Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers (WGA):

Sam Raimi (screenplay) &
Ivan Raimi (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

4 May 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

Next summer, the greatest battle lies... within.

Plot:

A strange black entity from another world bonds with Peter Parker and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Spider-Man | Revenge | Venom | Photographer | Amnesia

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 26 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Tobey Maguire	...	Spider-Man / Peter Parker
Kirsten Dunst	...	Mary Jane Watson
James Franco	...	New Goblin / Harry Osborn
Thomas Haden Church	...	Sandman / Flint Marko
Topher Grace	...	Venom / Eddie Brock
Bryce Dallas Howard	...	Gwen Stacy
Rosemary Harris	...	May Parker
J.K. Simmons	...	J. Jonah Jameson
James Cromwell	...	Captain Stacy
Theresa Russell	...	Emma Marko
Dylan Baker	...	Dr. Curt Connors
Bill Nunn	...	Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson
Bruce Campbell	...	Maître d’
Elizabeth Banks	...	Miss Brant
Ted Raimi	...	Hoffman

Also Known As:

3 (USA) (trailer title)
Spider-Man 3: The IMAX Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence.

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | Sonics-DDP (IMAX version) | SDDS (8 channels) | DTS-ES

Certification:

Finland:K-13 | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | Norway:11 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | Germany:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Australia:M | Hong Kong:IIA | Denmark:11 | South Korea:12 | France:U | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Italy:T | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41004) | Malaysia:U | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Sweden:11 | Spain:7 | India:UA | Portugal:M/12 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Philippines:G | New Zealand:M | Iceland:10

Filming Locations:

5th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

Real sand was used in the scenes with Sandman, except where there were characters being buried/covered in sand. Real sand being possibly hazardous for such scenes, ground up corncobs were used as a substitute. It provided marvelous snacks for the cast and crew afterwards...

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final fight the amount of mask on Peter's face and chin after it is ripped changes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Peter Parker: [Narrating] It's me! Peter Parker! Your friendly neighborhood... You know. I've come a long way from becoming the boy who was bitten by a spider. Back then, nothing seemed to go right for me, and now...
Kid in Times Square: [pointing at a giant screen in Times Square] Hey look, it's Spider-Man!
Peter Parker: [Narrating] People really like me.

Movie Connections:

References Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Soundtrack:

Sad Girl

Some great action sequences are lost in a film who's script tries to do too much and be all things to all people

Add my voice to those underwhelmed by the latest edition of the Spiderman franchise. While it does contain some of the best action sequences I've ever seen, it is far from the best film ever made.

The problem with the film is that there is simply too much going on. First off you have the Peter/MJ relationship bumping along, add to that the Peter/Harry story line still playing out, plus we have the addition of the Sandman story and coming in in the final half hour is the addition of Venom. Its too much for the movie to handle, the result of which it all feels half baked. Very few of the characters get the proper amount of time to develop with the worst offender is Eddie Brock and Venom who get zero and so seem to belong in another movie (Venom looks great which makes his under use seem even worse). The real proof the film has too much going on was that there are a couple of times where the plot is moved along by sudden out of left field revelations. The only one I"ll reveal, because its in the trailer, is that Sandman killed Uncle Ben in the first film. Had the film been better plotted the revelation wouldn't have been necessary, nor would any of the others.

There are some bright spots, the majority of the Sandman material is sterling, with the first appearance of Sandman in the sand pit almost perfect, and the sequence that makes up his first battle with Spidey one of the greatest things I've ever seen put on film. The Sandman sequences alone make it worth slogging through the ups and downs of the rest of the movie.

Is it a bad movie? No, just a disappointing one. Its clear that this could have and should have been the best in the series (and maybe the best film of the year) had all of the right pieces been put in place, indeed the final sequences in the film probably would have reduced most audiences to tears had they gotten the rest of the film right.

As I said the film is worth seeing at some point, just don't feel the need to run out with everyone else. Was it worth fighting the crowds the first weekend to see? Not really, but it is worth seeing. Hopefully they'll take a break before they make the next one, maybe they'll make the one that this movie should have been