I first reviewed Spider-Man 3 after seeing it at the theatre in May of last year. Last night, I finally got to see it on Blu-Ray in the comfort of my very own home, and I have to say, I enjoyed it even more!
There's so much to like about this movie that it still boggles my mind that some people didn't take to it at all. The effects are amazing, whether it be the sand formations that brought the Sandman to life, the creeping black goo that becomes Venom, or just the mid-air acrobatics of Spidey and Goblin, Jr in their various scenes! As I said to my wife, it's so incredibly well done that, very quickly you forget that they're special effects and just accept them as being real! Some of the scenes toward the end, with the giant version of Flint Marko towering over the crowd, or Venom being separated from his second host, were just jaw-dropping in their ability to bring concepts like that to life.
The dance scenes remain my least favourite, but that's hardly surprising for someone who hates musicals! Having said that, I actually bought the Peter-as-dancing-king moments this time around, since I knew it was coming and could therefore get past the jarring aspect of it more easily. That look on Gwen's face as she realizes that the whole night was about Peter's feelings for MJ, not her, and her reaction of going up to the stage to apologize to the other woman for her unwitting part in it, provided the sort of depth that you don't normally get out of comic book movies.
And let's face it: Spider-Man 3 is a comic book movie. Unlike Batman Begins, which is a great story that just happens to be about a bunch of comic book characters, each Spider-Man film only works if you accept the rules of that particular comic book universe. So having three supervillains, one of whom is Spidey's best friend, another of whom is his uncle's killer, and the last of whom is his workplace rival, despite taking place in a city of tens of millions of strangers, is accepted. (Just like having the main bad guy in the first movie be his best friend's dad, and in the second one a scientist who he'd just befriended, was just taken for granted.) Similarly, the notion of a character suffering a blow to his head that gives him selective amnesia, which conveniently only lasts just long enough to set up a new plotline before wearing off, would be laughable in the real world... but happens all the time in comic books (and certain TV shows).
For pure laughs of the intentional variety, it's hard to beat the moment when the crowd is imploring the hero to kiss the girl (Gwen Stacy) and there's the one young kid screaming, "Don't do it, Spidey!" followed by a look of pure revulsion when the Web-Slinger plants one on her! That's simply the way things work in the Marvel Universe, and you're just along for the ride!
Topher Grace was suitably slimy as Eddie Brock, Thomas Haden Church struck exactly the right note as Flint Marko, and of course Bryce Dallas Howard absolutely killed in her all-too-few appearances as Gwen. What you realize in the climax, though, is that the first three Spider-Man films were really about writer/director Sam Raimi's notion of the "holy trinity:" Peter, MJ and Harry. While I don't share his reverence for that dynamic, I give him full credit for embracing that approach and going for it! This trilogy, taken as a whole, tells a very compelling tale of love, friendship, perceived betrayal and eventual redemption. And anyone who doesn't buy Harry's change-of-heart toward the end of Spider-Man 3 had better not claim to be a big fan of the original Star Wars trilogy, what with mass murderer Darth Vader coming over to the light side just before dying. At least in Harry's case, he had a lot less on his conscience to be forgiven for!
And speaking of such things, I was much more moved this time around by the final exchange between Peter and Flint. Having seen Parker venture so far into the darkness, thanks to his contact with the symbiote, it was all the more telling of his strength of character when he said, "I forgive you." That was probably the single most heroic thing that he did in the entire movie!
As the credits rolled, my wife Vicki asked, "How could people not like that movie?" She took the words right out of my mouth.
Rating: *** 1/2
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