WISDOM OF THE SAGES
REVIEW – SPIDERMAN 3
WARNING: SPOILERS
Hello all;
I know that by now that all of you, or at least all of you, have watched Spiderman 3 by now. I caught it recently and decided to give you my two cents on the matter. Whether you want me to or not.
There was enough going on for at least three separate movies. But I think Sam Raimi is moving on and wanted to get done as much stuff as possible so as to not pull a Bryan Singer and leave things undone.
In this episode Spidey is more popular than ever in New York. But Peter Parker is letting Spidey’s popularity interfere with his relationship to Mary Jane. Then we find out that the guy we thought killed Uncle Ben didn’t kill Uncle Ben, but this other guy, for some inexplicable reason, is the REAL guy who killed Uncle Ben but we are never told how everyone knows this but accept that it now gives Peter Parker a motive for revenge while never really dealing with the complication that it is his fault that Uncle Ben was killed in the first place. Follow me?
Sandman is really the weakest of the Spidey Movie villains. Never show your villain “petting the puppy” because it renders your villainy weak. Here, Sandman is just a regular guy robbing and killing people to help his cute little girl who is sick. So, I am sorry if you are offended by his random murders. I felt this back story was just there to give Thomas Hayden-Church some tender Oscar-worthy moments where he has to act sad.
We are also introduced to a black alien goo from an inexplicable fallen meteor which takes over Peter Parker’s Spidey costume for no other reason that it just happen to fall near him and he was there. This basically makes Parker act like a jerk but never do anything really evil other than that goofy-ass dance. (I know you think his Pumpkin-bombing the side of Harry Osbourne’s face was evil, but you know the schizophrenic jerk had it coming. Really.) After he realizes what it does to him Peter tears it off. The goo attaches itself to Parker rival Eddie Brock and eventually becomes the inexplicable fan-favorite character, Venom. Brock is woefully miscast in the form of “That 70’s Show” actor, uh, What’s His Name.
The multi-villain thing has been done to death with dubious results in the Batman films of the late eighties and nineties. I have always hated that “We hate the same guy so let’s team up” scene, but the one in Spiderman 3 came across as an inserted scene because they forget to write one in.
The best villain team-up scene will always be the innuendo-laced scene between Catwoman and the Penguin in “Batman Returns”. This one ranks below the Poison Ivy/Mr. Freeze team-up but above the Riddler/Two-Face in overall stinkiness. (Which one is the stinkiest? Does it matter?) Besides, poor Sandman is saddled with an emotional crisis of curing his child, so you know he’s not really evil. And that is what kills him as a villain. There is no threat there.
The whole Eddie Brock/Gwen Stacy (played by the yummy Bryce Dallas Howard) seemed to be another movie entirely. As did the whole New Goblin plot. Yes, that makes THREE villains! (Four, if you count the Green Goblin hallucinations that Harry Osbourne has.) But for me, the New Goblin thread was the strongest of all of them because it is a continuation of Spiderman 2 and resonates with the whole two best friends become enemies device that has been en vogue since TV’s Smallville.
And the death of a major character at the end would have resonated more if the New Goblin thread been the central focus. But we get this jammed-together kidnapping that echoes Spiderman 1. With Spidey just letting one criminal go, while easily destroying another that should have been indestructible. With Aunt May showing up at the right times to offer sagely wisdom when needed, Peter and Mary Jane come through unscathed on the other end of it. Roughed up maybe, but little worse for the wear. I just wish the journey had been more insightful and fun. Simply put, there was just too much going on to really let the ride take you over. ‘Nuff Said.
Oh, in case you are curious and I know you film-liker types are, here’s what I would have done:
Spiderman 3:
Had more about the arrival of the black costume.
A better origin for Sandman.
Had Spiderman defeat Sandman using the black costume.
The black costume moves. It LIVES!!
Spiderman 4:
Will be about the corruption of Peter Parker.
The break up of Mary Jane and Peter. His dealings with Eddie Brock.
His confrontation with the new Goblin ending with Peter pumpkin-bombing Harry.
He rids himself of the black costume after all the nasty stuff he does.
End with birth of Venom.
Spiderman 5:
The rise of Venom taking revenge on Peter Parker.
The return of sandman.
The climax of Spiderman 3, only, not so rushed.
By now, we have enough back story that the Lizard can arrive at the end of part five.
But who asks me?
Anyways, more reviews as I see the movies, read the books, watch the DVDs.
You have an opinion or comment, please let me know!!!
Until Next Time….
REVIEW – SPIDERMAN 3
WARNING: SPOILERS
Hello all;
I know that by now that all of you, or at least all of you, have watched Spiderman 3 by now. I caught it recently and decided to give you my two cents on the matter. Whether you want me to or not.
There was enough going on for at least three separate movies. But I think Sam Raimi is moving on and wanted to get done as much stuff as possible so as to not pull a Bryan Singer and leave things undone.
In this episode Spidey is more popular than ever in New York. But Peter Parker is letting Spidey’s popularity interfere with his relationship to Mary Jane. Then we find out that the guy we thought killed Uncle Ben didn’t kill Uncle Ben, but this other guy, for some inexplicable reason, is the REAL guy who killed Uncle Ben but we are never told how everyone knows this but accept that it now gives Peter Parker a motive for revenge while never really dealing with the complication that it is his fault that Uncle Ben was killed in the first place. Follow me?
Sandman is really the weakest of the Spidey Movie villains. Never show your villain “petting the puppy” because it renders your villainy weak. Here, Sandman is just a regular guy robbing and killing people to help his cute little girl who is sick. So, I am sorry if you are offended by his random murders. I felt this back story was just there to give Thomas Hayden-Church some tender Oscar-worthy moments where he has to act sad.
We are also introduced to a black alien goo from an inexplicable fallen meteor which takes over Peter Parker’s Spidey costume for no other reason that it just happen to fall near him and he was there. This basically makes Parker act like a jerk but never do anything really evil other than that goofy-ass dance. (I know you think his Pumpkin-bombing the side of Harry Osbourne’s face was evil, but you know the schizophrenic jerk had it coming. Really.) After he realizes what it does to him Peter tears it off. The goo attaches itself to Parker rival Eddie Brock and eventually becomes the inexplicable fan-favorite character, Venom. Brock is woefully miscast in the form of “That 70’s Show” actor, uh, What’s His Name.
The multi-villain thing has been done to death with dubious results in the Batman films of the late eighties and nineties. I have always hated that “We hate the same guy so let’s team up” scene, but the one in Spiderman 3 came across as an inserted scene because they forget to write one in.
The best villain team-up scene will always be the innuendo-laced scene between Catwoman and the Penguin in “Batman Returns”. This one ranks below the Poison Ivy/Mr. Freeze team-up but above the Riddler/Two-Face in overall stinkiness. (Which one is the stinkiest? Does it matter?) Besides, poor Sandman is saddled with an emotional crisis of curing his child, so you know he’s not really evil. And that is what kills him as a villain. There is no threat there.
The whole Eddie Brock/Gwen Stacy (played by the yummy Bryce Dallas Howard) seemed to be another movie entirely. As did the whole New Goblin plot. Yes, that makes THREE villains! (Four, if you count the Green Goblin hallucinations that Harry Osbourne has.) But for me, the New Goblin thread was the strongest of all of them because it is a continuation of Spiderman 2 and resonates with the whole two best friends become enemies device that has been en vogue since TV’s Smallville.
And the death of a major character at the end would have resonated more if the New Goblin thread been the central focus. But we get this jammed-together kidnapping that echoes Spiderman 1. With Spidey just letting one criminal go, while easily destroying another that should have been indestructible. With Aunt May showing up at the right times to offer sagely wisdom when needed, Peter and Mary Jane come through unscathed on the other end of it. Roughed up maybe, but little worse for the wear. I just wish the journey had been more insightful and fun. Simply put, there was just too much going on to really let the ride take you over. ‘Nuff Said.
Oh, in case you are curious and I know you film-liker types are, here’s what I would have done:
Spiderman 3:
Had more about the arrival of the black costume.
A better origin for Sandman.
Had Spiderman defeat Sandman using the black costume.
The black costume moves. It LIVES!!
Spiderman 4:
Will be about the corruption of Peter Parker.
The break up of Mary Jane and Peter. His dealings with Eddie Brock.
His confrontation with the new Goblin ending with Peter pumpkin-bombing Harry.
He rids himself of the black costume after all the nasty stuff he does.
End with birth of Venom.
Spiderman 5:
The rise of Venom taking revenge on Peter Parker.
The return of sandman.
The climax of Spiderman 3, only, not so rushed.
By now, we have enough back story that the Lizard can arrive at the end of part five.
But who asks me?
Anyways, more reviews as I see the movies, read the books, watch the DVDs.
You have an opinion or comment, please let me know!!!
Until Next Time….
