Spider-Man 3

[lithera]

Let me take you on a little trip down memory lane. And no, I'm not going to spoil anything.

Superman 3. Sucks
Batman 3 - The Kilmer Edition. Sucks
X-men 3. Really, do I have to say it?
Matrix 3 - Ehn.
Aliens 3 - Bad (though the director's cut has some saving graces.)

I could go on and, in fact, did this evening for a decent amount of time. Before you get all afraid that I hated the movie, let me say that I didn't hate it. I liked it.

The tragedy of it is, I could have loved it.

This is a movie which starts out excellently. Anyone who knows Spider-Man at all (or, in fact has seen the first two movies) knows where things are going to go from here. The pacing is nice, the movie is well done and you really think that you're in for an excellent ride.

And you are. Until a scene about 3/5th of the way through the thing. I don't have to say more than that. You'll know which scene I'm talking about when it happens. I do not think there was anyone in the theater over the age of 12 who was not pulled entirely out of the movie by the scene. I was almost embarrassed by it because it so did not seem to fit with the tone of the movie. There was some cheese before this but it wasn't so over the top so as to be bad.

And from there, while there is a lot of great stuff after that, the movie never entirely recovers. There is too much going on, there are too many plots and there are too many characters. A lot of what happens seems to happen because there is a feeling that they should. There is an entire subplot which I would have taken out and built another movie on, which is a damned shame.

The fights are awesome. Some of the special effects feel a little unfinished in places. The actors, especially Franco, are top notch.

I give it a 6.5 out of 10. (And at some point, once you've seen it, I'll be more than willing to talk, in detail, about why I think comparing this movie to Return of the Jedi is just about perfect.)

Comments

[m00t.livejournal.com]

I think they shouldn't have had Sandman in it. Too much for one movie. If you pull that character out entirely, nothing really changes about the rest of the movie. It was superfluous. I think, aside from said scene, is the biggest thing I'd change about it.

I'd change the ending a bit, and some stuff with Venom, but yeah. Not the best movie, but it could have been a lot worse.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

He's actually not the character I'd have taken out. I'd have had the whole church tower scene happen and then lose that whole situation for another movie and then re-enforced Marko's involvment.

[m00t.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I'd do with that character, too, though maybe draw out the period before it more so.

I don't know though, it just felt Marko's involvement was purely to fit the demands of the studio heads. "He needs to fight more villains!!!!1111"

[lithera.livejournal.com]

*chuckles*

I liked Marko but I would have, somehow, tried to re-enforced his involvement. For being so important for something that happened earlier in the trilogy... I don't know. I wanted more connection with the family and between him and Peter. Which I would have tried to do in the time we would have gotten back..

[moriarty6.livejournal.com]

100% agreed.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Sweet.

[theonlymegumegu.livejournal.com]

There is too much going on, there are too many plots and there are too many characters.

I've really been wondering how they're going to handle all the stuff that seems to be packed in the previews. I guess I'll see soon enough.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

It doesn't start to unravel until the last 2/5ths of the movie. It holds together really well until ... it doesn't. And you'll know the scene I'm talking about.

[skidspoppe.livejournal.com]

Not quite sure which scene you mean, but here's my review of the film.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

The jazz club. The stuff before that was acceptable, like the Raindrops bit in 2 (but even that stepped on the line a bit) but the jazz club was just way too much for me.

[skidspoppe.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I can see that.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I think it was partially that it was SOOO over the top /and/ it steps on this line of Peter caring a lot about his secret ID and making a big deal about it but he's always taking his mask off in stupid places. (Or in this case doing crazy, crazy things...)

I understand what was happening, the scene just sat badly with me.

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Yes, they went waaayyyy over the top with "Saturday Night Peter."

I mean, it was a great scene. It just did not belong in this movie.

[flusterbunny.livejournal.com]

Pfff. I loved that part. It was great fun, and it was unexpected.

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

I think they could've gone a little shorter with it and still made the point.

And the "Let's be vindictive and dance with Gwen..." was a bit much. But just my opinion.

[flusterbunny.livejournal.com]

Pshaw, I say! That was all a lot of fun - anything that draws an energetic performance out of Maguire is aces!

It didn't seem like too much at all - the love of your life dumps you and cheats on you with your best friend (who also happens to be a psycho that might try to kill you at any time), even if you're not wearing Super Evil suit, one tends to want to show your ex what they're missing in one's weaker moments. Normal folks do it, so artificially aggressive people would do it even more. I thought it fit perfectly. I just felt bad for Gwendy.

[pullthestars.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on that one. I enjoyed it. The whole Saturday Night Peter was pretty damn awesome.

[flusterbunny.livejournal.com]

I know! That was all some of the best stuff - unexpected and fresh and obviously Raimi having a good time with it!

Maybe I was just starved to have a legitimately funny Spider-Man, but anything that makes Tobey Magurie more lively is welcome in my book!

[lithera.livejournal.com]

I was okay with that, because it was like the Singin' in the rain part. That was okay but the jazz club was just... It was like I was suddenly in a different movie. And the two being right next to each other just made the first part feel awkward in comparison.

[flusterbunny.livejournal.com]

Pshaw, I say! I loved the fact that suddenly, everything was different and crazy and all best are off! I love a superhero movie being able to surprise me like that - me, geek of geeks!

Basically showing off the 'this is what being Spider-Man could do for me if I wasn't so damn responsible' aspect. I thought it fit great!

[lithera.livejournal.com]

I don't know. It pulled me out of the movie. I understand what was trying to be accomplished there and I thought that was the right note - it just wasn't pulled off very well for me.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Heh. That part was okay for me. It was the bit after that.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

I haven't yet seen it (probably won't until Monday or Tuesday), but the "3/5ths of the way through" comment reminds me hugely of Highlander 4. Highlander 4, for all intents and purposes, was shaping up to be pretty decent! And then there was a sex scene. And then it just...went wrong. It didn't completely fall apart. It's like it oozed apart. It just sort of slid into pieces, so you couldn't *exactly* tell what had gone wrong, it's just that what had been working ceased to work and there was no real reason for it, but it did.

Everything I've read has said "too many characters". What a shame.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

In this all of the peices are still there. There is a lot of stuff that is great, still but it never entirely recovers for me after that. I would have taken one of the villains out and there is some disagreement between me and others about who that should have been but I think there is a villain in here that obviously diserves their own movie.

[bayushiboy.livejournal.com]

Highlander 4??? But, "There can be only 1!"

*MUUAHAHAHAHA*

I recognize nothing but the original Highlander movie. The sequels and the tv show are DEAD to me.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

I liked the TV show...

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

I like the TV show too, although I'm willing to grant that as far as continuity is concerned, the TV show pretty clearly doesn't belong in the same Highlander universe as the original movie. Particularly after the first season. :)

[lithera.livejournal.com]

Yeah but that's okay, really.

[arithon.livejournal.com]

I have only one thing to say:

Thrusting in the direction of the problem!

Okay, two things.

I AM French.

[lithera.livejournal.com]

How is your pie, sir?