Spider-Man 3 will be in theaters this weekend (we're seeing it Saturday) and lately I've had a whole host of bad feelings about the movie.

If you read this blog from time to time, you know that I'm a HUGE Spidey fan. I have been since I was a kid. I've been waiting with baited breath for at least a year, anticipating what I hoped would be the best film of the franchise. However, as the movie's actual release grows closer, little things are giving me some bad vibes.

There are, of course, a number of legit reasons to have bad vibes about Spidey 3. This movie will feature Harry Osborne's first outing in Goblin gear, and it will introduce The Sandman, the Black Symbiote, Venom and Gwen Stacey to the movie series. Any one of those characters/elements is significant enough in Spider-Man history to be the focus of an entire movie. Plus, Gwen Stacey's presence in this film, alive and breathing while Pete is dating MJ, is a real head-scratcher (if you have to ask, nevermind). Why not throw Black Cat, Firestar, Mysterio, Toxin and Kraven The Hunter in there as well?

Still, I've been telling myself that it's possible for the movie to be fun even if I have to talk myself into enjoying it. I had to do that to some extent with the first film in the series, so I'm prepared to do it again.

Yet, there have been a number of distractions that have been popping up, and I'm afraid that they're going to become superficial elements in an ultimately negative Spiderman Movie Experience.

For instance, there's the undeniable fact that the star of the movie is kinda sorta a real prick. Check out the way Tobey interacted with a fan who tried to sneak a quick picture on the street:

I admit, the fan didn't take the most tactful approach to trying to get a picture of himself with a star ... still, the fans are the people who put you where you are, Macguire, and we can put your ass back where we found you again. So check the 'tude, pal. As a matter of fact, the more I read about Topher Grace, the more I wish he'd gotten the starring role in the first film.

There there are the reports that Kirsten Dunst, as Mary Jane, will be singing twice in this film. Why? Is it because the money people are trying to get us ready for the rumored Broadway Spidey production? No kidding, they're really talking about Spider-Man on Broadway. Yeeesh.

I'm a little worried, too, about this movie's $350 million pricetag. It is officially the most expensive movie ever, and that doesn't sound good. Hollywood has a tradition of throwing money at bad scripts to try to fix them, and it never works. Think Waterworld. Think Heaven's Gate. Think all three crap movies in the most recent Star Wars trilogy.

If Spidey 3 doesn't suck, it'll be a success. It doesn't have to be great, it just has to not suck. If I'm able to enjoy it in spite of all the things that bug me about it, it'll be a huge success in my mind. My only hope now is that I'll leave the theater saying "It wasn't bad."

Is that too much to ask?

Maybe it is. Maybe it's time to just start salavating over Nolan's next film stick to seeing the Web-Slinger in the funny pages.

Labels: Entertainment