Thomas Hayden Church really does offer a lot of gravitas to the role, and is perfect casting. The Sandman plotline is contrived, but the character is real and convincing. Despite feeling rushed, a lot of it works.
Here, we switch from one villain to another from scene to scene, splicing everything together with emotional scenes of romance, heartbreak, or advice from old Aunt May. In the first two films, we had two very clearly-defined villains who were given ample screen time… this allowed them to create fully three-dimensional characters that fascinated us, I cared greatly about both The Green Goblin and Doc Ock. It’s a rather head-spinning affair, and the movie has a tendency to jerk us around a little too much. So, you’ve got all of these things going on, and more. He is not a very pleasant fellow, and he would like nothing better than to kill Spider-Man. Major Problem #5 – Venom: The real kicker is, when Peter actually IS able to get some of the stuff off of him, it falls onto rival photographer Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), who turns into a snarling black monster with evil eyes and very sharp teeth. The “real Peter” (y’know, the sensitive one who cries about a half-dozen times during this movie) must find a way to get rid of this Mr. Suddenly, Spider-Man becomes less ethical, and Peter Parker turns into a cocky, finger-snapping jerk. One night, it attaches itself to Peter, turns his Spider-Man suit black, and gives him a newfound dark power that Peter finds very sexy. Major Problem #4 – Black Goo: Yes, some black goo falls from the sky and follows Peter around. Peter is faced with the difficulty of trying to restore a friendship while fending off Harry’s vicious attacks. Very early on, Harry transforms into The Green Goblin, Jr., trying to finish what his father started (while wearing a much less interesting outfit). Major Problem #3 – Harry Osborne: Speaking of him, he’s still got a grudge against Peter, and is out to kill his former best friend. While Peter is busy planning a proposal, MJ is busy visiting her old friend Harry Osborne (James Franco) more and more often. She’s getting terrible reviews for a Broadway play she is starring in, and generally feels lonely and unappreciated. Major Problem #2 – Personal Relationships: Peter feels like he is on top of the world, but his pride causes him to fail to recognize the problems Mary Jane is having. Also, he’s extremely strong, and likes making giant sand fists (which he uses to pound things, mostly Spider-Man). For the uninitiated, he can fall apart and put himself back together, making it very difficult for anyone to defeat him in battle. While Marko is running from the police, he falls into a machine that blends his molecules with sand, turning him into a beach flavored-version of Clayface from the animated Batman cartoons. Major Problem #1 – The Sandman: In a very tacky plot development, it turns out that a guy named Flint Marko (Thomas Hayden Church) is the REAL killer of Ben Parker, Peter’s uncle. In a way, the writers are also punishing the audience… not that the movie is an unpleasant experience, but we’re being fed too much too fast. The screenwriters have elected to punish Peter with no less than THREE major villains, romantic difficulties, and some really difficult inner conflicts. Of course, this pleasant scenario will not last very long. He’s about to propose to Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), the public is in love with Spider-Man, and everything seems to be looking up. Peter Parker, or Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) is living the good life. It is uneven and overstuffed, but there is enough quality here to make this a respectable entry in the “Spider-Man” franchise. Not as good as the first film, certainly not as good as the second, but a good film. Is it a round three stinker on the level of “X-Men: The Last Stand”? No, it most certainly is not. Is “Spider-Man 3” as good as “Spider-Man 2”? Well, the answer is of course subjective, but in my humble opinion… no, it isn’t. The first was, “Wow, I can’t wait to see the next one!” The second was, “How on earth is he going to top that?” As someone once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Considering this situation, let’s go ahead and defuse a few bombs.
After seeing the second film, I had two thoughts on my mind. Is there any film in 2007 that has generated more simultaneous anticipation and dread than “Spider-Man 3”? Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” was a very good superhero movie, and his stunning “Spider-Man 2” raised the bar to a dizzying new level.
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