements for two distinct movies, it’s never a good thing
• Topher Grace is slightly miscast as whiny venom
• Symbiote Peter Parker is a perky emo boy, if that makes any sense
• Symbiote storyline kind of vague
• Venom shows his face too often
• A little Melrose Place action sort of out of place
• Too many villains spoil a movie

The Ugly

• Alfred Bernard finally decides to tell Harry that his father killed himself…after 2 movies where all sorts of nonsense could have been prevented had he said something earlier.  It’s a obvious case of a line being put into the movie to to move the plot forward
• Mary Jane wore a bra
• Symbiote meteorite (and Symbiote itself) looks rather B-movie-ish

Spiderman 3 wasn’t the best movie of the trilogy, and it didn’t affect me the same way the first two did.  Had they divided it into two movies, it would have been much better.  In my imaginary world Spiderman 3 would have showcased Sandman and ended at the part where Spidey “killed” him.  He’s lost MJ and his best friend, he’s killed his Uncle Ben’s killer, and is fully revelling in the powers the Symbiote gives him.  The End.

Spidey 4 would pick up a few months later, where a “Dark Knight”-ish Spidey is beating thugs to a pulp and basically wreaking havoc on Peter Parker’s life.  He’s alienated and angry and it culminates with his striking of MJ.  Then the movie progresses as it did in the “real world” Spiderman 3.

Trust me, it would have been much more satisfying an experience.