Spider Man 3

Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard
Running Time: 2h 20min

Anticipation being at an all time high, the third Spidey flick seems bound to disappoint. Add to that, the amazosity that was the first two films, it's almost guaranteed to not be near as good as the first two parts of the saga. And it isn't. Despite the fact, Spider Man 3 is a very good action film that delivers everything you'd expect from it. Yet unlike the previous two, there just isn't a whole lot more.

The premise is promising. Peter and MJ are becoming more like the adults that fill the comic book pages of today, and the characters of Sandman and Venom enter the fray alongside the Green Goblin. Unfortunately, you can have too much of a good thing, and this third installment suffers from the same problems as Batman Forever; too many ideas, too little time.

Instead of telling the saga of Venom, the dark side of Peter Parker brought out by the alien symbiote, with slowly increasing menace and suspense, the whole ordeal is rushed through the film, highlighted by a ridiculous musical number. Don't get me wrong, i appreciate Sam Raimi's attempt at an homage to Saturday Night Fever, but it doesn't belong in this film, or with the tone it strikes. Clever, but misguided.

What really shouldn't work is Bruce Campbell as an overzealous maitre'd, yet he steals the show, adding some nice humour at a key dramatic point in the film. Alongside the hilarious, Jonah Jamieson, these two take what little screen time they have and serve up the most satisfying moments. This is where Raimi's risks work, on a small scale. He continues to deliver some amazing set pieces, but fails to unite them with the same drama or intensity of the first two films. Several characters seem to appear simply for recognition's sake, adding little to the story or thematic elements.

Sandman is visually amazing, and played to the max by Thomas Haden Church. Like his comic book counterpart, he is a neat idea, with little behind it. Which was often my beef with Marvel comic characters; they were interesting ideas, with little relevance or psychological value. Venom defied this rule, exploding from the pages of the Amazing Spider Man like no other villain of the modern era. Yet Raimi fails to learn from the mistakes of comic sequels past, such as X-Men 3 and the aforementioned Batman Forever (not to mention Batman and Robin or Superman 3, 4, 5). He succumbs to the "more means better" misbelief of Hollywood, when in fact, the more plot lines, the thinner the payoff. Venom is deserving of his own film (and may get it in Spider Man 4) while plot lines involving Sandman, Harry Osborn, and Gwen Stacy are mere window dressing, falling far short from their importance in comic book lore. Stacy is perhaps the most miserable casting error in a long time, as Howard wins the nepotism award for sure. No wonder she refuses to audition for roles; she'd never get one if not for Daddy Ron.

All this negativity aside, the film delivers as an enjoyable, fast paced action extravaganza that shouldn't disappoint non-discriminating fans. It has the five requisite "trailer moments" of action and excitement, stays light and airy even during what should very well be dark moments of the film, and has some impressive special effects that continue to push the envelope on super hero effects work. It holds no surprises, satisfies on a couple of levels, and leaves you wanting some more, but none too soon. Kind of like a holiday weekend. Enjoy!

Grade: B+