Customer Reviews

Spider-Man 3

5 star:		(144)
4 star:		(133)
3 star:		(105)
2 star:		(62)
1 star:		(55)

 

 

While I may not have the credibility of some of the other reviewers listed (this is the 1st review I've ever done for ANYTHING) I do know what I like (The Spidey Series, X-men Series, and Blade 1 and 2) and dislike (Daredevil, Ghost Rider and Friggin Cat Woman, OH. MY. GOD.).

With the amount of character content that was introduced in this latest installment, I think Sam Raimi did an outstanding job. He gave the fans exactly what they had been looking and asking for. Of course, any one of the villains this time out could have had their own Spidey film (and perhaps should have) but again, the fans had spoken and to me, it was handled marvelously.

The character and story progression was handled very well. The action was just what you've come to expect from Raimi (and he didn't disappoint!)and the pacing was just enough that I didn't find myself restless at anytime due to the length of the film. I think that Raimi presented us with one of the truest presentations of comic-to-film adaptations possible, and no one can take that away from him (THE most true to date - TO ME - was SIN CITY, Rodriguez just dumped the film straight from the comic to the screen with that one). I loved the Goblin upgrade. I loved the Sandman CGI and battle sequences with our hero. I loved Venom (although, admittedly, wished that there could have been more time with him) and the over-all satisfaction and relief I felt after 1st hearing that there was even going to BE an S3 (you kind of get a little worried about sequel disappointment - "awww maaann, they should have stopped at 2" Blade 3 anyone?).

Of course it was far from a flawless film but the things that I would pick on that I didn't like would probably be glossed over by someone else (I LIKED the little dance number Peter had and the Travolta, 'Saturday Night Fever' shout out Raimi added)so I won't bore you with what I felt were shortcomings and let you make your own decisions.

What it boils down to is Yeah, I'd recommend this film to my pickiest friends with a cheese eating grin on my face and two thumbs way the heck up. I could get into some of the other unfolding story and character points but honestly feel that you'd like to see what they are for yourself (and hope you won't think me a sucky reviewer after seeing it). Go. There's nothing stopping you...

I went to see "Spider-Man 3" tonight after reading several not-so-great reviews earlier today from local newspapers. So I had some doubts going into the theater. Well I'm sure glad I went anyway, because this movie was a BLAST. The critics need to lighten up. No, it wasn't a perfect film, and if one insists on being a hardass they can nit-pick it and find some valid faults. But overall, it was one of the most exciting and *fun* movies I've seen in quite some time.

One of the complaints seems to be that too many villains are in it. I thought this may be the case before seeing it, but I thought the film handled their screen time quite well, even if Venom didn't get to do much (although he does have a very good showdown with Spider-Man during the final confrontation scene). But I gotta say that the Sandman grabbed my attention the most, especially his fight scenes with Spider-Man and others. To me, seeing the Sandman in the final confrontation was worth the price of admission. The special effects for his character were simply outstanding - they were fairly standard CGI for the others.

As with the other 2 movies, the scenes of humor were well timed and executed, without compromising the tone of the film. I do wish that Kirsten Dunst hadn't gotten suspended high in the air yet again, because we all know that Spider-Man is going to save her from falling, yet again. But I suppose that's a minor irritation I can live with. Performance-wise, I liked everyone in their roles. We already knew what to expect from Maguire and Dunst, so there were no surprises there. Thomas Haden Church put in a good show as the Sandman. And although I wish they had let Bryce Dallas Howard be her lovely redheaded self, she still looked mighty fine, and I'm glad she got a considerable amount of screen time.

IMO the first "Spider-Man" film was decent but not much more than that. And I'd rate the second film along with this third installment as superb, just in different ways. Part 2 was great due to the solid story and overall script. While part 3 lacks some of that, it more than makes up for it with better and bolder action and pure entertainment level. I was originally going to give this 4 stars but decided to go all the way to 5 mainly because I had such a great time with it. Think of this film as the nitro-charged extension of part 2 and I'll bet you'll find yourself more than pumped by the time the end credits roll.

I have to say Spider-Man 3 was another great addition to the Spider-Man trilogy. I do have to admit I was afraid this movie would not live up to the first two Spider-Man's. I mean those first two were great and how could this one possibly match that? After I finished watching it I can say I was not at all disappointed. I think many people were expecting this to be just like Spider-Man 1 and 2. Spider-Man 3 does take more risks than its predecessors by having more villains than usual, but It still manages to entertain, spark emotion and above all inspire and bring out the kid in many of us. It is like the first two with many of the same characters returning, but where Spider-Man 3 differs is when we get to see the dark side (with the black suit) of Spider-Man which takes the movie to a whole new level. I have to say this movie was AWESOME. This movie truly has a great stand out cast. TOBEY MAGUIRE who plays Spider-Man did a great job as usual and brought emotion to the character that made him more human than any other hero in a comic book inspired movie. The action scenes are amazing and they make you jump out of your seat a few times. All that along with the emotional journey that Spider-Man takes you on, that's what truly makes this movie so great and special. This is one Roller-Coaster ride that I highly encourage any one to see. The ending is also a surprise and I will not give it away, but I will say some people liked it and some people did not, Go figure. I did not buy in to all the hype of this movie, or the negative things some critics had to say. I went to see Spider-Man 3 to be entertained and I was not at all disappointed. With a expected DVD and blu-ray release date of November 2007 this is sure to be one great year for Spider-Man fans!

Now I watched the first two Spider-Man flicks recently. (The day before seeing this one, in fact) And in all truth, I really enjoyed it and believed this was another step that Peter Parker/Spider-Man had to endure. Not as much character development, but we've had so much in the first two that who cares ..... I loved it for what it was, a MOVIE. I do fear for the next part of the Spider-Man Saga, seeing as Tobey and Kirsten are not too sure about coming back. But who knows? Score from me B-

Once upon a time there was a comic book company named Marvel. It was a tiny enterprise that was struggling to stay afloat in the shadow of its huge competitor, DC. A man named Stan Lee worked for this company. He had a vision that one day comic books would be more than, well, comic books. Instead of simplistic plots and one dimensional characters he imagined story lines with heroes that shared all of the foibles of regular mortals, including fear, doubt, anger, hope and internal conflict.

Stan Lee poured this vision into a person he created named Spiderman. The character was an instant hit and showed that Lee's vision had potential. Marvel went from being barely known to becoming the gold standard in its industry.

Spiderman 3 is the ultimate fulfillment of Lee's vision. This movie is a true epic. Tobey Maguire plays the role of Peter Parker/Spiderman with incredible acting skill. As the superhero's popularity grows he is faced with new temptations, including the desire to misuse his powers and give in to the dark side of his nature. This is personified in the arrival of an extra terrestrial symbiont that gives Spiderman vast new powers but also magnifies his feelings of hatred and aggression.

The lovely and immensely talented Kirsten Dunst does a fantastic job playing Mary Jane as a caring, sensitive, highly vulnerable young lady who is struggling with her own conflicts. She becomes embroiled in the movie's climactic scene in which Spiderman must fight enemies created largely by his own misdeeds. The result is one of the best battle scenes in motion picture history, where special effects are used to enhance and amplify the story line, not replace it. The end is in equal parts tragic, inspiring, touching and romantic. It explores the questions of what qualities make up a true hero as well as what motivates those who do evil.

In my opinion the large cast is not a hindrance to this film. Rather the sizable set of characters only adds to its epic status.

In a day where authentic heroes are desperately needed, Spiderman 3 rises to the best standards of film making. It gives us a character that not only entertains but also encourages all of us to live to the best of our natures. In short, this isn't just a great superhero movie. It's a great movie, period. If you don't see this one you'll be missing something truly special.

Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has finally found a balance between his life as Spider-Man and another with his long-time girlfriend M.J. Watson (Kirsten Dunst). However, his former long-time friend Harry Osbourne (James Franco), is still upset after finding out that Peter killed his father (Willem Dafoe), and donning his father's Goblin outfits, he plans to do anything possible to see him reduced to patheticness. Of course, Peter recently found out the real man behind his Uncle Ben's (Cliff Robertson) death: ex-con Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), who was recently involved in an experiment gone wrong, and has become the Sandman. And a symbiote from space has infected Peter, turning him into an arrogant, overly confident punk who gets frisky with the New York captain's (James Cromwell) daughter Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) and embarasses co-worker Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) to the point of revenge. Eventually, a bit from the symbiote has also turned Eddie into the monstrous Venom. So Peter must make up with M.J., quench Harry's thirst for revenge, stop the symbiote from taking over, and discover why Marko killed Ben.

Right up there with Bryan Singer's "X-Men", the "Spider-Man" movies have been the epitome of superhero movies since it started. Throwing in high-quality acting talent, a twisted sense of humor (from the likes of J.K. Simmons as arrogant Daily Bugle chief J. Jonah Jameson and Bruce Campbell playing different roles), affecting drama, slick special effects, and slam-bang action, director Sam Raimi has created a treat for the eyes and the heart that would lead up to "Spider-Man 3". In work since "Spider-Man 2", this is Raimi's most ambitious, expensive (the budget comes in at a whopping $250 million) project. And the wait was worth it.

It's also long. Clocking in at two hours AND thirty minutes, "SM3" is loaded with everything. Raimi includes another batch of villains to the process, which include New Goblin, Sandman, and Venom, with aliases of misunderstood chums (Harry Osbourne is filled with passion to kill Peter Parker/Spider-Man, whom he believes to be his father's killer; Flint Marko is an ex-con who does whatever it takes to help his ailing daughter, even though his wife totally despises him; Eddie Brock is upset at Peter Parker for exposing him of a fraud, and a symbiote from Peter's suit turns him into the maniacal Venom). Raimi doesn't mind letting the viewer care for them, even though they're doing awful things (the Marko subplot is the most effective).

Of course, he throws in a bunch of useless subplots. The revealing of Marko as the man who killed Uncle Ben, while weaving into the story, doesn't seem satisfactory. The Gwen Stacy subplot seems like an attempt of soap opera ridiculousness, something that the series knew well of steering clear from. And Mary Jane Watson still has no luck keeping a job (this whole subplot is getting old fast, even though Dunst manages to leave with a shred of dignity thanks to some effective line-readings). It seems like Raimi was afraid that his iconic franchise might come to an end (which it fitfully does), considering rumors going about, that he decided to throw everything but the kitch sink. Sharp line readings and good story-telling aside, maybe they should've saved some of that stuff for the recent video game adaptation.

As usual, star Tobey Maguire is sharp and intense as he's ever been. With Peter Parker faced with alot of drama in his life - losing M.J., turning into an egomaniac that would put Tom Cruise to shame, and fighting off his enemies - the actor helps all of Parker's actions ring true. While he does overplay his hand with a dose of weepy scenes, that doesn't mean he continues sharing great chemistry with co-star Dunst (who still works her magic, but that ain't no surpris).

The rest of the cast fares well. James Franco, coming off a series of bombs ("Annapolis", "Flyboys", and "Tristan & Isolde"), reclaims his powerful, brooding performance as Harry. Topher Grace, J.K. Simmons, and Bruce Campbell (now playing a French waiter) provide plenty of comic relief in their roles. Thomas Haden Church, known for playing the cocky friend of Paul Giamatti's character in "Sideways", is affecting in his role as an ex-con who may or may not have purposely killed Uncle Ben. Other memorable performances also come from smaller roles played by Elizabeth Banks (Betty Brandt) and Bill Nunn (Robbie) among others.

I'll go out on a limb here and say that "SM3" is a delgiht. The film ends on a note that the trilogy has come full circle, which probably explains why so many characters and subplots have been added. If so, hat's off to Raimi for making one of the best comic book movies of all time.

I don't know what film others saw, but the one I saw four times is at least as good as the previous two in the series, and a very satisfying wrap up to the entire trilogy story line. No Action? Hunh? It has just as much edge-of-your-seat action as you could hope for. Too many villians? That's just plain stupid (especially considering how one of the "villians" is redeemed.) In fact, as best as I can determine, folks who voice disatisfaction in this film do so because it is truly a story of redemption and forgiveness, and apparently people would have preferred murder and mayhem (there's plenty of that out there, so if that's what you want, then I agree that Spidey 3 isn't for thee.) And with regard to the person who said that this film was all about "revenge" getting "shoved in our faces" -- well, actually it's about the "danger of revenge" and turns the table on that attitude in a great conclusion that brings tears to your eyes (or ought to, anyway.) I've never bothered to write a review before, but it really has gotten under my skin how many critical pans this film has received that are just plain senseless and, frankly, ignorant. Let this set the record straight. Watch all three together and you've got one great story set: 1, 2 AND 3 -- without exception.

Two years after his conversion to Spiderman, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) seems to finally have his life under control. His confidence in his powers has returned, and New York City is awash in SpiderMania; he's acing his college courses, and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), whom he has loved since grade school, finally recognizes and returns his love. But there are flies in the ointment still. His lifelong friend Harry Osborn (James Franco), who blames Spidey for his father's death, now knows that Spidey and Peter are one and the same, and has also discovered that the senior Osborn was the Green Goblin; with the Goblin's mask and sky-sled he's about to unveil himself as the New Goblin. Peter is confronted with an ambitious rival photographer (Topher Grace) for J. Jonah Jameson's (J. K. Simmons) Daily Bugle. And the police discover that his Uncle Ben was not killed by the con they had thought responsible, but by another, Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), who has recently escaped from prison and been transformed to a new super-villain, the Sandman. On top of all this, a small meteoroid that lands unnoticed near the Lover's Lane where Peter and MJ are enjoying a quiet moment together proves to have a hitchhiker--a symbiotic alien lifeform that takes possession of Peter and magnifies all his less attractive qualities. Besides the usual wonderful SFX (including a splendid sequence featuring an out-of-control crane crashing into a skyscraper) and Marvel angst, this concluding (so far) film in the Spidey franchise has as its theme the importance of making choices. Will bad reviews of one of her parts push MJ into abandoning her dreams of Broadway success? Will Peter let the symbiote continue to control him even after he knows what it is and sees what it's making him do? Will he seek revenge against Marko as he did against Ben's supposed murderer? Will Harry Osborn agree to help him rescue MJ from the Sandman, or be willing to sacrifice even the girl he once loved for the sake of his revenge? Even Marko shows an unexpected side of his nature in a climactic scene between himself and Spidey. This may well be the best title in the trilogy.

I just wrote a scathing review of Seinfeld season 9 before I came to this review. And how much happier I am for it. The basis for my critical review of Seinfeld was the elitism present in the cast away from the camera. How much nicer is it to see Tobey McGuire and this talented cast. I'm quite certain that Tobey McGuire is a nice guy (very much like Peter Parker) and that's a good thing. As for the movie itself: it really grows on you. The first time I viewed it was at a movie theater and, like many, I thought they tried to do too much. But the second time I saw it, it got better. The third time I viewed it, better still. I don't think they tried to do too much at all now. As someone that never read the comic books I didn't really know much about some of the villains in this movie (Sandman...the whole Black Spidey thing, etc). I remember seeing, in passing at local 7-Elevens, the black spider-man on the front cover of the comic books. But I never took the time to learn about it. So it was kinda nice (as a casual fan of what spider-man is all about) to learn a bit about its history.
Again, Tobey McGuire was the absolute perfect choice for Peter Parker, well done guys.

"Spiderman 3" falls victim to a common ailment of most hero movie franchises. If one villain is good, then two would be great, But if two would be great, then three would be fabulous! (Think the horribly overstuffed "Batman & Robin" or "Superman III.") So while I really enjoyed the third installment in the Spiderman series, I kept getting the feeling that I was watching what would have made two great movies crammed into a single average one.

For instance, is Thomas Haden Church's Sandman necessary to this film? Granted he lets the dark Spiderman loose for a bit, but both The New Goblin and Venom get their turns as bad spidey bait. It also sucked points away by convoluting plot points and weakly re-writing the circumstances of Uncle Ben's death. The movie's pace would have significantly improved had the conflicts been more limited to Peter, Harry and Eddie Brock. Since the main focus was on Harry and Peter's attention to Mary Jane and Eddie's anger at losing his girl to Peter, it would have tightened the story if Sandman had been saved for later.

The conflict also gives Tobey Maguire a chance to goof around with the role. His moments as Dark Peter Parker are some of the film's funniest (following J.K. Simmons as J. Johah Jameson), and his antics in the jazz-cafe were the ones that got the big reaction in the theater I was watching this. I also found it amusing that when Peter gets bad his bangs suddenly fall down his face and he looks like he should be joining a Fall Out Boy/My Chemical Romance concert.

What all this crowding does accomplish is a shortchanging of character development. How Sandman and Venom form an alliance in zero seconds flat is whiplash inducing as is the almost total lack of development in Topher Grace's character. He's brought in so quickly you wonder how he became so angry so fast in his evolution into Venom. Aunt May is barely in the plot at all; Peter's apartment manager and daughter get more significance. Harry/The New Goblin plays a major role throughout, but his character stages are done so abruptly that, once again, you end up wondering what the heck just happened here.

This probably won't distract you from all the action, and Sam Raimi again delivers the goods. The flights, fights and special effects are astonishing as ever. Spiderman's suits are as sleek and cool as before, and all the gimmicks will keep your eyes on the screen. So will the obligatory Stan Lee cameo. All told, "Spiderman 3" is not a bad movie, but given that both one and two were amazing, it is still a minor let-down.