Harry Situation’s Countdown Reviews: Spider-Man 3
So now we've arrived at the last of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy with Spider-Man 3, often considered the most unpopular of the trilogy.
In this story, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson (played once again by Tobey Maguire and Kristen Dunst) are together and they're going to get married. Happy ending, right? Nope. It turns out that Harry Osborn (played again by James Franco) is out for revenge against Peter Parker, so he becomes the new Green Goblin. While at the same time there is a new criminal on the loose called Sandman (played by Thomas Haden Church), and it is revealed that he was the one who shot Uncle Ben. And on top of all that there is an alien symbiote that comes to earth and it latches onto Peter Parker, and starts making him darker; and it eventually latches onto Eddie Brock (played by Topher Grace) who becomes Venom.
So the story is kind of a mess.
Honestly, I actually like this movie. I mean it. I'm probably one of the very few who do. However, I can definitely spot the problems this film has.
First big issue that I think we should discuss: Emo Peter. Yes, it does look really ridiculous. Tobey Maguire is basically hamming it up all the way that it looks way to goofy. Those moments where he's dancing and acting like a douche are just too campy, and I can't take the film seriously.
Second big issue: Venom. Venom is another one of my favorite Spider-Man villains; and we only get to see him for 10 minutes of the movie. Man was I bummed about that. Also casting Topher Grace as Venom probably wasn't the best option. He just didn't have anything that said that this guy made for a good Venom. What was really awkward was when Venom's face peeled back so you can see Topher's face. Why? Why have that? I mean, seriously, why?
Now that I've addressed the big issues let's talk about another problem. As I mentioned before the story is in fact messy. You have three different Spider-Man villains showing up, as well as three different stories that don't blend together. The first two worked because it was one central villain we could focus on, not three while trying to develop them at once.
But a lot of folks don't talk about the good stuff in Spider-Man 3. So one of the good things, like the first two films, is the action. The action looks especially amazing in this film. That crane sequence was great. That second fight with Sandman was epic. And even the finale was intense. The visual effects also looked amazing, as they normally do in every Spider-Man movie.
All the actors do an amazing job, Topher Grace being the one exception. I especially loved the emotional drama between Peter and Harry. At first they were enemies but by the end they've managed to amend their differences to help each other out. Also really sympathized with Church's Sandman. He's not a bad guy, he's just down on his luck. He's got a daughter that he wants to provide for. I felt bad for him.
Also I'd like to point out that this film hands down has the best trailer ever made. Check it out on youtube. Better yet I have a link to it so you can see for yourself. The trailer made it feel like this was definitely the end of Spider-Man.
Overall I actually don't hate this movie like some do. I do find some enjoyment out of it. However this was no where near as strong as the other films in the series, and I can understand the backlash this film received. All that matters is your opinion alone. If you like it, good. If you don't, that's fine.
Positives: Negatives:
-Action -Emo Peter
-Acting -Little Venom
-Visual effects -Topher Grace as Venom
-Emotional drama -Messy story
-Best trailer
-Decent end to series
Final Grade: C+
Fun fact, if a fourth Spider-Man was made they would have had Lizard and Vulture as the villains. Ironically, Lizard showed up in The Amazing Spider-Man and Vulture will appear in Spider-Man Homecoming. Funny how things work out, right?
So there's my review of Spider-Man 3. Have you seen this? What are your thoughts? Out of all three films, which did you like the most? Please be kind, leave a like and comment below, and check back for more Harry Situation Reviews here on Prose!
Best Quote:
Eddie Brock/Venom: "Ooh, my spider sense are tingling. If you know what I'm talking about."