Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #380 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-10-15
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 133 minutes

Amazon.co.uk

How does Spider-Man 3 follow on the heels of its predecessor, which was widely considered the best superhero movie ever? For starters, you pick up the loose threads from that movie, then add some key elements of the Spidey comic-book mythos (including fan-favorite villain Venom), the black costume, and the characters of Gwen Stacy and her police-captain father. In the beginning, things have never looked better for Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire): He's doing well in school; his alter ego, Spider-Man, is loved and respected around New York City. And his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), has just taken a starring role in a Broadway musical. But nothing good can last for Spidey. Mary Jane's career quickly goes downhill; she's bothered by Peter's attractive new classmate, Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard); and the new Daily Bugle photographer, Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), is trying to steal his thunder. Enter a new villain, the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), who can transform his body into various forms and shapes of sand and who may be connected to Peter's past in an unexpected way. There's also the son of an old villain, Harry Osborne (James Franco), who unmasked Spidey in the previous movie and still has revenge on his mind. And a new black costume seems to boost Spidey's powers, but transforms mild-mannered Peter into a mean and obnoxious boor (Maguire has some fun here).

If that sounds like a lot to pack into one 140-minute movie, it is. While director Sam Raimi keeps things flowing, assisted on the screenplay by his brother Ivan and Alvin Sargent, there's a little too much going on, and it's inevitable that one of the villains (there are three or four, depending on how you count) gets significantly short-changed. Still, the cast is excellent, the effects are fantastic, and the action is fast and furious. Even if Spider-Man 3 isn't the match of Spider-Man 2, it's a worthy addition to the megamillion-dollar franchise. --David Horiuchi

Synopsis
The Marvel comics hero returns for more high-flying fun in this third instalment in the series. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is up to his usual Spidey tricks, attending university classes as an awkward geek, then quickly slipping into his red-and-blue suit to save New York City from various villains. And there are villains aplenty. Thomas Hayden Church blows in as the Sandman, an escaped convict whose molecular structure is destroyed in a particle accelerator. The freak accident gives him the ability to form and reform from piles of dust. While the Sandman sifts through the city streets robbing banks, Spidey must also contend with his onetime friend, Harry (James Franco), who has taken up where his father, the Green Goblin, left off. Harry chases Spider-Man down on his goblin glider, hurling pumpkin bombs. But Spider-Man's biggest battle is perhaps within himself, when he is taken over by meteorite ooze--a substance that gives him great power, but also turns him into a vengeful, selfish person. Throw into the mix Peter's new competition at the Daily Bugle--the ambitious, sneaky Eddie Brock (Topher Grace)--and Peter's relationship troubles with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), and SPIDER-MAN 3 weaves a tangled web indeed.
Director Sam Raimi's playful style and his delightfully campy screenplay hold true to the spirit of the Stan Lee comics, and he does an excellent job of hitting all the right superhero notes. Raimi has created an action film that is a feast for the eyes, but comes with fully rounded characters and a moving moral lesson to boot. The special effects are astounding, but Raimi makes sure the film isn't all action and no talk--he makes Peter's struggle a human one, and one that we can all relate to, regardless of our web-spinning ability.

Customer Reviews

A victim of its own success?
I was such a huge fan of the previous two Spider-Man movies. The first is my favourite superhero movie alongside Batman, and the second is one of those very rare sequels which can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its predecessor. So it is with crushing disappointment and a bitter taste that Spider-Man 3 feels so, so far beneath its predecessors.

I know I'm reiterating what others have said, but the problem is twofold; too many enemies (or at least, poor balancing between them) and it goes 'dark'. The Sandman is the most blatant anomaly - they re-worked Uncle Ben's death to give Spidey a personal vengeance motive, but it really doesn't work, and to say it feels crowbarred in is a gross understatement. Further, Sandman simply doesn't feel like a very appropriate enemy given that he's basically invincible and at the end has the ability to grow to about 50 feet tall. I know this is a superhero movie and realism isn't high on the agenda, but even so it's still a little implausible. Had they killed him off when Spidey drowned him and thus created Venom sooner, many of the film's problems would have been eradicated.

Which highlights another problem; Venom - or the lack of him, to be more specific. For such a major and well-loved foe from the comics, he features in the film barely at all, only really getting a look-in at the very end before his inevitable (and rather underwhelming) defeat. He should really have been the major enemy here, but after the re-write of Uncle Ben's death that honour rather uncomfortably goes to the Sandman.

There are yet more issues with the alien symbiote, and Peter's awful descent into darkness. The sequences when he dances down the street or tries to make MJ jealous are utterly cringe worthy and completely unnecessary, and cutting them entirely would have only benefited the film and its generous running time. While the two predecessors weren't without their moments of humour, here the comparative scenes just come across as needless and frankly embarrassing.

What's more is that Peter and MJ's relationship feels so token you wondered why they bothered. Mary Jane's role in the movie is basically to do little more than whinge, make things difficult for Peter/Spidey and inevitably get kidnapped. Again. After Raimi spent two films building the tragic romance between them, it really never has a place here, which seems like such a waste for a relationship which has before now been genuinely interesting and touching.

However, the film is not entirely without merit. As you would expect, the special effects are superb throughout. The action sequences are a dazzling cacophony of speed and colour, but they're never less than nice to look at. The perfectly cast JK Simmons as J Jonah Jameson returns for more light-hearted comic relief, and similarly Bruce Campbell returns with a superb cameo as an obnoxious French waiter. The wonderful Danny Elfman score returns and the production as a whole carries the very highest level of polish. It's just a shame proceedings are brought down by a poor plot and inadequate pacing.

Perhaps Spider-Man 3 is not really *that* bad, but following its two excellent predecessors it was never going to fare well if it were anything less than very good, and sadly it is average, at best. Maybe Sony Pictures will consider it a lesson learned the hard way, and make sure the standard of the inevitable third sequel is back on top. As it is, Spider-Man 3 is a moderately enjoyable but disappointing entry to the franchise.

Never a dull moment, another awesome Spidey
I agree that the sheer number of adversaries Spider-Man has to tackle in this film does mean some of the enemies are hurriedly introduced, but what spectacular enemies they are! The CGI is absolute top notch throughout and some of the fight scenes are simply breathtaking.

Tobey Maguire is as likable as ever as Peter Parker and genuinely very funny when he goes a bit 'bad' for a while! The son of Green Goblin has his usual roller coaster relationship with Spider-Man, proving to be an unlikely and much needed ally as Spider-Man takes on Venom and Sandman.

This film has some superb action sequences with the usual amazing special effects that we've come to expect from the Spider-Man franchise, and some awesome enemies for Spider-Man to do battle with. This is a very worthy third instalment and if you're already a fan of 1 and 2 then you'll love this.

Ok but the weakest of the 3
Spiderman 3 is a fairly entertaining film in places, but its also a tad too long, incredibly cheesy and a bad case of too many bad guys spoiling the plot. Tobey Maguire wears the suit with consummate ease these days, but even he can't drag this out of its state of mediocrity. Venom makes for a pretty decent villain, but there's not much else to recommend really. Okay but not great.