Spider-man is possibly the most endearing superhero of all time. Be it a youngster or an adult, ‘Spidey’ has everyone entangled in his web. No wonder, the two Spider-man prequels before this one have been blockbuster hits.
Unlike some other comic book movies; spider-man has the rare distinction of having a riveting screenplay, good characterization and intense acting by the principal players, which puts it into a different league altogether(bettered by only the marvelous ‘Batman Begins’). Made with a whopping budget of 250 million dollars( that is over 1000 crore rupees) the latest installment of spider-man is touted as the most expensive movie ever made in Hollywood and one look at Spider-man 3 and you know the money is well spent.
The movie begins with our friendly neighborhood spider-man(Tobey Maguire), the darling of New York City, swinging from place to place saving the city from scum. His alias, Peter Parker is as usual the nerd in the class, and hopelessly in love with Mary Jane Watson(Kirsten Dunst) and is even ready to pop the marriage proposal question.
Trouble begins when his long time childhood friend Harry Osborn(James Franco) assumes the mantle of his evil father, The Green Goblin(shown in the first spider-man film) and vows to take revenge on Spidey for killing his dad. That’s not all; Spider-man has to battle the powerful Sandman and more importantly, the dark - side within himself which is triggered when he is possessed by an alien life form called the ‘Symbiot’. Last, but not the least, there is Peter Parker’s rival, Eddie Brock Jr. who turns into the evil Venom. Spidey has his plate full, as he zips, zaps and zooms in the 2 and a half hour flick and finally saves the day.
Once again the story line is straight out of a comic book. Long time fans will relish the opportunity to see famous villains like Venom and the ‘Symbiot’. The one thing that sets this movie apart from similar movies of the same genre is that it focuses a lot on the emotional aspect of the characters as well.
Peter’s happiness on being spider-man behind that nerdy image of Peter Parker, Mary Jane’s jealousy over her more successful boyfriend, Harry’s hate for Spider-man and his quest for revenge are brought out quite well by the director. This unfortunately, lengthens the movie a tad bit, and doesn’t make it as fun as the previous spider-man film. Also, the negative characteristics of spider-man when he is possessed by the symbiot aren’t developed as well as the viewer would like. The part concerning Venom is too short and long time fans will be highly disappointed at the shoddy treatment meted out to him, considering that he is supposed to be spidey’s prime adversary.
The special effects, the cinematography and the razor sharp editing are spell binding. The scene where Harry confronts Parker particularly stands out for its outstanding editing. The full power of the special effects team is brought out on the sandman who is a brilliant composition of reality and special effects. The seamless editing during the fight scenes simply gives you the feeling of riding a roller coaster. I can guarantee a single inch of your body wouldn’t move when these scenes are on!
The acting is decent and adequate. Tobey Maguire is as usual good as Peter Parker and so is Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson. But, it is James Franco as Harry Osborn and Topher Grace as Eddie Brock who really shine in their limited parts. Some might feel that Harry does steal the show towards the climax of the film.
In short, Spider-man 3 is your perfect entertainment package for this summer holiday. It has action, romance, drama and nice humor The script resembles a racy Bollywood film with glitzy special effects. Spider-man 3 is the perfect vacation treat for the kids and the kid within us.
Spider-man 3 gets 3 out of 5.