Movie Review: Spiderman 3
Spiderman 3 - 3/5 stars
(post edited 5/7/07, 4pm)
This was an enjoyable sequel to the other two movies, and like the other movies, it focused more on the internal struggle within Peter Parker rather than the external conflicts between Spiderman and the super-villains. In all three movies, this is both a weakness and a strength, and that was more apparent in this movie than the first two. The action is limited to just a few major action scenes with the bulk of the movie focusing on Parker’s internal struggle. This makes the movie slow in its development (the weakness), but much deeper than most action movies of this sort (strength).
In the first two movies, there were multiple fight scenes with the primary villain, culminating in the required final battle in the end. This movie is slightly different, in my mind. Spiderman’s identity as a superhero is firmly established as he is given the key to the city. There’s no longer a need for him to prove himself fighting just one villain full of greed and hate. There were five major battle scenes in this movie. The first…between Harry, who finally dons the Green Goblin outfit of his father, and Peter, the second between Spiderman and Sandman, third between black suited Spiderman and Sandman, fourth Harry and black suited Peter, and finally the last battle with the “good” Spiderman, the Green Goblin, Sandman, and Venom all taking part. All the “villains” in the movie are after Peter Parker/Spiderman for a different reason. All the battles are very personal - centered around revenge and not greed or ambition as is typical of villains.
The movie’s central theme can be summed up in the words of Parker’s Aunt May (paraphrasing): Revenge is something that gets into the heart of a person and changes them in horrible ways. Forgiveness, on the other hand, not only brings healing, but ultimately freedom. This is seen in the words of Harry who temporarily loses his memory and forgets that Spiderman killed his father (paraphrasing): I feel extremely free right now, not knowing what happened. After he gets his memory back, a very visible change comes over Harry as he again seeks his revenge. The same changes can be seen in all the characters, as feelings of revenge takes hold of them. These feelings drive Parker away from MaryJane and with the aid of the black suit, turns him into a darker person. It is this internal struggle that dominates Parker. I don’t want to spoil the movie, but in the end, much of the anger in all four super-characters is resolved in some form…
I do recommend seeing this movie in the theatres to really appreciate the special effects, but it’s not necessary. The real beauty in this movie isn’t in the special effects, but in the characters, their struggles, and in the resolution that comes in the end.
