Review: 'Spider-Man 3' Doesn't Disappoint; Villains Make The Movie
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
What has appealed to Spider-Man fans since his debut in the 1960s is his humanity and the stories.
Sure, there's the action and the sinister bad guys, but behind the mask of Spider-Man is nerdy outsider Peter Parker. A guy who could be any one of us. A man who tries to find his place in the world through trial and error, and who just happens to have some special powers thanks to the radioactive bite from a spider.In the latest installment of the mega-hit trilogy, "Spider-Man 3," storylines come to an end, but the story of the Webslinger is never finished. There's plenty of action as Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) takes on new villains Venom (Topher Grace) and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), as well himself and his best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco).
Pushing the story in "Spider-Man 3" along as much as the battles with the sinister forces are Peter Parker's relationships, especially with Harry and Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). M.J., as she is often called, is Peter's on-again, off-again girlfriend.
As the third movie starts, Peter and his alter-ego Spider-Man are living the good life. Peter and M.J. are in love, and he wants to ask her to marry him. New York City, where Parker lives, is going to give the webslinger the key to the city for saving many lives.
But the ego is a monster and a few too many egos begin to cause problems for Peter and M.J. One of those egos is Parker's own. And as Parker laments at the end of the story, we all have choices and the good guys don't always make the best of them.
Also throwing a wrench in the lives of characters audiences have gotten so familiar with in the past two movies is new character Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard). In the comics, Gwen was Peter's girl way before M.J. Here, she is a new girl causing problems between Peter and M.J. She's attractive, the police captain's daughter, a model and smart. The everyman's dream girl, no?
And what defines a bad guy, a villain? Venom certainly is in "Spider-Man 3," but is Sandman? How about Harry Osborn as an incarnation as the Green Goblin, his father's nasty alter ego? Or maybe Marko and Osborn just made bad choices. "Spider-Man 3" makes you think and ponder the definition of a bad guy.
Of course, I don't want to give the story away too much, because I think enjoying "Spider-Man 3" requires the audience to be surprised, moved and taken on the journey. However, there are some really cool things to watch out for in the movie.
When Grace and Church were named to appear in "3" as the bad guys, comic fans were aghast. However, after seeing the flick, they obviously were the best actors for the roles. And how their characters went from mere bad guys to super-powered villains are incredible scenes.
The Sandman, whose real name in the movie is Flint Marko, stumbles upon a science experiment while escaping from prison. His transformation is visually stunning and probably one of the reasons the budget for the movie neared $350 million. His battle scenes are the most striking in the movie.
Before Daily Bugle photographer-wannabe Eddie Brock becomes Venom, the alien symbiote which takes over Brock crash lands to earth via a meteor. At first, it takes over Spider-Man and Peter Parker. After much drama, pushing the thick plot forward, Peter rejects the symbiote and it latches on to the twisted, ego-maniac, arrogant Brock, turning him into Venom. The best visual scenes for Venom are when Peter rejects it in the church, and when Brock takes over as Venom.
Computer animation is amazing.
"Spider-Man 3" isn't 100 percent perfect. The first fight, between Peter and Harry as the second Green Goblin, isn't nearly as striking as the Sandman fights. That first fight almost looks like it was lifted more from a video game than made for a movie.
And when Harry temporarily loses his short-term memory, it's a little more than cheesy. Like an episode of "Days of Our Lives" for the comic book set.
Overall, however, "Spider-Man 3" is likely THE summer movie to see. It has great plots, interesting characters and fun villains. It's entertaining for the whole family, though young children may be slightly scared when Brock becomes Venom. Maybe.
I may end up going to see it a few more times.
My rating (out of four) of "Spider-Man 3": 3-1/2.
For show times of "Spider-Man 3" at North Pointe Cinemas, Warsaw, visit online at northpointecinemas.com
