ryan.smith.blog

Having heard that it was "one of the worst movies of the past ten years" from my brother and "excruciatingly bad" from others, I didn't go into Spider-Man 3 with high expectations. Having now seen the film, I wonder, did I see a different movie?

Yes, it has too many subplots and too many villains, and let's face it: two marginally fascinating villains like Sandman and Venom can't make up for one as complex or intriguing as Doc Ock, whose character made the second film one of the best comic book movies ever. But despite its shortcomings, I found Spider-Man 3 incredibly enjoyable. It's never boring, the action is as good as ever, and, most importantly, Sam Raimi keeps it about the characters.

At its heart, this is still a human story, and that's easier said than done for big budget Hollywood blockbusters (think about what happened to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels). I admit, the scenes with Peter dancing down the sidewalk and doing a strange cabaret performance in a nightclub are a little goofy, but props to Raimi for dealing with real issues like pride, the sanctity of marriage, and forgiveness in a comic book movie that has no reason to be anything other than fun.

Spider-Man 3 may be a step down from the second film (the "Empire Strikes Back" of the trilogy), but it is not a bad film. For me, it proved there's still life in the franchise, and still good stories to tell, perhaps with better writers next time (Raimi and his brother Ivan wrote this one). I am also impressed at how visually consistent the three films are, and how they create a world that is believable and true on its own terms. Quibbles aside, that it an accomplishment.

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