So begins the next chapter! Spidey is flying high at the beginning of 'Spider-Man 3' an overwrought melodrama that works wonderfully for two thirds of the film and then falls apart in the last half hour or so. Expectations were undeniably high, given the Shakespearean awesomeness that was Spidey 2, everything in that film clicked. But, like all sequels, Raimi and

crew had to up the stakes. Ahem: Tobey Maguire once again dons the blues and reds of Spider-Man and his everyday persona Peter Parker. Peter is calmer now, his life is getting on track. He's even going to ask Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) to marry him. Go Peter! But things start unraveling, and quickly. Because what is drama if not conflict? His best friend, Harry (James Franco), who blames Peter for the death of his father, has gotten ahold of the Goblin's toys and is out for revenge. There's a new villain in town, Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), whose history collides with Peter's in a way only comics can manage. And let's see...there's another possible girl in Peter's life, Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard), who was the one who was supposed to take the plunge in Spider-Man 1 and...Spider-Man is getting adored by the whole town, giving Peter, the nerdy kid from Queens, a big head and bigger ego. There's a cocky new photographer Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) at the Daily Bugle. Oh, and yeah, an asteroid falls and contains a deadly 'symbiote' which bonds to Peter and starts some shit, giving him that cool looking black suit.

    Sound confusing? Sound like a little too much to handle? Well, you're absolutely right. High on the critical and box office success of Spider-Man 2, the writers went into overdrive and took elements from tons of Spider-Man comics and shoved them into 2 and a half hour and while the film is never boring (I never looked at my watch once), it simply could have been better. Hell, I'll go as far to say that it needed an extra half hour to flesh plot and characters out. The Gwen Stacy character feels more like a plot device (and a toss to fans) than any real person and she quickly disappears about an hour and a half into the film, her role complete. The sign of an unimportant character is when you can switch them out and still have the same film, because they have little to no effect on the proceedings, like Ms. Stacy.

    Those expecting a darker film from #2 (and given the nature of the symbiote, it's not unfair to assume), just don't. In fact, this is perhaps one of the funniest Spidey's yet. No, Spider-Man isn't quipping while disposing of bad guys unfortunately, but he is walking down the street to the beat of his own drummer. The symbiote increases aggression, but it also gives Peter a renewed confidence, and while we all wanted to see Spider-Man just destroy shit in the black suit, I can understand how something like the symbiote would affect Peter the way it did. He's a kid who's never had much, he was never violent persay, so when the chance is given him to act out, he goes down a more edgy, sexy road, in essence becoming Jared Parker, or Peter Leto. There's a

    After two films, MJ finally graduates from 'girl of Peter's dreams' to 'I have my own storyline beyond getting kidnapped by bad guys again and again'. She's making her Broadway debut, and when things go badly, the film rolls out at its most natural. Her and Peter's interactions are more mature now, they've gotten past the honeymoon phase and can actually function as a real couple with real problems and real communication issues. She feels Peter's being egotistical, but she doesn't want any solutions, she wants a shoulder nothing more. I actually found myself looking forward to scenes with MJ, and that had never happened before in any of the movies.

    The film is terribly, terribly convenient. Plot points happen simply because they have to. Oh, Mary Jane gets kidnapped again? Fantastic. That girl needs to take out some super hero insurance. However, the most annoying moment, however, has to go to the arrival of the symbiote: Peter and MJ are out at a park watching a meteor shower and one happens to land right next to them without them noticing. Here's where that extra half hour could have enhanced the story because, I don't know, I seem to recall there being an astronaut (and later, villain) introduced in the second film...

    And what is a superhero film without a supervillain (besides 'Hulk')? Spidey's rogue gallery is second only to Batman's. And this time out, we got not one, not two, but THREE! Yes, count em, three villains for the price of one. Sadly, however, those villains are, like the rest of the film, shortchanged in the interest of action and never given room to develop fully. New Goblin is the most well rounded, but Harry had two films with which to work up a rage about. Newcomers Sandman and Venom are not so lucky. In fact, they retcon (retroactive continuity) the story of Uncle Ben's death to better work Sandman into the story, which they accomplish decently, but I have to ask, 'Was it necessary?' 'That guy from Wings' as he shall be forever known, steals the show from everyone. He brings a humanity to Sandman I never thought the character had and though he has little time on screen because there's so much else going on, he makes us believe that Marko isn't a bad guy, he just had bad luck. It's a great notion for a villain. Still not sure how a guy made of sand can cry without some adverse effects, though...

    And of course...Venom. With the way they handled Eddie Brock, an arrogant photographer who was scorned by Peter Parker, he could've filled an entire movie. Instead, Venom first makes an appearance a little before the end and by then, it's too little, too late and the raged up, crazy Venom feels more like a whiny frat kid. Rather, it's too much, too late. Or do we need to watch X-Men: The Last Stand to remind people why you can't have too many villains running amok?

    At a budget of over 200 million dollars, one expects Spider-Man 3 to deliver the action goods and it most certainly does. A high speed, heartpounding chase

    Technically, the film is great. The acting is spot on, the effects kick ass, the pacing is good. All the flaws, and I mean every single goddamn one of them, lies with the writing. A few more drafts and this film could have been the best. But it overshot, tried to do too many things and collapsed under the weight of its own importance and drama. Butler Exposition anyone? Near the end, it all becomes about forgiveness, which is nice, but it preaches. Forgive me this, forgive him that, we get it! Can you be a little more subtle next time?

    With profits of $629 million worldwide, people are seeing it. And I'm glad, because that means that with four, they can get back to the basics and analyze where they dropped the ball and hopefully make a film that is both amazing to look at, far reaching and deeper on the storytelling. Do me a favor, however, and if anyone says that 'Batman and Robin' is better than 'Spider-Man 3', hit them...with a bat. It's not perfect, it's not even great, but it is a solid entry into the life of our friendly neighborhood superhero and when it works, it really works, but there are equal parts good and bad. All I can say now is: Bring on the Lizard, baby!

scene where Peter dances in a jazz club to get back at MJ and it's brilliant. At first it seems a little out of place, but knowing how Peter would react to having such confidence and control, it makes sense. Plus, it's a hell of a good time and a welcome relief from the mopey melodrama that had taken over. Tobey was clearly having fun with those scenes, as was Raimi, who finally got to bring in some more of his B-movie shlock and fun days. The necessary Bruce Campbell cameo had the audience dying with laughter!

through a narrow alley in Queens, a renegade crane laying waste to a skyscraper and to the climactic final battle where a giant sand monster and a crazed psychopath stand between Peter and success, the film ratchets it up. The CG is fantastic, especially when it comes to the Sandman. His "birthing" scene is among the coolest effects I've seen in a long time as well as one of the most touching moments in the film.