Diego Santiago
Spider-Man is back to save the day in this third rendition of the trilogy that has captivated audiences around the world.
Peter Parker, played by the always-enjoyable Tobey Maguire, is planning to ask his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), to be his wife.
But, after a series of unlucky events and miscommunication, the relationship turns sour.
Harry Osborn, played by James Franco, is back with a vengeance. But after getting hit in the head, he loses his memory and reunites with Parker again.
After he gains consciousness, Osborn gets involved in a love triangle between Watson and Parker and later becomes the evil New Goblin once again.
Parker’s heartbreak turns him into some sort of rebel after a mysterious virus takes over him.
We not only see Spider-Man’s change from good to evil, but Parker himself has a new, bad attitude with a ridiculous haircut that makes him look like a member of The Beatles.
While all of this is happening, Thomas Haden Church accidentally becomes the Sandman after an erroneous test with aggressive molecules.
He rampages all over the city creating chaos and disaster, just like any good villain should do.
It seems like all the characters live in a world of rare coincidences. They seem to run at each other at every corner of the city as if New York was only a small little town with one bar and one restaurant.
The film at some times feels like a soap opera. Intense scenes with Parker and Watson focusing on their tears and feelings, takes away a little of the excitement of the film.
It is usually very good when we see some multi-dimensional characters, but I believe a little less melodrama would have been better for this type of film.
Overall, the cast was enjoyable. Maguire has that dorky personality which makes him really likeable. Dunst was quite good making sure not to overshadow the spotlight from our hero, “Spidey.”
Haden Church was amazing as the Sandman, after an apparent body transformation from skinny guy to muscle man. After the film “Sideways” it appears he’s been to the gym for some serious time perfecting his image for this role.
But, the black sheep of the film is definitely “That 70s Show’s” Topher Grace.
I could’ve named a million other people to play Venom. Instead, a comic with a scrawny body was selected to portray what was expected to be the most feared villain yet. At the end, his character is a total disappointment; biggest miscast of the film without a doubt.
Failing to meet expectations, “Spider-Man 3” is the worst film of the trilogy.
It is not at the caliber of any of the previous films.
“Spider-Man 3” is not a bad movie, on the contrary, it is quite enjoyable.
But, the anticipation around the world was so intense that we forget that sequels are usually not as good as the original versions.
In the end, this is one of those cases where no matter if a million critics unite and say that the film was terrible, the audiences will still line up by the thousands.
Through the years, “Spider-Man” has become more than just a movie; it has become part of the American culture.
RATING: B-
(Paramount Pictures)