Spiderman 3.

It was diabolically awful, especially in comparison to the previous two movies in this trilogy (let’s hope that they don’t make a fourth one, which has been noted as a possibility).

I don’t always agree with movie critics, and I like to make up my own mind on the quality of a movie, but this one should not have been made. Believe me, I do not make such comments lightly.

I had been so eager to see this movie; I’d watched the first two at the cinema, and was intrigued by the suggestion of a darker, black-suited Spiderman. I was imagining something similar to the Red Kryptonite effect on Clark Kent (as seen in Smallville). I was also confident in the acting abilities of Toby McGuire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco, and felt that it was going to a guaranteed cinematic feast of action and angst.

Unfortunately, my naive anticipations were crushed under the mighty fist of the Sandman, who was just a dad who loved his child… (I bet that Fathers for Justice would love a guy like him on their team!)

I had to agree with the critics that there were too many villians in this film, and the characterisation suffered as a result. The characters became flat caricatures, unsubtle and silly. The only character who had any depth was Harry, the Green Goblin’s son, who became the New Goblin in order to avenge his father’s death…

There was no real need for Venom, he seemed like an afterthought, chucked in to tie up some loose ends. Topher Grace was wasted in this role.

I was unfortunate to have been invited to see the film during a Saturday afternoon, and the cinema was mostly packed with kids. The UK rating for this film was 12A, and that rating was really appropriate. Unlike the previous Spiderman films, which could be enjoyed by older children and adults, this feature seemed to be aimed at juveniles. (The kids in the cinema clapped at the end of the film, at least someone was pleased by it.)

Instead of turning darker or evil, the blacked suited Spidey was simply a bit of a tosser. He strutted around like he was God’s Gift, like some sort of reincarnation of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

The execution of the subplotted love triangle between Peter, MJ and Harry was rather silly too. Why didn’t the director cut out the omelette-making scene, when a sultry exchange between MJ and Harry would have done the job just as well?

The final fight scenes were impressive, but they didn’t make up for the rest of the movie. I couldn’t wait for it to end.

Urban Recluse rating:

-

Something I just noticed:

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Written by PJ | Posted in movies

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