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Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Director: Sam Raimi
Synopsis
This action-packed superhero sequel sees Spider-man fighting the mighty Sandman as well as the villain within.
Movie review
From Time Out New York
Nap time. Perhaps it’s the weight of expectations, the rattle of a zillion calculators or the curse of Bryce Dallas Howard (forever our Lady in the Water), but the latest Spider-Man is a fussy, dispirited affair. Sam Raimi’s wrap-up installment is sure to spin a worldwide web on wallets. Still, that hesitant “woo?” you hear is the sound of comics fans young and old trying to psych themselves into acceptance rather than outright joy.As with many third chapters—brace yourself for a whole summer of them—the prevailing aesthetic is more, more, more. The new movie has no fewer than three villains, four if you count the heartless Black & Decker Spidey that Peter Parker (Maguire) temporarily morphs into, in a rather literal expression of duality. Elsewhere, there’s the late Green Goblin’s son, Harry (Franco), seeking revenge, the alien-goo-possessed Venom (Grace) and the sympathetic Sandman (Sideways’ Thomas Haden Church, mysteriously not called upon to crack a single joke).
Lost in all the crosstown traffic—does anyone actually find this computerized Tarzan-swinging remotely realistic?—are the elements that made the first two episodes so cathartic: a daringly bruised post-9/11 Gotham pride; Maguire’s geekiness (here he does some honky dancing that’s a poor echo of 2’s “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” montage) and the central romance. Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane has inexplicably devolved from “Go get ’em, tiger” spunkiness into a needy, bratty anchor whom Peter hardly seems to recognize. She’s also supposed to be a presence-challenged Broadway failure, a trait that, given Dunst’s occasional somnolence, only serves to degrade the actor. She deserves better—and so do we.
Author: Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York Issue 605: May 3–9, 2007
User reviews of this film
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- bobby said...
- Posted on Oct 11 2007 08:39 i loved the shit out of it
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- Bill said...
- Posted on Jun 13 2007 13:27 test test test
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Cast & crew
Director: Sam Raimi
Producer: Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, Grant Curtis
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Topher Grace, Thomas Haden Church, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Franco, James Cromwell, Rosemary Harris, JK Simmons full cast
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Science Fiction, Thrillers
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 139 mins
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