Spider-Man 3 Review

3. 3 always seems to be the best one. Except Indiana Jones. I mean, from Revenge of the Sith to Return of the King, 3 always surpasses our expectations. And Spider-Man 3 is no different. From amazing special effects to some surprising emotional depth, Spider-Man 3 delivers on all fronts.

So what's the scoop with Parker now? Things start off well, as people actually like Spider-Man; he's an icon of sorts. However, as is a common tragic flaw, this positive feedback hubristically goes to Peter's head. He is full of himself, and does, well, so as to keep spoilers away, he does SOMETHING to anger Mary Jane. Oh, he and Harry are fighting as well, and Flint Marko, a captured criminal, has escaped. You know what, I'll just blow that one to smithereens, he's Sandman. And of course, as you all know, an alien symbiote lands and somehow infects Peter, giving him the (quite amazing) black suit, and of course, Venom appears later. Really, if I described any more, I would be spoiling it.

What I just said is both a good thing and a flaw. What's good about all of this is that it makes the movie more complex. In the middle of it, you'll sort of be wondering how in the hell they are going to tie all this up. They surprisingly do it pretty well. However, the complexity and multiplicity both make the story a little bare-bones. Flint Marko is BARELY developed and Venom really could use more screen time. I'm sure Venom will be back so next time we'll see it, but he was really a sweet character and I could have used more of him. Also, the bare-bones story kind of hurts the ending a bit, as it seems sudden, though somehow right.

Oh, and before I go on, I may be one of the few who admits this, but I LIKED Topher Grace as Eddie Brock. I thought he was pretty damn good.

Anyway, one thing I do need to comment on is the visual effects. They are absolutely amazing in this movie. The ones that do stand out in my mind are in the fight with Harry at the beginning. I mean, the transitions from live action to CG are invisible; you really can't tell. Shows how far CGI is coming. Sandman's effects are also amazing, and of course Venom is incredible. I guess I was just blown away at how real and lifelike all the stuff looked. It's probably the best I've seen in awhile, if not ever.

The action is intense, with a crazy fight about fifteen minutes in between Harry and Peter (yes Peter, not Spider-Man). My favorite fight, well, I'm torn I guess. The subway fight with Sandman is awesome, I must admit, but the final battle is amazing. I want Spidey and Venom to go at it for an entire movie. I would watch it. Awesome. Spidey fans, eat your heart out.

With all the action, the emotional intensity is amped up, but sometimes too much so. A lot of times I kept asking "Why are they mad at Peter?" Yes, he screws up (big time in fact; did he NOT know MJ was watching?). But then it seems that they make up, and then something happens, and people blame Peter. In the second film, it was okay because there wasn't as much complexity, but here, if Raimi would have taken a little more time, it would have worked better.

And then there's the black suit, and all it entails. Numero uno, it's a really powerful weapon. Spider-Man is stronger, faster, and just better. However, it affects the mind as well. It makes Peter more aggressive and arrogant. What I really liked about this plot thread was that Peter seems to shake it off, but then sort of "gives in" to its power. He wants revenge, and the black suit provides it. Still, it ruins many relationships, and changes Peter for the worse (though, he becomes a slightly funny asshole, for lack of a better word). I always loved the black suit in the comics and the cartoons, so for me this was my favorite part.

In the end, it all works almost flawlessly. Sure, it's not perfect, but you can't take this as a single film. Some people may argue that if this weren't a sequel, it wouldn't work. And that's true, but isn't that what a sequel is? Is it not a continuation of a popular story? Whatever, I really liked it, it definitely fulfilled and surpassed my expecations, especially visually. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Here's looking forward to 4...

4/5