Spoiler Warning: In-depth plot details ahead that may spoil film, you’ve been warned.
Peter (Tobey Maguire) has fully embraced his role as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, New York City loves him and he’s got his priorities in order with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) at his side. Uncle Ben would be proud. Of course things can’t stay rosy for long, Peter is still on a journey after all. Here we see how he deals with the curve balls life tosses his way and this time out there’s a lot.
First up is Harry Osborne (James Franco); he’s still dealing with his feelings towards Peter over his father’s death becoming the New Goblin. One of the best scenes in the film is when Peter and Harry first fight, there’s a lot more to the scene than what was first released in the exclusive footage. As the battle came to an end the whole theatre was cheering.
Then there’s the Flint Marko (Thomas Hadden Church). Flint is a convict recently escaped from prison, driven to help his ailing daughter he’s caught up in an experiment transforming into the villain that is Sandman.
Next up is Eddie Brock (Topher Grace); he’s new at the Daily Bugle, barging in as the new Spidey photographer rivaling Peter. Eddie is an insecure guy determined to get ahead any way he can. Adding to the love triangle, as Harry still likes MJ, there’s also Gwen Stacy, classmate to Peter who’s also got a crush on Spider-Man after he saved her life.
And there’s still more! The biggest and most anticipated addition of all is the Symbiote, which gives Spider-Man his black outfit thus leading up to the creation of super-villain Venom, embodied by Eddie Brock. When the symbiote first takes over the suit Peter has more strength and his emotions are amplified, specifically hate and vengeance.
Whew, with all of that going on I thought it came together quite well. Between the battles there are a lot of character driven moments that give the film a different tone and pace compared to the previous films. Here we’re watching these characters grow up and you can tell Sam Raimi enjoys taking that time to reveal each persons inner motives.
Tobey still captures and delivers Peter’s wild-eyed enthusiasm of being Spidey with sweet charm. It was even more fun to see him accept a darker side when the symbiote takes full control and this leads to the films more comedic bits. Peter struts down the street savoring his new outlook, relishing in the power he feels. I thought this fun mixed in was true to Raimi’s form and humor especially when it came to Bruce Campbell’s cameo as a Maître d'. I must admit that I’m biased when it comes to Sam Raimi though; he is my favorite director after all.
With everything that comes along it all adds up to a rousing finale with Super-Villain team ups, each villain’s unique style and abilities is shown off quite well. The effects continue to amaze whether it’s Spider-Man swinging through city or Sandman pounding anyone who gets in his way, it was amazing to see the origin of each villain come to life. When Venom finally comes to be I thought his look was spot on and quite mean. Spider-Man fans should be well pleased though I will admit that the change of pace could distract others. For me there was the right balance of emotion and action and I can’t wait to see it again.
Spider-Man 3 is an excellent film and gets 4.5 of 5 stars in my book.