Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2787 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

If only....
This film really could've been special. But, as so many other reviewers have pointed out, its a real let-down. Why do directors always assume that more is better? The first spidey flick had its faults but it was still pretty amazing stuff and we were just glad to have a spidey flick after all the years of false starts and court battles. And the ending did just enough to whet our appetite for the next instalment.
The second one built on the success of the first and took it to the next level. Supreme casting of Alfred Molina as Doc Ock meant we had a villain that was both straight out of the comics yet believeable and another ending that left us salivating for more, turning this into a franchise that you could see would just grow and grow.
And then the inevitable. Too much, too soon. Batman Forever made the same mistake, cramming in too many characters and villains which spelt disaster and the beginning of the end for that franchise. This film could have easily survived on just Sandman and Harry as the villains and the alien symbiote could have made a brief appearance at the end, allowing for a very tempting Spidey 4, focusing on the black suit and Venom.
Ideally Raimi would pull together a director's cut collating all 3 movies and removing all the fluff and nonsense that just aren't necessary - the musical interlude and the landlord's daughter offering chocolate cake and milk (!?) in S2 and far too many instances in S3 to mention.
The franchise is by no means dead becasue of this movie but it does leave you wondering where they're going to take it next. Overall, its still a good film and the amazing effects and dedication of cast & crew just about take it across the finish line but there's no denying, every fan out there of both the films and the comics, if being totally honest, will be thinking, if only....

Spiderman trilogy - I will be buying it
This is definitely a trilogy I'll be wanting in my collection. I wasn't too sure on the spiderman movie idea when it first came out, but after watching it, I was hooked. I loved Spiderman 2 and when 3 came out, I was so ecstatic after seeing it at the cinema, I wanted to turn around and go right back in again. Absolutely brilliant movie; all 3 combined = absolute heaven.

Spidey sense!
3 fantastic action hero films in one beautifully presented box set with hours of extras to kep you immersed in spideys world. If you are buying this you will have seen the films i expect if not then this is the best way to do it. Spidey 1 is the best of the 3! Fantastic film. The extras are gr8 in the box set with interviews, special efects, profiles of characters and deleted scenes. spidey 2.1 is inluded in the set.... spidey 2 extended cut(some good bits) I have spent xmas watching this and loved it.... sling your web and reel it in. Get this dvd!