Spiderman 3 Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Spiderman III
Director: Sam Raimi
Year: 2007
Country: US
Language: English

When Sam Raimi, famed Director of the cult Evil Dead series, decided to dip his hands into Spidey-Man, I was understandably quite nervous. Would he do justice to Stan Lee's brilliant comic about a boy bitten by a spider, but instead of dying from poison he gains the powers of a spider without having the misfortune of looking like a spider? Surely he couldn't ruin the entire series by turning Peter Parker into a joke.

In this beloved three-quell a strange black entity from another world bonds with Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge.

Not many of you will know this, but before seeing Spidey-Man 3 in theaters I prayed in hope that this film wouldn't bomb. My prayers were answered. This film has not one, not two, but THREE villains. How's spidey going to get out of this one? We've got sandman; an escaped con and the murderer of Uncle Ben...or is he? We also have Harry Osborne;  son of the original green goblin, who is out to avenge the death of his father.  Lastly there's Eddie Grace; a rival photographer  who becomes laced in the ooze of Venom. Even though most of these rivals are established later in the film, there is plenty of time for character development and a coherent story. All of these characters are a legitimate threat to Spidey-man, especially Eric Forman from That 70's Show.

The picture's greatest scene is when Peter Parker inexplicably goes emo; combing his hair forward, strutting in the street and admiring the seductive glances from the ladies. He dances with Gwen Stacy, a very important character in the film, and angers Mary Jane. Their relationship is well written, the audience can clearly identify with their hardships as a couple and the difficulties of faithfulness. Parker's struggle with his identity is entrenched in depth and philosophy. Out of the series, Spidey-man 3 is the most spiritual, and the most painful. 

In conclusion, the $250 million budget for Spidey-man 3 was put into extremely good use. Sam Raimi has clearly created a masterpiece of the highest art calibre. Though I orginally felt Venom could have been written much better, I clearly was incorrect. Many people were angered by this film, but when encountered by nihilism and painful truth, it's difficult to accept any other emotion. Praise it! 5/5