Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man
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Editorial Reviews
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How does Spider-Man 3 follow on the heels of its predecessor, which
was widely considered the best superhero movie ever? For starters,
you pick up the loose threads from that movie, then add some key
elements of the Spidey comic-book mythos (including fan-favorite
villain Venom), the black costume, and the characters of Gwen Stacy
and her police-captain father. In the beginning, things have never
looked better for Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire): He's doing well in
school; his alter ego, Spider-Man, is loved and respected around New
York City. And his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), has
just taken a starring role in a Broadway musical. But nothing good
can last for Spidey. Mary Jane's career quickly goes downhill; she's
bothered by Peter's attractive new classmate, Gwen Stacy (Bryce
Dallas Howard); and the new Daily Bugle photographer, Eddie Brock (Topher
Grace), is trying to steal his thunder. Enter a new villain, the
Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), who can transform his body into
various forms and shapes of sand and who may be connected to Peter's
past in an unexpected way. There's also the son of an old villain,
Harry Osborne (James Franco), who unmasked Spidey in the previous
movie and still has revenge on his mind. And a new black costume
seems to boost Spidey's powers, but transforms mild-mannered Peter
into a mean and obnoxious boor (Maguire has some fun here).
If that sounds like a lot to pack into one 140-minute movie, it is.
While director Sam Raimi keeps things flowing, assisted on the
screenplay by his brother Ivan and Alvin Sargent, there's a little
too much going on, and it's inevitable that one of the villains
(there are three or four, depending on how you count) gets
significantly short-changed. Still, the cast is excellent, the
effects are fantastic, and the action is fast and furious. Even if
Spider-Man 3 isn't the match of Spider-Man 2, it's a worthy addition
to the megamillion-dollar franchise. --David Horiuchi
