Spiderman 3 - movie review

The problem with Spiderman 3 is that it is stupid. I know, this may sound harsh but I could not help but roll my eyes as this bloated sequel unraveled on the screen. Even worse than the X:3 experience of last spring, this entry in the franchise has a definate Batman Forever dissatisfaction going on. And while the series began as a solid comic book translation this one cannot escape the trappings of Saturday morning cartoondom.



I could maybe end the review there sure that I have sissuaded you from going to the multiplex or at least curbing your enthusism. But there are elements of Spiderman that are not all bad. First of all the sound editing is fantastic. I know, who goes to the moves for the sound editing? But in a film reverberating with Whiz! Bang! and Pop! it means alot when they work well together. The sound also serves the effects well. And the effects are strong - for the most part. In particular, the Sandman is wonderful. His particalization is fascinating the details are impressive. It is not until the climax scene when a gigantic Sandman appears to things look schlocky. And then there are the fight scenes. Likely the most elaborate scenes done in the series they show obvious creativity. HOwever, the camera work is blurry and cut WAY to much for any true appreciation to arrive. At times I found myself squinting trying to decipher exactly what was happeing as physics were twisted and turned. The final bit of kudos goes to Venom. Although he arrives much to late in the game, the alian goo and resulting villain are stiking. It would have been nice to have more of him.

So if the effects are not that bad and it sounds good then ther really flaws in this Spiderman are the story and characters. To say that the film is poorly written is an understatement. It is slow. It is stretched. It is boring. The movie attempts to explore the importance of being yourself. But instead it echoes the "power corrupts" concept more than any notions of self-awareness. Further, the film's central attempt to show either point in an aggressive Peter Parker is laughable. I suspect the point was to illustrate how ridulous one looks when not being true to oneself but instead it gives us a swaggering emo-boy Parker that is just silly. The promotion (and the Venom story arc) gave promise of a film that explores that dark side of the Spidey-verse but this darkness is neutered for a PG audience. Add to this mix a series of almost slapstick comedy elements and the film loses itself.

I am sure Spiderman 3 will make good money. Like the hoardes of cheering children in the film there will be lines of excited fans willing to pay for this chapter. But this Spiderman is only barely satisfying. It has too many characters, too many villians, and too many stories all fighting for screentime and in the end it becomes a messy web of suck.