Review: Spider-Man 3

Here's my take on the third Spider-Man film (Spoilers ahead)

Firstly was Peter and MJ's love story. It was good, the film definitely showed how they have grown since Part 2. The actors were also great; Tobey Maguire definitely was the right choice for Spider-Man/Peter Parker. Kirsten Dunst was also brilliant, though some of her scenes tend to become cheesy at times, but all in all they were great.

Next is Harry Osborn, the movie definitely shows his hatred for Peter. His face certainly shows that something will make him the next goblin. The way he handled his character was truly unique. While watching the film, you can certainly feel that Harry not a villain, but a troubled soul seeking revenge for his father. And the way he treated his character was top notch, I even cried watching the finale with the 3 (MJ & Peter) of them.

The villains were good; I most especially liked Sandman’s transformation. Thomas Haden Church was great, he portrayed not only a villain, but also as a loving father. Topher Grace as Venom was really what the fans have been waiting for. Even though Venom appears late in the film, the minimal screen time he had was some of the best action scenes I’ve seen since the Train Scene in Spider-Man 2. Topher’s acting deviates away from what fans have already known from his stint in That 70’s Show.

The supporting actors were great. I really thought Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) has a big role in the film, but she barely gets screen time (But I liked her scene when she fell off the building). Rosemary Harris (Aunt May) was great as always (I always tend to say great), you can see how she cares both for Peter and his Uncle Ben. Even James Cromwell (Gwen’s Dad) was a great addition to the case, I liked him back in Six Feet Under and this time, I like him more. Even J.J. Jameson, Betty Brant, Hoffman, Robbie (the Daily Bugle cast), Peter’s landlord (Mr. Ditkovich) and his daughter (Ursula) were a great part of already great ensemble.

The cameos were great too. It’s nice to see Stan Lee in a speaking role this time. And Grand Curtis’s (Producer) cameo was actually funny (he was the security guard at the armored vehicle Sandman was robbing). The one thing I really loved was Bruce Campbell’s role as the “Maître d’”.

A word on the effects and action, AWESOME! I’ve never seen CGI sand work that way since The Mummy back in 1999. I think the effects team should get another Academy Award for their work here. They continue to amaze me and make the impossible, well, possible. The fight scenes were brilliant. Back in 2004 when I watched Spider-Man 2, part of me was kind of depressed seeing only little fight scenes in the film (but the Train Scene still kicks ass). Now, I don’t have any reason to complain, as each minute comes with a different action scene. Thank you, Sam Raimi!

I do have my own complaints... Though the story was good, it feels kind of ‘overlappy’ , with different story arcs to create one big plot arc, I guess there’s too much story to tell and for me some scenes/stories were not fully explained/concluded. And also, I’m sad that I didn’t get to see the final swing (usually happens every end of the film), the film just fades out. Though that might mean something. Still, I loved the film.

This is unarguably one of the best films of the year. I’ll definitely going to watch this again and buy it on DVD.