Spiderman 3

[WhiteWidow]

Ok everybody, here comes the first official WW movie review. For those of you who don't know, I am what is called a "True Believer" or a "Spidey Phile," so 'ol Webhead is very near and dear to me. Naturally, I was hyped for the latest installment of the movies.

Now, I knew going into this film that they were planning to detract from the books more than the previous two movies, which I thought was fine. There's really no way to cram the comic-book version of the symbiote's background into a movie. What I did have a problem with, however, was the fact that many of the liberties they took with the characters simply had no point. For instance, they decided to make the Sandman Ben Parker's actual killer, but why? It didn't really add anything, and didn't really set anything up plot-wise, so what was the point? It was just kind of there. The same holds for the Gwen Stacy character. She was barely even similar to the comic book character, but the important thing is the fact that she wasn't even a very significant character in the movie. So why are you going to bring in someone like Gwen Stacy, and not have her do anything? It might as well have just been someone else.

My next criticism is the fact that I felt they tried to cram too much stuff into one film. After you put in the symbiote, Eddie, Brock, Gwen, Harry Osborn and the Sandman, not a single one of them can be focused on very much. This was a major downfall, because there were so many cool characters, but there was just not enough time to go into great detail with any of them. I mean you could make another trilogy out of the symbiote saga, let alone one film.

As far as the acting quality goes, I'd say it was good. The thing you have to realize about Peter Parker is the fact that he is a regular kid that given totally rad powers he actually uses them for good instead of evil. I think Tobey Maguire really makes this believable. Eric Foreman also did a great job acting, but he didn't act like Eddie Brock. He kind of had his own characterization going on there. I also thought Lowell from Wings was good, but he didn't really get to do much because they could only spend about 30 seconds on each of the 50 million characters in the movie.

Visually the movie looks great, I didn't see it on IMAX or anything like that though. Venom look awesome, but I thought he was too small, and the Sandman looked REALLY cool.

Overall 9 out of 10 people would go see this movie and be entertained by it. Despite what I felt were low points I still enjoyed wathcing it, and might go see it again, since nothing is coming out unil Transformers.

[prophetic_joe]

What I did have a problem with, however, was the fact that many of the liberties they took with the characters simply had no point. For instance, they decided to make the Sandman Ben Parker's actual killer, but why? It didn't really add anything, and didn't really set anything up plot-wise, so what was the point?

This whole Sandman plot was added for the soul purpose of what the situation taught Peter. The movie itself is about the darkside in all of us and how we need to forgive ourselves for our own darksides so we can forgive other people theirs. This plotline added to that fact.

I agree on the Gwen Stacey thing though. My other gripe about the movie was how over-the-top cheesey Peter Parker got once he embraced the symbiote suit. It seemed much like some of the thing in the Star Wars movies, like most of the added scenes in the re-releases, it seemed only there to give the kids something to love.

[CgarDan]

Saw the movie today. I think this was the worst of the 3 movies. Too cheesy even for spiderman. Also too long witthout giving enough time for each of the subplots. Venom should have been an episode in itself, I think the venom character was one of the best in the Spiderman comics and a lot more twisted and evil than what was simply shown in this movie.

Sandman was the best character here. Gwen Stacy was really way off and her role was really stupid in the movie.

Somehow I know there will be Spiderman 4 and my gut tells me that it will tell the wedding story. I just hope they makeit less cheesy and bring Venom back for round II

[HersheyWalker]

The Spiderman series could have been great, but wasn't. Too much concentration on mass appeal leads to a waterdown product that pleases no one except the masses that are looking for a date movie to watch that isn't too much of anything.

There hasn't been any comic book to movie translation that has been done well. None. All could have been great, but ended up either too corny (read X-men), too boring (read Hulk), or too lame (read Spiderman).

I take that back, Batman one was 100% raw entertainment. A comic book done with just the right amount of realistic human interaction, comic book flare, and camera manipulation to accentuate the outstanding attributes of the series. After I watched Batman in the theatres, I remembered almost every line and was talking about it for 3 months after. Great film back in the day.

[derivation]

Saw the movie today. I think this was the worst of the 3 movies. Too cheesy even for spiderman. Also too long witthout giving enough time for each of the subplots. Venom should have been an episode in itself, I think the venom character was one of the best in the Spiderman comics and a lot more twisted and evil than what was simply shown in this movie.

Sandman was the best character here. Gwen Stacy was really way off and her role was really stupid in the movie.

Somehow I know there will be Spiderman 4 and my gut tells me that it will tell the wedding story. I just hope they makeit less cheesy and bring Venom back for round II

I had the same reaction, particularly over the disappointing role of Gwen Stacey.

I'm really hoping that 4 will be all Venom, too. And hopefully the death of MJ, leaving whatever other sequels they make to actually develop Gwen. Would score some irony points.

[JFellows]

I hope you didn't spoil anything re: Sandman.

[Kenyth]

The Spiderman series could have been great, but wasn't. Too much concentration on mass appeal leads to a waterdown product that pleases no one except the masses that are looking for a date movie to watch that isn't too much of anything.

There hasn't been any comic book to movie translation that has been done well. None. All could have been great, but ended up either too corny (read X-men), too boring (read Hulk), or too lame (read Spiderman).

I take that back, Batman one was 100% raw entertainment. A comic book done with just the right amount of realistic human interaction, comic book flare, and camera manipulation to accentuate the outstanding attributes of the series. After I watched Batman in the theatres, I remembered almost every line and was talking about it for 3 months after. Great film back in the day.

I agree, Batman one was the best comic book movie to date. I think Jack Nicholson's great acting was the big reason for that. It set a very hard standard to beat. Spidey one was pretty good also IMHO. One hero, one villian, both well fleshed out and interesting.

"The Hulk" was doomed to fail even if the story wasn't as boring and bizarre as it was. The TV series contaminated the original story line way too much. It's the story most people now remember.

All the comic book movies seem to want to cram entirely too much story into one movie. I've been somewhat disappointed by nearly all of them except for the one's aforementioned. The new favorite method of doing two or three villians in a single movie kills it IMHO. I mean, comic books appeal to kids, but the movies are supposed to appeal to adults who were once comic book fans. We've got more of an attention span now folks, we don't mind an in-depth story line now that we've grown up some.

[cigar no baka]

I haven't seen it yet, but since reading of it online over time, it sounded like they were trying to cram too much into this movie. I wish they'd just left Gwen Stacey out of it entirely.

I have been a comic book fan since 1977, and when I first got hooked, I spent all my lawn-mowing money buying up back issues so I have a run of Spiderman books going back into the 1960's. I actually ended up liking Mary Jane better than Gwen, but Gwen had her place in Peters life, and to reduce her to a lame third wheel of a love triangle is just plain wrong.

I liked the first movie, I loved the second movie, and I reserve final judgement about this third movie until I see it. Hope to see it this weekend.