Spider-Man 3

RATING: B+

I still remember the hype back in May of 2007 when there were three *huge* threequels set to shake the world: Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and Shrek the Third. I think the disappointment with at least two of these films wasn't exactly pretty, but all three of them made plenty of money. Spider-Man 3, at the time, would've really been the only one to live up to expectations in my estimate. But then again, even reception for it was pretty middle-ground. 

Spider-Man 3 decides to up the amount of pretty much everything in this film; this is admittedly one of the most stuffed sequels I've ever seen. We have a total of three villains to deal with; Sandman (who has a big connection to Peter's past), the "New Goblin," and Venom (who doesn't even show up until near the end). And there's more plotlines as well; Mary Jane's life is starting to look down the way Peter's was in the second film, which estranges their relationship, and as if that wasn't enough, a symbiote from space bonds with Peter, giving him a new black suit as well as a darker personality. 

Yeah, it's safe to say that the guys at Sony decided to take just about every idea they had and stuff it into this movie. And yet they somehow forgot to stuff in Carnage alongside Venom. Now *that* would've been awesome. 

Spider-Man 3 is a film that is criticized quite unfairly. Yeah, it has a slightly convoluted plot, and Peter's Spidey-sense is completely forgotten, but the action sequences still dazzle (the climax is by far the most thrilling ending the trilogy has to offer) and the "inner demons" storyline is certainly very interesting and executed quite well (save for the weird dance number Peter does midway through the film). One of the more iffy things about the film was the inconsistent off and on appearances of Gwen Stacey and Aunt May getting mostly sidelined for much of the film (and one of her scenes being pretty worthless anyway). 

Spider-Man 3's not exactly a classic, but it's definitely better than it gets credit for. It may be a little long at 139 minutes, but it's exciting and intriguing enough to keep you interested for nearly all of those minutes. It also ends on some strong moral notes. It may not be the best superhero movie you'll ever see (not that that can really be said about any Spider-Man movie in a world with the Avengers franchise), but it's still well worth watching if you enjoyed the first two. The Spider-Man trilogy holds up pretty well over time, and is pretty unique in that both of its sequels are stronger than the first one.