Theatrical Review: Spider-Man 3

OH, yes, there will be spoilers … but don't worry, the spoilers are in a link below. Nothing you read in this brief review will spoil Spider-Man 3 for you.

The point of a movie review should be to answer the hypothetical question "Should you go see this movie?" It's easy to lose sight of that when a reviewer is writing about a movie based on another artistic source that he or she loves. It's difficult to be objective and keep in mind that not every movie viewer is going to share your love, your dedication, maybe your obsession with the movie's source material.

I'm trying to be as objective as possible and remember that not everyone who reads this review is going to be a 38 year old man who sleeps in Spider-Man pajamas. (That's not a confession on my part or anything … I'm just sayin', that's all.) As a rabid, life-long Spider-Man fan, I'm on one end of the spectrum. On the other end, there are people who see trailers for the new film and say "Spider-Man? Yeah, he's a super powered movie guy, right? I think he's a good guy rather than a villain."

And, with that in mind, I' guess it would be best to subdivide this review:

Should casual movie fans see this film?
Yes, I think you'll get your money's worth. It's a big summer action movie, and it delivers very well on those terms. The special effects are just about the best I've ever seen in any movie, and it provides that ever-popular "roller coaster ride" that summer blockbusters are supposed to deliver. No, it won't change your life … and you'll probably not leave the theater ready to log onto the net and advance order the DVD, but it's an entertaining and fun way to start the summer movie season. There are funny, character driven scenes that elicit genuine laughs … there are great looking superhuman battle sequences … and the action comes with enough frequency and variety to keep you from getting bored. You'll leave the theater satisfied.

Should fans of Spider-Man 2 see this movie?
Well, maybe … just don't get your hopes up too high. Spider-Man 2 was an outstanding film; it worked on all levels. Not only did it excel in all the "summer blockbuster" categories listed above, it also delivered real human drama and told a compelling story that really came to matter over the course of the film. Don't expect anything that good from Spider-Man 3. Oh, it tries to be dramatic … but with three villains and so many trilogy-ending loose ends to tie up, it never really gets into your head and your heart the way the second movie did. As far as special effects and big fun, Spidey 3 comes through … but this movie doesn't have any of the elements that made Spidey 2 so special.

Should fans of the first Spider-Man film see this movie?
Yeah, go ahead. It's as good as the first one, and doesn't suffer from the occasional periods of lag that the first one was hampered by. The special effects are much better in this film than in the first one, and even though there's some serious villain-overkill, at least the villains don't look as silly as the poor Green Goblin (with his awful Goblin Armor) did in the first film. If you enjoyed the first film, you'll enjoy this one, too … and maybe a little more.

Should hardcore comic book fans (and life-long Spider-Man fans) see Spider-Man 3?
I suppose … but with reservations. I'm assuming that other hardcore comic book fans realize, just as I do, that we've been amazingly blessed to have had the chance to see Batman Begins and Spider-Man 2 in the theaters in the last few years. Those are two outstanding movies, and I'd recommend them to anyone, but those of us who have loved comics for so long find them especially thrilling. It's really amazing to watch a movie and realize that it's actually doing a good job of putting everything we love about comics on the screen. Batman Begins did that. Spider-Man 2 did that, as well. Spider-Man 3 doesn't get close to doing that. It's really just one more superhero movie, although it's really a great looking one and it's moves along well and is directed very well. Yes, you will find things in the movie that annoy you, but they're small and relatively inconsequential, and you'll be able to ignore them and just have fun with the film. Just go into the theater expecting an OK (satisfying at best, never thrilling) experience, and you won't leave disappointed.

Now, as far as those spoileriffic complaints I mentioned, hardcore comic fans who've already seen the movie can click here and read them.

No, Spider-Man 3 wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be, but it didn't suck, either. This wasn't some Joel Schumacher pile of garbage. It does suffer from that classic Schumacher bad-guy-overload, but the SM3 villains are better written, better acted and better directed than the clownish bad guys in Schumacher's Batman films, so it's not too bad.

Go ahead and go see it. It's not great, it it's more proof that Marvel movies are almost always better than DC movies, even when they're weak. It won't change your life, but it won't ruin your weekend, either. Things could be worse ... and they might get that way yet.




  ¶ 7:47 PM