Spider-Man returns to battle a host of new baddies in the third adventure based on the popular comic book hero.
Spider-Man 3 isn't the greatest superhero film ever made. It isn't even the greatest Spider-Man film ever made. However, it's a lot better than its middling reputation might suggest, and now that the hype of its original release has died down, it's possible to examine it without the weight of impossible expectation that led to disappointment for so many viewers.
Crucial to the success of the three Spidey movies so far is the approach taken by their director. Sam Raimi clearly 'gets' Spider-Man, and he treats the character with a care and respect that you'd expect from a fan. Not only does Raimi clearly understand Spidey, but he understands how to bring his world to the screen effectively, too: which elements of the comic-book characterisation to retain and which to reinvent, what modifications to make to the various story strands to bring them together cohesively, and how to put it together for a mainstream audience. However, Raimi isn't so respectful that he's afraid to do anything new or to take chances with him (as Superman Returns proved, an overly reverential attitude to the subject can scupper a superhero film), and it's perhaps Raimi's more daring and unusual (if superficial) choices which turned off some of comicdom's more conservative fans, many of whom thought that 'dark' Peter's geeky dancing was ridiculous or that the new Goblin costume looked even sillier than the last one.
However, that's not to say that there aren't more fundamental problems with the film, because there are - and where the film really falls down is in its attempt to cram far an excess of material into its story. Spider-Man 3 is a film which deals with some fairly straightforward themes: responsiblity, the darker side of human nature, revenge, and forgiveness. Unfortunately, these themes are muddied by all sorts of elements which feel out of place and unnecessary: there's a revisitation of Uncle Ben's murder which risks negating the very reason that Peter became Spider-Man; there are superfluous complications with the various love triangles of the story (with Gwen Stacy included for no apparent reason other than fan service); and there's at least one too many villains.
However, whereas many people cite the inclusion of Venom as the decision which ultimately unbalanced the film, it's actually the Sandman who feels like a third wheel here. His character is so under-developed and two-dimensional (a common criminal, given motivation and definition only by the cliché of his sick daughter) that Thomas Hayden Church's acting abilities feel completely wasted. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a far more complete version of the character in the initial script than ended up on screen, because I can't believe that Raimi would have conceived his Sandman in such a half-baked manner.
Indeed, during the cast commentary on this DVD Raimi and other cast members talk about how much the final script for Spider-Man 3 differs from the original drafts (in which the villains were originally Sandman and the Vulture), and how the late decision to include Venom meant that the entire plot had to be rewritten in order to introduce the black costume and to push Peter in a darker direction. As it turns out, this was a great decision, as it bolsters the drama of the characters' inter-personal relationships with a strong central storyline which plays into the conventions of the superhero genre at the same time as it gives the central character a meaty, meaningful arc of development.
The importance of taking responsibilty for your actions has always been a key aspect of Spider-Man, and the manner in which the black suit gives him more power (but at a personal cost) is a great way to represent his internal conflict between the desire to do good and the temptation to unleash a darker side. It's the most compelling aspect of the film, and Raimi gives it enough time and attention that it feels organic and faithful to the character rather than seeming rushed and forced. The motif of duality is also subtly underlined by Raimi through the film's visuals, with frequent snatches of Peter's reflection in mirrored surfaces reinforcing the idea of there being two conflicting aspects of Peter's personality at play.
This internal conflict isn't confined to Peter Parker, either: Harry Osborn, Flint Marko and Eddie Brock all experience similar dilemmas, and it helps to unify the film under a common theme. The other major themes which underpin the movie are those of forgiveness and revenge, but unfortunately those aren't quite as well-developed: of all the characters, it's only Harry Osborn's arc that really succeeds, reaching a satisfying climax which feels like a deserved payoff for his long, tortured character history. Even then, though, he's able to fall back on the previous 2 movies' worth of characterisation and audience goodwill to give his scenes some weight.
Tobey Maguire has made Peter Parker his own to such an extent that I couldn't imagine anyone else in the role. He nails the character's geeky charm, his silly humour and the emotional highs and lows that he experiences throughout the film. Some may find his performance as 'emo' Parker a little over-the-top or cheesy, and much has been made of his goofy dancing under the influence of the black costume, but it's to Maguire's credit that it all feels perfectly in-character. Kirsten Dunst is far more impressive here than in the first two movies, and that's probably due to the more complex and mature material that she's given to work with. She plays a dejected MJ well, and her frustration at Peter's fall into arrogance and lack of consideration for her feelings is played perfectly, feeling wholly sympathetic, and adding to the change in the audience's perception of Spidey as a result. After the will-they won't-they soap-opera of the first two movies, the couple's complicated web of misunderstanding provides a more intelligent, true-to-life piece of drama.
The villains are also well-cast: Topher Grace does particularly well as Eddie Brock Jr., a character who is played as similar to Peter Parker but with a slightly more sinister and self-deluding edge. There's a certain amount of charisma, but it's tempered with an unlikeable quality which makes him impossible to get too atttached to. Equally, Thomas Hayden Church does his best with what he has to work with, but the character is so thin that he can only sketch the Sandman in the broadest possible strokes.
James Franco is probably the greatest success, though - he's given a fully-rounded character arc and he makes the most of what is likely to be his swansong in the series, playing the loyal friend and the bitter enemy with equal confidence, and never veering too close to the kind of pantomime antics than can turn a villain from scary to ridiculous. There's a real edge and a sinister sense of danger to his performance, and it makes the New Goblin the most compelling of the three villains any time he's on-screen.
Bryce Dallas Howard's inclusion as Gwen Stacy is the only real head-scratcher. After watching the film a few times, I'm still struggling to work out why she was thrown into the mix, as she doesn't really add anything to the story. Howard plays the character sweetly enough, but I simply can't understand why she was included - other than to give a little variation to the damsel-in-distress scenes that have been the sole purview of Mary Jane in the last two films.
Finally, I have to mention the most faithfully-realised character in the all three Spider-Man movies: J. Jonah Jameson. J.K. Simmons plays the character to perfection, and even if he doesn't seem to have quite as much time to shine here as in Spider-Man 2, his appearances are so enjoyable that he really raises the level of entertainment every time he appears on screen.
Visually, the film improves upon both of the previous instalments, with far more convincing CGI doubles, and fight scenes which are more intricate and detailed than ever before. However, the standout sequence isn't a fight or a display of Spidey's acrobatic abilities: it's the far quieter and more considered scene which depicts the birth of the Sandman. Not only is it a triumph of visual effects, but it's a beautifully-conceived, wordless, poetic sequence in which the emotional content is perfectly conveyed through the visuals and through Christopher Young's evocative score. Thomas Hayden Church's performance is mapped onto the sand-creature seamlessly, and the craft with which the scene is executed makes the character an artistic achievement to rank alongside Terminator 2's T-1000, or Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.
When it comes to action, this is probably the most ambitious of all three of the Spider-Man films, but it pulls it off admirably, with a far grander scale than the previous two films. The four-way battle royale which closes the movie is one of the only ones in the history of superhero movies to truly convey the giddy visual excitement of the comic book page, and the larger-than-life nature of a big superhero smackdown: even the train sequence from Spider-Man 2 is put to shame.
However, the most impressive fight isn't the final free-for-all, but the dirty, rough tussle between Peter and Harry in his penthouse apartment. As in the first two films, Raimi ties Spider-Man's fights with Sandman, Venom and the New Goblin to an emotional core, giving Peter Parker a personal conflict with each of the villains which strengthens the impact of their battles, and the fight between the two schoolfriends is a perfect example of how this deeper connection can raise the stakes for an otherwise straightforward fight scene. My only complaint is that the fight sequences are occasionally so fast and furious that it's difficult to get a sense of what's going on (the opening airborne battle between an out-of-costume Spider-Man and the New Goblin is so frenetic that it's sometimes hard to get a fix on the characters or their actions), but that's only a minor flaw in an otherwise very impressive production.
Spider-Man 3, then, is a flawed and imperfect movie which is more satisfying and dense than the first film, but which doesn't quite achieve the perfect mix of action, character development, humour and spectacle that made the second film such a perfect superhero movie. It's still one of the better superhero films to have come out of Hollywood in recent years, and doesn't deserve the weak reputation that it gained in the first few weeks of release, but it ultimately feels too crowded and unfocused to stand as a truly great entry in the Spider-Man canon.
The DVD extras take the form of two commentaries on the first disc, and several featurettes on the second disc, which cover various aspects of the film's production. It's the standard package for movies like this (and is very similar to the package put together for Spider-Man 2), and it's a shame to see that the featurettes don't really go into a lot of detail about the film's troubled production history, and the reports that Venom was forced on Raimi by Avi Arad and the studio.
However, the director and cast commentary is slightly more revealing, dropping a few interesting hints as to how the movie was originally envisioned and admitting that the film began shooting without a full script in place. For the most part, though, it's an excuse for the actors to congratulate each other on their performances and to talk about the general themes of the movie. Topher Grace deserves some credit for his surprisingly solid knowledge of the Spider-Man comics (either he's a fan, or he's really done his homework), but much of the commentary is pretty unremarkable stuff. The set is rounded out with a gag reel, some trailers, some photo galleries, and a Snow Patrol music video.
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S'il vous plaît noter qu'il s'agit d'un DVD de la région 2 et nécessitera un lecteur de DVD gratuit région 2 ou région pour jouer. Basé sur la légendaire série Marvel Comics, Peter Parker a finalement réussi à trouver un équilibre entre son dévouement à MJ et ses fonctions de super-héros. Mais il y a une tempête qui se prépare à l'horizon. Quand son costume change brusquement, devient noir comme le noir et améliore ses pouvoirs, il transforme aussi Peter, faisant ressortir le côté sombre et vengeur de sa personnalité qu'il a du mal à contrôler. Sous l'influence de la poursuite, Peter devient plus confiant et commence à négliger les personnes qui se soucient le plus de lui. Forcé de choisir entre le pouvoir séducteur du nouveau costume et le héros compatissant qu'il était, Peter doit surmonter ses démons personnels comme deux des méchants les plus redoutés, Sandman et Venom, rassembler un pouvoir sans précédent et une soif de représailles pour menacer Peter et tout le monde qu'il aime.
Three years on from the previous blockbuster, Marvel comic book character Spider-Man returns in his latest adventure. Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) and his girl Mary-Jane (Kirsten Dunst) are on the cusp of contentment - but not for long. His ex-friend Harry (James Franco), son of the Green Goblin of the first film, becomes the New Goblin in his desire for revenge against Spider-Man. Fugitive Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), killer of Peter's Uncle Ben, has been transformed into the shape-shifting Sandman, possibly Spider-Man's toughest foe so far. To complicate matters further, a parasitic alien symbiote has attached itself to Peter's suit, giving him even greater powers but also bringing out the evil side of his personality. He has to struggle not only against two major adversaries but also against himself.
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