Dark Side Of The Spider
Written: May 22 '07
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: The cast is good, as is the dark Spider-Man
Cons: The film tries to accomplish too much
The Bottom Line: Too many story elements create a tangled web.
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| pmills1210's Full Review: Spider-Man 3 |
Peter Parker has grown used to the changes that have come with becoming a web-slinging hero. Not only does it bring him recognition among the citizens of New York, but it also makes Peter feel more responsible for them. Still, he has to make time to be a college student, devoted nephew, and loyal friend. In Spider-Man 3, Peter (Tobey Maguire), as Spider-Man, is given the key to the city. His girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), gets a chance to sing on Broadway, but takes a job as a singing waitress after she is panned for her work in the musical. Peter has even given serious thought to marrying MJ.
Adversaries confront Peter on many fronts. One is not a person, but a slime of unknown origin. Another is his old friend, Harry Osborne (James Franco), who has inherited the fortune and weaponry of his late father, Norman (Willem Dafoe). Harry also assumes the identity of the Goblin, which was originated as Green Goblin by his father. Young Osborne vows revenge against Spider-Man, whom Goblin is convinced is responsible for his father's death. A duel with Spider-Man on the New York streets, though, gives Harry serious injuries and amnesia. Peter gets Harry to the hospital In his injured state, Harry has no short-term memory, but remembers that he was friends with both Peter and Mary Jane. Romance blooms between Harry and MJ as it stalls between her and Peter. As that happens, Peter starts to take an interest in classmate Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard), who shows she's just as knowledgable in the classroom as Peter.
At the paper where Peter earns money by selling Spider-Man photos, editor J. Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons) still dismisses Spider-Man as a vigilante. He desperately wants to be vindicated in his criticism of Spider-Man. Peter, of course, is not the man for that. However, he finds he's not alone in the business of Spider-Man photo taking. A competing freelancer named Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) has found a way to impress Jameson by submitting some exciting shots of his own. Jameson has a staff photographer opening, and tells these young men that a photo of Spider-Man committing a criminal act will be hired. Eddie gets one and is hired. However, Peter proves the photo was doctored, and Eddie is promptly fired. When Eddie accidentally comes in contact with the slime that has altered his photographic rival, Eddie becomes a truly evil foe called Venom.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man has his hands full with another genetically-altered villain. A murderer named Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) has escaped from prison so he can rob banks and finance an operation for his seriously ill daughter. It is also revealed that he pulled the trigger on the shots that killed Peter's Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson). However, when he eludes police, he wanders into a nuclear testing area, where his molecules somehow combine with the sand beneath his feet. He becomes the virtually unstoppable Sandman, who can camouflage himself. The change also allows him to be unfazed by punches and bullets. Separately, Sandman and Venom cannot overcome Spider-Man. Venom, however, devises a plan that he thinks will defeat Spider-Man.
Spider-Man 3 increases the number of bad guys the superhero must face, but none of them are as dynamic as Dafoe's Green Goblin or Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus from the previous installments. Church's Sandman is an admitted criminal, and Grace's Venom is merely a human leech. Franco's Goblin is a man who lives in the shadow of his father. They are not victims of circumstance, but victims of their own egos. When Spider-Man isn't fighting crime, Peter seems to have the same problems with the moody Mary Jane. The one new wrinkle that works best is the slime that alters Peter in each of his lives. The substance turns him into the sort of person he'd never want to be. He becomes egotistical, mean-spirited, and sometimes angry. It's not that the script from director Sam Raimi and his brother, Ivan, isn't good. It's that some portions of the film held my interest more than other parts. It's just that the Raimi brothers have added so many conflicts, they don't tell us more new things about Peter and the busy life he leads. The story plays safely, confident that the franchise has a guaranteed audience. Because of all of the story elements, Raimi creates a film with slow spots, and new relationships that are underdeveloped.
The performances are uniformly solid. Maguire still shows the right balance between boy and man to make Spider-Man work. I especially like the scene where slime-affected Peter is walking down the New York streets in a scene that seems to have been inspired by Saturday Night Fever. Unlike Tony Manero, though, Peter leaves the ladies quite unimpressed. The host of supporting players make the most of their brief screen time. Rosemary Harris once again plays May Parker as if she were destined to play the role. As Peter's only family, she is his matronly advisor. It is she who reminds Peter of the marital commitment he must make to Mary Jane. Simmons is just as cranky and comical as the hypertensive Jameson. His exchanges with his secretary, Miss Brant (Elizabeth Banks) are amusing, as she proves to be a most effective go-between for Jameson and his wife. Dylan Baker does a nice turn as Curt Connors, the professor of Peter's who can't identify the chemical make-up of the slime, but realizes it's a threat. Bruce Campbell, who has appeared in many of Raimi's films, brings the laughs as a patient, but befuddled, maitre d' who tries to carry out a special request for Peter. Elya Baskin does a nice job as Peter's patient landlord, Mr. Ditkovich. In even smaller roles are James Cromwell as Gwen's police captain father and Theresa Russell as the disgusted, long-suffering wife of Flint Marko. Spider-Man creator Stan Lee even puts in a cameo as a parade onlooker.
Spider-Man 3 has many good moments, but this entry is much more ordinary than its predecessors. Still, Maguire and cast show that they're not running out of enthusiasm for playing these characters. The returning players are still nice to visit, while others enter the picture. The latter group starts to show Peter how much his life is changing. Peter, like his other childhood friends, is going his own way in life, and sees that the changes are affecting his old friendships, and not necessarily for the better. Peter himself finds that, even as a superhero, he is not immune to temptation. With some timely advice from family, he and his alter-ego remember what is most important.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Pacing
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Member: Pat Mills
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