Spider-Man 3

Please note that I've never read any Spider-Man comics and am simply judging this and any other Spider-Man film on their merits as films in a superhero film series. Thank you for your understanding.When this film first came out, I quickly got the impression that people either loved it or hated it...no real middle ground. I thought it was very good, though I stand firm by my stance that Spider-Man 2 is still my favorite in this series. I do think that Venom, played by Topher Grace, came in kind of late in the game while the Sandman, played by Thomas Haden Church, was absolutely great, becoming my second favorite villain in the series. Tying him into the murder of Uncle Ben also contributed to this, as it made me wonder exactly how our favorite web-slinging hero would handle this. It was nice to see Peter becoming comfortable in his duel role, showing that you don't need a billion dollars or an alien origin to accomplish this. It was also nice to see him let his fame as Spider-Man get to his head, reminding us all how seseptible we can be to such cockiness when life's just going our way. It was really nice to see Mary Jane actually doing something more than needing to be saved all the time, even if her blandness was only slightly lessened. Harry Osborn's continuing story ark only got better, though it suffered from being rushed at times, a problem that plagued this entire movie. There had been talk during production about spliting this movie into two flicks and, in my opinion, the church scene would have been the perfect end to part one. I do wonder about the symbiote...it seemed to come a bit out of the blue. I'm sure it was more established in the comics, but here, there was barely even ever a mention of outer space in this series and this thing from somewhere among the stars just suddenly shows up? It seemed to jump the shark just a bit. But for all my wondering and complaining, this was still a film I greatly enjoyed and I'd reccomend it to anyone. Enjoy.

(Spoiler Warning)I know that this movie gets a bad rap, and - to be fair - it has some cringe worthy (but endearing) scenes. However, I love this movie and I think it really is the ultimate Spider-Man movie.Starting off, everything seems like it’s going pretty good for our boy Peter. He and MJ are going strong, Harry has forgotten that/why he hates Peter, and Spider-Man is a local celebrity, openly praised.But that all turns sour real quick. This movie sees Peter’s romantic and friendship relationships fall apart, he finds out that Uncle Ben’s true killer is still at large, and then - to complicate matters - he becomes attached to a parasitic symbiote. Peter (and Spider-Man) have to over come all of this, and it makes for a great movie.Not to mention Sandman is probably the best villain and any superhero movie. I say that because he’s relatable. I’d probably do the same things he does in his situation, and you probably would too. Heath Ledgers joker (for comparison) is likewise absolutely amazing but also very foreign. I would never do what he does, and although I find him interesting, I certainly don’t sympathize with him. Thanos (whome I’ve likewise heard been called the best villain) is the most narcissistic, nihilistic villain ever. He’s willing to wipe out half of all life in the universe, because it’s what HE thinks is best, to hell with anyone else. Nah. Screw that guy. Sandman is #1 in my book.

Raimi has done a solid job in directing and has made the movie look technically polished, especially given the capabilities of the time, but it is still one hot mess of a story with too many villains crammed in to this to make it "bigger and better", but it doesn't need it and all of the story lines suffer as a consequence. On the plus side, the kids really enjoy it and for an adult, it is mostly watchable and passes the time. My gripe is that Peter Parker does nothing to disguise his voice and close friends never seem to think Spiderman sounds familiar. Easily fixed with a "voice modulator" (whether they exist or not) sewn into the spidey suit's neck. Small things like that bug me, especially when they are so easy to work around. Batman does it by speaking in a heavy whisper.Raimi and the writers have had to depart from the comic book basis of the story line to get three villains into the movie at once, plus the social problems Peter Parker has to face. To their credit, they have tried to make the motivations of the villains believable rather than evil for evil's sake, which has been the trend in comic books. Many of the major superheroes and their super-villains are being "re-booted" to give credibility to their motivations. Christopher Nolan's Batman is a great example of this.

Great movie