Roving reporter Prendy chimes in this this great review of Spiderman 3, enjoy!
So here it is; end game. The final third in one of the most financially successful film trilogies (?) in cinema history. Re-defining how comic-book conversions are done, Sam Raimi, the unlikeliest of Directors, had already managed to hit the bull’s eye twice in a row. Now, with the supposed last instalment, he’s looking to go out with the biggest of bangs. Does he succeed? Well, yes and no.
Spiderman 3 is flawed. In a number of ways. First and foremost there is simply too much going on. Trying to squeeze in one, maybe two too many characters, the original central cast, so nicely fleshed out in 1 & 2 seem somehow lightweight here, almost watered down versions of their former selves. Peter Parker & MJ Watson’s relationship is floundering, new girl Gwen Stacey (Bryce Dallas Howard) is added to the mix and his long-brewing rift with former best friend Harry Osbourne is ready to break (and break it does). But somehow, despite wanting to, you find yourself caring just a little bit less than you’d have liked.
A lot of the problem is the pacing of the film. It races and revs at such a pace that important issues and plotlines blur past your vision before your brain can really interpret what’s going on. Even the usually faultless editing seems to chop a scene here and there a beat too early in an attempt to keep the running time down and the plotline burning. Certainly from start to finish there are only a handful of moments where you can relax and concentrate on what has always kept Spidey at the front of the pack; character.
With the introduction of Venom, we see Peter Parker suffer from Anakin-itus, turning to the darkside as his growing fame and power go to his head (and like Anakin’s fall, this seemingly almost happens over night) – Which ironically, provides the film’s (intentionally) funniest scenes as a ‘new & improved’ bad boy Peter Parker struts and swaggers his way around New York. This allows Mr. Maguire to show off his funnier side and it has to be said he pulls it off brilliantly.
As for the Sandman (played ably in a rather undemanding role by Thomas Haden Church) & Green Goblin Jnr.; well, neither one is bad but neither one sticks to memory as does Doc Ock or even the original Goblin did. The effects (certainly for Sandman) are at times breath-taking but in other areas look like they’ve been knocked up by the BBC for Dr. Who – Goblin Jnr. on his flying snowboard being the guiltiest of candidates here. Whilst on the subject of effects, there are simply too many of them. One set staggering piece after another only seems to diminish their impact and when the strangely un-engaging final act swings into action you find yourself almost (almost) wishing it was over.
But then Venom ‘proper’ re-appears. And when he does it’s good. Fans of the comics will be pleased with the result. A feral, snarling counterpoint to Spidey they engage in quite a tag-team style smackdown. It’s a shame that the canvas is so muddied and that these two haven’t been given more time to develop and evolve before the big showdown. As with many strands thoughout this film, it feels rushed and a little insubstantial.
Despite all of this, Spiderman 3 is still a great film. As you would expect, it looks amazing and contains more action than the other two films combined, and clocking it in at over two hours, it does cover a lot of ground. But whether it is too much action and too much ground will ultimately come down to a personal preference.
Rumours are abound that depending on number three’s financial success, (something of a given really) Sam and team are toying with the idea of coming out for a fourth crack at the web. I would advise against it. With subtle feelings of repetition creeping in (as cool as it looks, how many times can you watch Spidey swing across the Big Apple before it gets just a little stale?), I would say 3 is their magic number.
So go and watch it for yourself. You’ll get everything you could possibly want from a comic-book based film (and more on top) fights, drama (ish), explosions, gags and hopefully, decent closure to arguably the most consistently brilliant trilogy yet filmed.
Oh, and you also get Bruce Campbell in the stand-out appearance of the three. Honestly, his cameo alone is worth going to see. Twice!