Spider-Man 3 (2007) Review

(Spoilers)

“I like being bad. It makes me happy.”

   After Spider-Man 2 people were excited to see what was next for Peter. The main question would be who he’d come up against this time. For the longest time it was speculated that it would be the lizard and man-wolf, which would lead up to the birth of the new green goblin that would be continued in Spider-Man 4. I too was excited for Spider-Man 3. When the teaser trailer first appeared on Yahoo and I became even more excited. Then it happened… I saw the movie. I walked out feeling robbed. The first film was really good and Spider-Man 2 was perfect in every way, but this film was complete and utter over-stuffed crap. The film has left a bad taste in my mouth ever since… much like “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” or any of the “Fantastic Four” films. 

   There are not many good things about this film and if there are it’s overshadowed by the bad…. and there is a lot of bad! There are ten things that made the film terrible that I’m going to focus on in this review: 1) Green Goblin storyline 2) The Mary Jane Dilemma 3) The Arrival of the symbiote 4) Emo Peter 5) The Sandman 6) The new Uncle Ben death scene 7) That’s Gwen Stacy? 8) That’s not Venom is it? 9) That many villains doesn’t make for a good film 10) Sony.

    The first two films are building up to Harry Osborn becoming the new green goblin. Taking over his father’s legacy, but instead we get “You killed my daddy prepare to die!” He didn’t plot his revenge well since he went down almost immediately. I was expecting much more of a fight to be honest. He survives the fight, but gets AMNESIA… oh how convenient to the storyline. Harry forgot everything till well he doesn’t. He tries to drive Peter and MJ apart then fights Peter again. Harry goes down easy once again and this time getting a grenade to the face. The butler decides to tell Harry after all this time that Norman died by his own hand. Something he could have told Harry before his face became disfigured. The butler could have resolved this issue at the end of the first Spider-Man film. So Harry becomes good again and decides to help Peter fight the bad guys because well the plot calls for it I guess. Cheesy right? It only gets worse from here.

   Then there’s the Mary Jane dilemma. MJ doesn’t have the best track record with her men. Her and Flash broke up and then started going out with Harry. She starts crushing on Peter hard while she’s still dating Harry. In the second film she’s engaged to a nice guy, but once again she’s longing for Peter. Breaks off the engagement on her wedding day to be with, you guessed it, Peter. Now she’s finally with Peter and she isn’t all that happy. MJ kisses Harry while still with Peter. Then she breaks up with Peter because she’s afraid Harry might kill Peter. Does she not remember the stronger and better villains Peter had fought in the previous films? Guess not. He saves her life and they’re back together again. The romance is “Attack of the Clones” bad. Also, she’s constantly angry with Peter. For example, MJ is cast in the main role of a Broadway musical. She’s fired after her first performance because the directors realized she couldn’t sing. You’d think after many rehearsals they would have known. She keeps this a secret from Peter and then gets furious with him when he doesn’t know she’s been let go. There are very poor communication skills between the two.

  The arrival of the symbiote always bugged the hell out of me. Peter should have heard the little meteorite crash with the symbiote in it. His spider-sense should have gone off the roof. Since well it did come from space at a moderately fast speed plus it’s dangerous. I would have thought the spider sense would have gone off, but I guess it’s all part of the “story”.

   The symbiote creates something Spider-Man 3 will always be remembered for and that’s emo Peter. Oh how I pray to the movie gods every night to help erase this from film history. The symbiote should have shown us the ruthless side of Peter. He’d become cruel, cold, and a detached version of himself; while at the same time becoming more obsessed with his newfound power that the symbiote gave him. That in itself should have been a standalone movie where he kills Harry with his symbiote powers, but instead we get emo Peter. It started off good with his “killing” of the Sandman. So the audience should start to be concerned for him… not laughing at his dancing and walking down the street. Peter did not become cool from it even though he thought he was. He simply looked like an emo that liked to dance and do a hair flip.

  Now onto the next villain of this lovely Spider-Man flick. Flint Marko is the Sandman. A man who’s trying to take care of his sick daughter, but somehow decides to team up with Venom for some reason. Even though he commits crimes we are supposed to side with sandman all because his daughter is sick. The viewer usually doesn’t side with him. How Flint becomes the Sandman is actually pretty funny. He’s running away from the cops, falls into a hole that is being used to run a test on sand, by scientists and their supermodel assistants, they think he’s a bird, and run the test anyways instead of checking it out. What comes next is probably my favorite scene. When he emerges from the sand he tries to grab a locket with a picture of his daughter (how the locket stayed in one piece beats me). It’s the only emotional scene in the film. The part that kills me about Sandman is that he flies above buildings in New York I had no idea sandman can fly.  Well I guess it is true what Anakin said that sand is coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.

   We’ve seen Uncle Ben get killed a lot in Spider-Man, but this version just is plain terrible. The death of Uncle Ben was already done perfectly in the first film. The murderer from the first film had an accomplice, Flint, who was the one that pulled the trigger by accident. I remember vividly people in the cinema yelling out, “come on!” or “that’s bullshit Raimi!” I have to agree though. The entire reason Peter is Spider-man is because he did not stop the thief who shot his uncle. So Peter isn’t fully responsible now for his uncle’s death. Definitely felt like a cheap blow.

  Gwen Stacy was Peter’s first love in the comics way before MJ. Gwen loved Peter, but not Spider-Man. MJ loves Spider-Man more than Peter. Gwen’s death in the comics helped the character development of MJ. Gwen was simply in the film to make MJ jealous. I found it an injustice to the character.

  Venom is also a well-known character also in the Spider-Man comic series and that’s why he was forced in the film. Okay so the film has Sandman, Green Goblin, and Venom. Eddie Brock sells fake Spider-Man photographs to the Daily Bugle and get’s busted by Peter. He’s fired for fraud. Eddie wants Peter dead and right when he’s wishing it he’s infected with the symbiote. Venom was definitely rushed since Eddie didn’t become Venom till the last thirty minutes of the film. Venom is supposed to be well built and has a long tongue that goes all over the place. What we get instead is a frail individual. Venom has a disturbing looking face, but it pulled back the entire time to show Eddie’s face. Venom isn’t supposed to be weak, but in this film he’s as weak as a butterfly with no wings.

   Too many villains congested the film way too much. Way too over-stuffed. There could have been a good tragic villain story with Sandman who only wanted to help his sick daughter. Raimi could have simply just made a film with symbiote Spider-Man and Harry’s Green Goblin. Instead we get this mess with all these villains with no character development at all. Raimi takes the blame for this mess, but it’s not all his fault, which brings me to the next complaint.

  Sony kept interfering with Spider-Man 3. Raimi wanted to do a Sandman and Green Goblin film. Sony was demanding on Venom being in the film. The reason for this is because the studio wanted more money because Venom had an enormous fan base. He was considered the best Spider-Man villain at the time. So Sony, Avi Arad to be specific, forced Venom into Spider-Man 3 for more money. Raimi didn’t like Venom and that’s why he made Venom’s screen time extremely short. So Raimi had to add the black suit Spider-Man and Venom. So that’s why the film felt hurried and unsatisfying because Sony’s meddling took time away from the rest of the film.

   Overall, Spider-Man 3 is just a bad film altogether from the acting, the writing, the meddling by Sony, the overcrowded villains, the soap opera drama, and the emo Peter. It definitely a major step down from its predecessor.

2.3 out of 5

Spider-Man 2 (2004) Review

SPOILERS

“I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.”

    Spider-Man 2 is the perfect superhero film and probably the best Marvel film period. To be honest I didn’t think that the sequel was going to surpass the original film. Boy was I wrong. To me this is the first film with an imperfect hero that has his problems just like everybody. He barely makes enough money to live on, he can’t be with the girl that he loves, his apartment complex is run down, his only friend despises him because of Spider-Man, and his aunt can’t live in her house any more due to financial difficulties. The only thing he has going for him is being Spider-Man and even he’s messing that up from all his exhaustion. So he decides it’s time to stop being Spider-Man and permanently be Peter Parker. There’s this touching scene when Peter tells Uncle Ben that he can no longer be Spider-Man. It’s a big deal for a superhero to put his wants and needs before the “greater good”. He no longer helps anyone like the person who was getting beat up in an alley; he simply turns the other way. Or when the cop cars fly past him with their sirens on, he simply bites into his hot dog. Simply put, Peter has become your average citizen.

    While Peter is having his crisis, we see the birth of a new villain. Doctor Octopus is one of the most complex antagonists in any Marvel film. He’s truly a sympathetic villain. Octavius had spent his entire life fantasizing about the creation of a fusion reactor, which would sustain enough energy to power entire cities just from one device. As Octavius says, “the power of the sun in the palm of my hand.” The fusion reactor malfunctions, he tries to correct the problem, but everything is going wrong and his wife ends up dying in the process. Dr. Ock’s mechanical arms start talking to him corrupting his mind. The AI that governs his mechanical arms pushes him to murder, robbery, and even kidnapping. During the final fight with Spider-Man his mechanical arms malfunction just enough for him to realize that sometimes we have to give up what we want the most. He reclaims control over his actions and sacrifices himself to save New York from his creation. Doctor Octavius demonstrated what Aunt May told Peter about there being a hero inside of everyone. Fighting Dr. Octopus reminded Peter that he couldn’t have the life he really wanted. That there will always be evil that only Spider-Man can defeat because with great power comes great responsibility.

   I remember after the first Spider-Man there were tons of rumors that there were going to be two villains in the sequel: Dr. Octopus and the Lizard. For the longest time the rumors were that Sam Neill and Bruce Campbell were in talks for the roles. Then it was announced that Dylan Baker would play the Lizard. I’m glad that only Doctor Octopus was the villain because it would have been too congested like the crapfest we call Spider-Man 3 and the Amazing Spider-Man 2. Well it was a half-truth about Dylan Baker since he did play Dr. Connors. After Spider-Man 2 the rumors were that Dr. Connors would become the Lizard and the John Jameson would become Man-Wolf. Sounds more interesting than the next installment.

   The characters are so well done and have so much depth in this film. The performances were spot on, especially on Alfred Molina’s portrayal of Dr. Octavius. Tobey Maguire has the same natural ability as he had in the first film. He really sold it as Peter having to make an enormous decision on how he wants to live his life. James Franco also gave a stellar performance as Harry, who is a young millionaire trying to cope with the death of his father. His father’s death continues to fill him with hate. He wants and needs to kill Spider-Man.

   The film blew me away when I first saw it in IMAX thirteen years ago and to this day it still blows me away. I believe it’s the first superhero film that really explored the human condition of the hero. The arc was very well done and has the best story out of the Spider-Man trilogy. Not to mention the action sequences were fantastic. The film even includes one of my favorite fights: the train fight between Doc Ock and Spider-Man. I highly recommend this film.

5 out of 5

Spider-Man (2002) Review

“Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: "With great power comes great responsibility." This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-man.”

    “Batman and Robin” put a sour taste in people’s mouths with the superhero genre. They wanted to stay away from that genre. Then it happened the superhero craze resurfaced with Bryan Singer’s little film called “X-Men”. It got people excited for superhero films again. Soon it was announced that Sam Raimi would be directing Spider-Man. Film goers were ecstatic and it showed when the film became the first to hit pass the $100 million mark on an opening weekend. Spider-Man truly is an amazing film and is probably my favorite superhero origin story.

   In the beginning of the film Peter states the story is about a girl, but the film is essentially about change and growth that I will dwell later on in the review. The film starts out like a teenage drama movie. The cute girl has a jerk boyfriend, they break up, and then she starts dating the protagonist’s friend. Sounds like something out of “My So-Called Life” or some “degrassi” type thing.

  The characters are great. MJ is desperate to chase after her dreams. She’s in a relationship with Peter’s friend Harry Osborn. Harry struggles with his relationship with his father Norman who likes Peter more than his own son. Norman is more in love with keeping his job than anything else. Lastly, there is Peter who is just trying to do the right thing.

   The best part of the film for me was the final fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. Unlike in Spider-Man: Homecoming there is hand-to-hand combat. The Green Goblin beats Peter to a pulp. The whole scene is extremely suspenseful since Peter has his costume torn, he’s bleeding everywhere, and it looks like he’s going to die. Then it’s exhilarating when Peter starts fighting back as hard as he can. (Spoilers here) The scene ends in an extremely satisfying tragic death of Norman. Peter finds out the true identity of the Green Goblin, which will set up conflict for the future films. It was a satisfying ending.

     As I stated earlier the film is essentially about change and growth. Both Peter and Norman experience a change and they embrace the change, but in different ways. Their change happens inadvertently at the same time. Peter is driven by his emotions. When the spider bites Peter, MJ starts to notice him more. He wants her to admire him so he decides a new car would do the trick, so with his newfound powers he enters into a wrestling match to get some money for it. He gets upset at the man who refused to give him his winnings so he didn’t stop the robber because he got what he deserved. So in letting the robber get away uncle Ben is shot in the process. The consequence of his actions helps him understand responsibility and to always rethink what action to take. So he grows because of this. “Just be careful who you change into…with great power, comes great responsibility”. Norman on the other hand is driven by knowledge and power, which is what makes him lose his mind. He has the Jekyll and Hyde persona. Much like Dr. Jekyll, Norman is a respectable man of science. When Norman is pressured the Green Goblin appears and at first Norman isn’t aware of what is happening. Norman’s first lines in the film was “don’t ever be ashamed of who you are”. While Peter isn’t ashamed of who he is, Norman is struggling with who he is now.

   I only have a few complaints with the film. The first is the Green Goblin’s reason for killing Spider-Man. He’s already killed the men who wanted to let him go. Since they were gone Norman still had his job and there was no need to kill Spider-Man. He doesn’t really say why he wants Spider-Man dead and that has always bugged me. I’ve heard some people complain about the Green Goblin suit. I didn’t mind it because it captured the silliness of the older comics. Second is that it feels dated in some parts, but for the most part it holds up really well. Like Nickelback, why that band was ever popular I will never know, that’s extremely dated. Then there’s the climax on the George Washington Bridge. At times you can really tell that it’s CGI. Spider-Man does have its flaws, but it is a really great film.

4.9 out of 5

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Review

“You need to understand, I will do anything to protect my family. I know you know what I'm talking about.”

   I remember back in 2002 I was overly excited that I got a seat at the sold out midnight showing of Spider-Man. I was blown away and happy that Spider-Man was finally on the big screen. Then two years later I was even more blown away by the sequel and I will always consider it the dark knight of the Marvel films. After Spider-Man 2 the later films just became bleh. Then Spider-man showed up in Civil War and the Spidey craze resurfaced. Afterwards they announced Spiderman: Homecoming. I was hesitant, but excited. Now Spiderman: Homecoming isn’t bad, but it isn’t fantastic either in my opinion.

   I’ll start with the good. Michael Keaton as Toomes AKA the Vulture was the best part of the film. He was a salvage operator trying to make money off cleaning the alien debris from the alien invasion that occurred in “The Avengers”. He’s the little guy trying to keep a roof over his family’s heads. A guy we can root for, but he’s tossed aside by none other than Tony Stark who created the Department of Damage Control. Toomes is a man that doesn’t have any other options left. He’s deep in debt because he put tons of money in this job that he no longer has.  So in a way society forced him into a life of crime and he will do everything he can to provide for his family. So I don’t think he’s a forgettable villain like most of Marvel’s villains. The Vulture is a well thought out character and his motivations are interesting. The other good thing about the film is the final fight between Vulture and Peter, but I noticed there wasn’t really a lot of hand-to-hand combat between the two.

  Now onto the bad bits. Spider-Man at times doesn’t feel like Spider-Man. The character felt downgraded to an Iron Man wannabe. Peter spent most of the film sucking up to Stark and Happy. Peter just seemed too needy and childish. Iron Man’s tech even dominates the film, I don’t really like the idea of a Jarvis type of Spider-man suit. I was also expecting some “Spidey-sense” to happen because I mean come on it’s a Spider-Man film. So he has no Spidey-sense because well now he has Karen to do everything for him.

  Then there are the minor characters. This is where I will say… “What the hell man?! That’s not Flash Thompson. That’s some wimp that simply says a few cruel things!” Lots of the audience walking out laughed about Tony Revolori playing Flash. Flash is supposed to be a bully and him repeatedly saying “Penis Parker” isn’t really intimidating. Don’t get me started Zendaya’s character. Some of the acting is horrendous and at times I thought I was watching a B movie version of a John Hughes film.

   I wanted to love this film like I did Raimi’s first two Spider-Man films and I’m surprised people say this version is better than Spider-Man 2 since that film had everything you look for in a superhero film. Spider-Man: Homecoming doesn’t even come close to Spider-Man 2. It’s full of forced jokes, bad dialogue, decent acting, and way too much Stark tech. Just feels like Marvel Studios sees Spider-Man as a replacement for Iron Man since Robert Downey Jr. can’t stay Iron Man forever. All-in-all the film is decent.

3.9 out of 5