So Spider-Man came out last week and as predicted it crushed all records for opening weekends. I'm happy to say that I helped get those records crushed by going on Midnight with about 9 other people. The movie has been billed as the final installment of a Sam Rami Spider-Man Trilogy, and if true I feel it was a fitting end to the story arc. A lot of the critics have been a bit harsh on the movie, stating that they liked it, but that it wasn't the same quality of the two others. I figure I might as well throw in my two cents on the subject.
I thought Spider-Man 3 was a really fun, and entertaining movie. It's too early for me to say if it was better than the other two cause I would have to see the third one a few more times. Let's start off with the villains this time around. In the first two films Rami brought to life the classic Green Goblin and Doc. Ock. In Spider-Man 3 the Evil Dead director brought the classic Sandman to life and cult favorite Venom. Also coming after Spidey was Harry Osborn as the New Goblin. When preparing to write this I thought long and hard about what Harry's villain name was. He was never called Green Goblin or Hobgoblin, so I went with the name on his toy. I know a lot of people were expecting Harry to be known as the Hobgoblin but I like the idea of saving the name for another day.
In the other two films each villain is giving a lot of screen time so that the viewer can see that there is a real person behind the goofy gimmick. That was one thing that the film lacked. We got to see a little bit of Flint Marko and the reasons behind his life of crime, but more in sight would've been good. It wouldn't surprise me if a few scenes got left on the cutting room floor. Although we didn't get to see more scene of Flint Marko, we did get to see a good amount of Sandman. From the first scene titled "Birth of Sandman" to the subway battle, and the big finale, the special effects that brought the Sandman to life were amazing.
Venom has always been a fan favorite. Ever since his first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #300 the fans have been clamoring to see Venom on the silver screen. Introducing Venom in Spider-Man 3 was NOT apart of Sam Rami's original plan. Mr.Rami has gone on record saying that Venom was not in the first couple drafts of the script. Venom was not added to the film until Avi Arad requested that Venom be added. Right off the bat that explains why we only see Venom in the third act of the movie. While I know some fans were upset with the little screen time Venom got, I for one was pleased with the amount of Venom. First off if there was more Venom then the movie would've been about an hour longer. I thought Topher Grace was a perfect Eddie Brock. The shots where Venom's mask was gone and you just saw Eddie's face were perfect. The only thing that was missing with Venom was a larger white spider design on his chest and Venom speaking in plurals. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for a , "We are Venom". There's a lot more they could've done with the Venom character but what they did worked for me.
The movie has a lot packed in to it. So much that I'm finding it hard to figure out what parts to talk about. I guess I just want to point out the positives that I liked and then some of the things I didn't like. Bryce Howard as Gwen Stacey was amazing. I want an entire movie about Gwen Stacey. She was just super hot and should have been in the movies since day one. The action in the movie was insane and Spider-Man acrobatics bested anything seen in the first two. It was also nice to hear Spider-Man being a bit more of a wise ass in this movie. That was one thing that the first two missed the mark on. Spider-Man is suppose to being cracking wise while fighting baddies like Green Goblin and Doc Ock. Bruce Campbell once again delivers as he defeats Peter Parker a second time. I just wish that they would reveal that he's playing the same guy who can't keep a job. Peter Parker becoming a jerk was great. I loved the music montage and laughed my ass off. I thought that scene complimented the "Geek Montage" really well from the second movie. The ending of the movie was great in my opinion. Sandman giving up his will to live and being blown away was great. Eddie Brock killing himself because he couldn't live without the power of Venom was perfect. Harry dying in the Goblin outfit, to save MJ was great. They all met their demise in a great way that surprisingly enough leaves doors open for returns for Venom and Sandman. The ending with Peter and MJ was great too. I loved the fact that it was a super happy ending. Yes, we saw Peter and MJ together in the final scene but what was that hug really saying. Was Peter just consoling MJ after the funeral? Was this a sign that Peter and MJ were going to become friends again? Was this a final hug between the two because Peter knows being Spider-Man has to come first? That final hug left a lot of questions open.
So the movie wasn't perfect and lacked a few things. I already mentioned that the villains need a little more screen time to develop. Also I wanted more Eddie Brock, J. Jonah Jameson, and Gwen Stacey. J.J. Jameson stole the movie in the second film, and I was hoping to see more of that in this one. Maybe we'll get a spin off that revolves around Jameson trying to save the Bugle from being closed down due to the internet stealing all his readers. I guess I really liked the movie cause that's all I can really complain about. I think if Venom was left out of the movie and Sandman got more time it would've been better. But if they had done a movie with the black suit and NOT shown Venom people would have rioted. Fan boys everywhere would have emerged from their Mom's cellars and attacked Sony studios with their web shooters.
So the summer movie season really started with a bang. I can almost guarantee I won't be seeing Transformer or Pirates 3, but will probably have guest reviewers post reviews for each film. The next big one I'm waiting for is Fantstic Four 2. If you haven't rushed out to see Spider-Man 3 yet (Corey I'm looking at you), then do yourself a favor and get to a theater. I'd love to know what everyone else thought of the movie so please post.
Diddy
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