Image courtesy of www.impawards.com
Director :
Sam Raimi
Cast :
Tobey Maguire Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Kirsten Dunst Mary Jane Watson
James Franco .Harry Osborn
Thomas Hayden Church .Flint Marko/Sandman
Topher Grace .Eddie Brock Jr./Venom
Bryce Dallas Howard .Gwen Stacy
The character of Spider-Man is to Marvel Comics as Batman or Superman is to its rival DC. When it comes to cinematic exploits, all three have the best creative staffs around them. While other characters in both comic universes can sometimes get the short end of the stick story-wise, they all have had major launches and are the flagships of their respective comic universes. Batman Begins, Superman Returns and the original Spider-Man have been amongst the highest grossing films of the genre. Since the turn of the century, these three heroes have represented the upper echelon of the comic book movie franchises that have been so far released into cinemas. And with Spider-Man 2 having been dubbed by many as perhaps the best film to come out of the genre, the third film in the franchise has a high standard to live up to. With the highest budget ever given a film ever, as well as the principal members of the cast from the last two films returning, the third film in what is rumored to be a six film franchise is yet another terrific superhero film in the strongest franchise of the genre.
Spider-Man 3 is the sort of logical progression to the film’s underlying current that the first two touched up on greatly. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is enjoying the fruits of the struggles he faced in the first two films. The people of New York love him and he’s happy with the love of his life Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). With the appearance of two new villains to foil, as well as some problems in paradise, Spider-Man is another film meditating on the nature of responsibility in between super-powered action sequences. And while it falls short of attaining the lofty status of its predecessor, it’s still a top-notch film that has perhaps the strongest villains of the franchise as well as the best action sequences of the series so far.
First up is The Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), an escaped criminal who through a freak accident has the ability to transform his whole body into sand. Next up is Venom (Topher Grace), a former rival to Parker in his chosen profession of photography turned into a rival with amplified speed, strength and similar web-slinging capabilities from an alien symbiote that initially bonded with Parker. Throw in the returning Harry Osborn (James Franco), out on a mission of vengeance after blaming Spider-Man for the death of his father (Willem Defoe), and the web-slinger has his work cut out for him. What makes this triumvirate of villains different from before is that all three are given really strong backgrounds as to why they do what they do. We can understand why all three do what they do and not empathize with them, as they are still bad people for the most part. It’s nuanced character development rarely seen in a superhero film.
Sandman has a child dying of a horrible disease, and he needs the money to try and get her cured. It’s not a justification for his crimes, obviously, but it makes them a bit easier to understand. Brock is envious of Parker’s life, not having the skill at his job, the same sort of girlfriend, et al, and gets to the point where he feels his life is ruined by Parker’s interference. Becoming Venom and merging with the symbiote, after Parker rejects it due to the changes it makes in him, is a natural fit because it allows him the opportunity to get everything he perceives he should have. Osborn’s quest against Spider-Man and Parker is one that isn’t new, but now it’s come to fruition as Osborn has taken the final step and followed in his father’s footsteps as the next Green Goblin. It makes for an interesting set of villains who have more than the normal intentions of world domination, et al. That’s always been a staple of the franchise, but it’s most evident in the third installment. It helps give the film its dramatic gravity; we can understand why everyone is doing bad things and still find them to be evil as opposed to merely being bad for the sake of.
The film’s fight sequences manage to top everything done so far in the series. From several instances of saving people from death-defying traps, as well as eventual battles between the four super-powered people, Raimi has gone above and beyond what’s already been done and raised the bar every so slightly than before. Raimi doesn’t go above and beyond what he’s already in the series, as it’s obvious he has more lined up than what he’s showing, but he does top his previous efforts with some well designed and thrilling sequences. It’s also interesting to note that Raimi is definitely staying away from trying to make a “filler” sequel and isn’t afraid to take risks. With a major character dying at the end, he stays away from repeating what the Bond franchise has done and isn’t making a sequel for sequel’s sake. He references the prior two movies in small ways while not relying on them for the gravity of this film.
It would be unfair to compare Spider-Man 3 to the previous sequel, which many have proclaimed as one of the best if not the best superhero films ever made. In its own right it is a terrific superhero film, but comparing it to its predecessor is unfair at best. It’s the right film to start off the summer movie season.
